Mouse replacement makes Win8 tolerable

[lifeblood]

While I like Win 8x on a touch device, I have hated it on a desktop. I put Win 8.0 on my MPC with a traditional mouse & keyboard. My MPC uses the TV as its monitor and I sit on the sofa 6-8 feet away. Using it this way I had a hard time navigating. It was too hard to do anything.

When 8.1 came out I upgraded and felt it was a little better but still was too hard to navigate with a traditional mouse.

Yesterday I bought a Logitech T650 Touch Pad and feel that Windows 8 is now actually useable. The T650 supports multiple finger swipes and so forth. I can pinch to zoom, etc. the touch pad versus the mouse on a desktop is almost night and day (for me).

I still am not ready to upgrade my main desktop, but I'm closer. If 8.2 is released with the ability to run Metro apps in resizable windows then I will make the leap.

 

[Rhonda the Sly]

Touchpads, in almost all forms, are abominations. What's difficult about Windows 8 that a touchpad can improve upon?

Semi-sincere question as I use Windows 8 on my desktop, on which I find Windows 8 is excellent, as well as a laptop. Personally, I carry a small mouse around with me at all times and when I'm not using the mouse I'm using the touchscreen.

Might just be a me thing, though. 🙂

 

[postmortemIA]

I'll pass at $50 (+ $100 for Windows 8 license) and keep my Windows 7 for a while. Can't see that pad will be better for gaming or office work/development.

 

[lifeblood]

Touchpads, in almost all forms, are abominations. What's difficult about Windows 8 that a touchpad can improve upon?

Every other touchpad I have used has been an abomination. They are unresponsive, small, and keep confusing my gestures (mistake a swipe for a tap for example). This is the first one that gets it right. It has yet to get a gesture wrong, and is sensitive enough to not miss any gestures. I know I sound like a Logitech salesman, but the damn thing does what its supposed to do. If nothing else it earns points for working as advertised.

With the mouse, I had problems finding the hot corners. I kept having to take my hands off the mouse to type commands or search strings. With the trackpad I use one finger to move the mouse, two fingers scroll the screen, pinch to zoom, etc. By changing the number of fingers on the touchpad I change the function. It feels more efficient.

Of course, I do a lot of Visio for work, ArcGIS for school, and gaming at home and I haven't tried those with a touchpad yet. They may not work out as well. But using a trackpad doesn't mean I can't have the mouse sitting there for when I need it.