Many years ago I had a ThinkPad and I had such a nice workflow using the track point. I had good precision without having to move my hands. Now I’ve moved to a split keyboard (kinesis freestyle edge currently) but I’m wanting to get something similar back.
What options exist for integrated pointing devices such as trackballs, track points, or touchpads? All I’ve seen is the UHKB and some 3d printed models.
Options exist for all three of them.
For a trackpoint version, checkout the buzzard. I also recently added beta-level support for trackpoints to zmk. So you can build a wireless trackpoint split keyboard.
I am also working on a corne clone with trackpoint support.
You can come to the zmk discord pointing-devices channel to discuss the topic with more people.
You can hook up a trackpoint module salvaged from a thinkpad keyboard to a Pro Micro, and use that in a handwired build. See e.g. [here] (https://community.keyboard.io/t/trackpoint-mod-ii-a-new-guide/3663) or [here] or here (https://rfong.github.io/rflog/2021/10/26/r61-trackpoint-pt2/). You can use it with QMK, see here, see also this build.
Not ergo, but there are the Shinobi and Shura from TEX.
I know there’s a small I2C module you can get with a miniature trackball like the ones that were popular on certain models of blackberry phones around 2010 or so. I found it being sold on pishop, but the silkscreen on it says its made by pimoroni.
Another option is the cirque touchpads. I’ve not tried them but they are popular and people find them usable enough as an actual replacement primary pointing device, which isn’t the case with things like the pimoroni trackball, etc.
