When you think of point sticks, you might think of a feature that is normally associated with Compaq and Compaq Presario laptops. They are a wonderful feature, one that a Compaq owner would miss if they had to upgrade (or downgrade depending on how you look at it) to another brand of laptop.

What are point sticks? If you have ever looked at your laptop and thought you saw a piece of gum wedged in between the keys of the keyboard—that laptop probably had a point stick. The point stick is a small rubber-looking ball that is normally wedged between the B, G, and H key.

The point stick is great because many people work better with the hands on experience, and point sticks help to ease the problem that so many people have with their laptops, and that is that the touch pads simply do not work or they are not comfortable using them. Some press too hard and they tend to be flimsy on some of the cheaper models. Still others are just suck on this mouse, the one that is so commonly associated with desktop computers, that they cannot get their minds around the idea of a point stick.

Point sticks are essential for Compaq laptops, but for other brands, such as IBM, they come on certain models of their computers depending on the intended use of the notebook computer. The pointing stick has a cursor that can help people easily navigate their way around the screen, especially if they are not that experienced with laptop computers as it is.

The sad part about point sticks is that although they are so useful and help so many people use laptop and notebook computers so much more easily, they are not included on most laptops. In fact, they are hardly coming out on any laptops since touch pads have become so much more versatile and efficient, and are intended to make laptop use easier.

The point stick is just a feature that is not used across the boards for laptop use, and whether or not it should be is a whole different story. Point sticks are valuable considerations when it comes to choosing between laptop brands, and they are a winning or losing point in many respects.

You may need to stick with your IBM or Compaq laptop, because they re becoming fewer and further between with every passing year and every new model of laptop that comes.