Integrated pointing device, help me choose

[svet]

I am looking for a mechanical keyboard with an integrated pointing device that does not require me to move the hand away from home row too much. (there are quite a few keyboards with a trackball or touchpad above or below the numpad, which is not what I am looking for).

So far the only one I have found is the unicomp endurapro, which comes with a ibm-style "nipple mouse". However, it uses buckling springs, which I am afraid might be too noisy, and the mouse is reviewed as the worst part of it, apparently being too stiff and with a noticeable dead zone.

I have found a couple other keyboards with a touchpad below the spacebar, but they use rubber domes.

Are there other choices? preferably with capacitive or brown switches. Available in the EU is a plus.

[czarek]

How about this:
http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/categories.main/parentcat/10943

[svet]

I only have cash, and all the ones on clickykeyboards are sold

[mkawa]

i use a TKL ibm space saver II (ibm p/n 37l0888, iirc). it's rubber dome, but so is the m4-1 (and with reduced travel, to boot), and the new lenovo/thinkpad travel keyboards are all chiclet, which i'm not too crazy about (although i have one of those too). the advantage of the newer trackpoint IV based boards is that the nub is much more responsive than the old-style trackpoint II on the M13, or the resistive type on the unicomp board.

another integrated device that i've found to be pretty reasonable is the multitouch + chicklets on the macbook pros, largely because of gestures.

in summary, you're not going to get mechanical + a good pointing device unless you build it yourself, so pick which aspect is most important to you. personally, when i'm working in an IDE, i go with the SSII. when i'm not forced to deal with some horrible mouse based GUI, i use my filco tkl with blues.

[czarek]

I can say Endurapro is good enough for programming work (selecting text, scrolling) and internet browsing, sure nowhere as good as IBM/Lenovo but surely usable.
There is other problem I have with the pointing stick in keyboard. When I type pretty fast my fingers glide very low above the keys and the stick simply gets in a way. It's less noticeable on Lenovo laptops as the keys are low profile and flat but on Endurapro (and I believe M13 as well, but I haven't tried it) it is annoying.

[svet]

is there a starting point if I wanted to build one myself? can you buy pointing sticks separately? they're so hard to find even with a keyboard included.

maybe a separate trackball kept under the spacebar could be operated with thumbs alone if it's small enough. Do you know of any that might work this way?

[mkawa]

is there a starting point if I wanted to build one myself?

this is one of those situations where if you have to ask, the answer is clearly no.

[shrap]

maybe a separate trackball kept under the spacebar could be operated with thumbs alone if it's small enough. Do you know of any that might work this way?

RollerMouse

Review on GH

[svet]

Look at this beast:

http://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_details.asp?PRODUCT=24

a Maltron that has a similar layout to the advantage, plus trackball, a lot of extra keys and a pricetag that is worth a small continent. I have found no reviews. How are the switches? does the trackball in that position work well with that layout?

[sordna]

By far the best integrated pointing device ever on a keyboard is the one on the Fingerworks Touchstream, the entire keyboard surface being a touchpad whihc works amazingly well. You can point, drag, stroll right where your hand is, just by putting 2 or more fingers on the board. I don't like typing so much on this board, but the mousing is the best of the best. Here's mine:

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 36098[/ATTACH]

The TG3 is pretty good too, surprised nobody mentioned it:
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:20454

However it would be great if we ever see the mini-guru materialize:
http://www.guru-board.com/

Another prototype that might get a trackpoint is the ErgoDox:
http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?22780-Interest-Check-Custom-split-ergo-keyboard