Mouse vs. Trackpad?

Do you prefer mice or trackpads when working on a laptop? I mainly use a trackpad, even for gaming, but many of my friends have recommended that I work with a mouse instead. Is it worth the money and the added device I would have to carry around? Also, if using a mouse would be preferable, what models are relatively inexpensive while still being durable and precise?

 

I mainly use a small wireless mouse. I don't mind the pad, but I prefer the mouse.

 

Maybe I was born with an inept hand in trackball. In my laptop bag, there's always a corded mouse which I use with the laptop. My efficiency is hampered when I use the trackpad or even the old track ball. So it is the mouse for me, whether corded or wireless.

 

If I'm doing work that requires accuracy for graphics, I'll use the mouse then or a digitizer tablet. If it's just regular use on a laptop without design or graphics, the touchpad is okay.

 

Mouse all the way, the touch pad has never been my favorite. When I got my first laptop and started using the touchpad I knew that thing wasn't for me. not at all. I've disabled my touchpad since then, now I only use the mouse

 

I only use my track pad and has no need for a mouse! Since I have to sit with my feet elevated to keep them from going to sleep or cutting off my circulation, a mouse would be very inconvenient for me to track around.

 

A lot of people use both, specially if they are using OSX to take advantage of all the advanced multi touch gestures of Mission Control, I've seen this with people that do video editing and that type of work with Macs, they actually use both the track pad and the mouse at the same time and place the track pad on their left side so they do gestures with their left hand while using the mouse with their right hand, I guess this makes sense if you need to be switching between desktops and applications a lot. A lot of people that I know CAN'T live with this setup.

 

There are times I would laugh but be okay if I had a Nintendo Power Glove or NES Zapper/Beam Gun/Sega Light Phaser to point at the screen with. Putting some fun and retro gaming excitement into the everyday trackpad or mouse pointer.

 

The touch pad drives me insane even on the best of days. I despise those things because, as a writer, I constantly have the heel of my hand hovering over the bottom edge of the keyboard. If I am writing on my laptop, this brings me in nearly constant contact with that sensitive touch pad. I will find my page shifting all over the place and my writing will get all messed up when lines I'm typing end up in the wrong place. It's just a nasty situation because then I have to break my concentration long enough to fix my errors, or scroll back to where I should be in my manuscript. For this reason alone, I always turn off the pad and use a tiny mouse instead. I use those laptop mice with the retractable cord for their portability factor.

 

I have noticed that touch pads do bother a lot of people. Jumping mouse cursors and no mouse wheel can get annoying.

 

I hate the track pad. Every single time I type, I accidentally move the cursor to a different part of the screen because I keep pressing on the damn track pads. Wireless mouse with USB port is the way to go, as it is much simpler to move, and it won't bother you when you are writing something on the screen. Is there any way to disable the track pad entirely? Because if that option is possible, then that would be the solution to my typing problems when I'm using the laptop.

 

I use a wireless mouse, track pad doesn't fly with me. Like some above, i also have a problem with moving the cursor anywhere on the screen when I'm typing because i would accidentally touch the track pad and it's just the worst thing in the world. It's a huge problem for me.

 

I use the trackpad only when I am moving around since I don't like carrying my gaming mouse around along with the mouse pad. It makes everything easier and efficient. Trackpads work very well with OSX and Apple has integrated it flawlessly.