Optical trackpad
An optical trackpad is an input device based on an optical sensor, which detects the displacement of a finger that is moving on top of it. The sensor is used typically in smartphones, where it replaces the D-pad, and in ultra-portable or ultra-mobile PCs, where it replaces touchpads, pointing sticks or trackballs as pointing device.
The main advantages over a D-pad are:
- It can track movements in 360 degrees and with varying speeds.
- It uses space efficiently, without the need for small buttons that are difficult to press.
Next to browsing through menus, it can drive a mouse cursor in point&click interfaces.
In comparison with touchpads, it detects actual skin displacement, instead of displacement of the center of the area being touched, and more similar to pointing sticks or compact trackballs by using experience, but with less physical feedback.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Optical trackpad”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- HTC Desire - optic navigation.jpeg by Espen Irwing Swang, Mobilen.no, CC BY 3.0
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