A relatively new software company called Humanized has developed this great time saving software that does not get in the way of your way.
“Having to change programs to perform simple tasks—for example, making a quick calculation, or looking up a definition—breaks your concentration, takes you away from the task at hand, and wastes your valuable time. Enso lets you do common computing tasks easier and faster than ever before. You get a huge productivity boost and a simpler digital life. And now that Enso is free, it won’t cost you a penny.” - Humanized.com
go here for a past review of enso.
Now that enso is free there is no excuse not to get it.
Go to www.Humanized.com and download it today.
Pointing stick vs. touch pad, knob vs. track pad, stick vs. drag thingy they all mean the same thing. both of them have their benefits and their shortcomings. both can accomplish the same task but to different degrees. For those of you reading this that don’t know what I’m talking about I’ll give you some of my insight.
Here it is in all of its glory. Nestled between the G, H, and B. The pointing stick is what I personally use all/most of the time. All you need to do is put your finger on it and push or pull in the direction where you want the mouse to go. This is more common on older computers. I know it is on most, if not all, Latitude laptops, it’s also on Precision, Inspiron 4000, and the Inspiron 8200. (these are just dell Laptops, there are other brands with the stick on it)
Pros:
- For me the stick is much easier to maneuver than the touch pad and I can get more precision out of it.
- You can move the pointer 1 pixel in any direction (up, down, left, right) with ease.
- The stick is stiff so if you sweep your hand over it, it probably wont move the pointer.
- It is in the middle of the keyboard so you don’t have to move your hand over to a mouse or other mouse based device.
Cons:
- Leaves a little “dent” in your finger after heavy use (games) and it becomes sensitive and painful
- It is not attached to your computer so if you lose it you need to buy another one and they are expensive! I’ve seen them for 5 dollars in some stores.
- They wear out pretty fast (Then again I like the sticks when they are worn out).
- Sometimes the pointer on your screen drags in a direction (usually stops after 1-5 seconds).
And now we come to the Touch pad.As far as I can tell they work by sensing electricity from your hand to move the mouse around (not sure about this theory 
). There are different kinds of pads but they basically all do the same things. You put your finger on the pad and move it. The pointer on your screen moves accordingly. An interesting thing I noticed about it is that the pointer moves relative to the speed of your finger. If you move your finger slowly from one end of the pad to the other the pointer might go half-way, if you move your hand fast the pointer reaches the other side of the screen easily.
Pros:
- Near to your thumb for quick mouse moving.
- Put a finger on both sides and release them one after another for a super speed pointer attack.
- Good for quick movements that don’t need accuracy.
- Some pads have scrolling function(left-right, up-down).
Cons:
- Accidental movements occur often (even worse if you have “pad clicking” on).
- It gets confused when more than one appendage touching it.
- Cannot be (easily) replaced.
- Crumbs can get stuck in the ridge.
- It gets scratched and dirty pretty easily.
In the end I tend to use the pointer more often but the pad has its uses as well. I hope you enjoyed my article and please comment if you liked it.
