Although your Macbook is already equipped with a keyboard and a trackpad, you can supplement them with enhanced hardware that will add functionality and precision to your work. (Or you can buy a joystick and spend your days wreaking havoc on your enemies.)
Keyboards
If you want to add an external keyboard to your system, you can take advantage of the convenience of a USB keyboard like the one in Figure 1-2.
Figure 1-2:
An ergonomic upgrade — the after-market USB keyboard.
What they cost
Aftermarket (nonstandard-issue) keyboards generally cost anywhere from $30-$100.
What to look for
Look for the following keyboard features when shopping for a keyboard:
♦ Programmable buttons: Configure these to launch applications or run macros.
♦ Additional USB ports: Use these to turn your keyboard into a USB hub.
♦ Numeric keypad: A true numeric keypad cluster makes entering numbers far faster and more accurate.
♦ One-touch buttons to launch your browser or e-mail application: Press one of these buttons to launch your Web browser or Mail.
♦ Ergonomic wrist pad: Use these to help prevent wrist strain and repetitive joint injuries.
Trackballs
Some folks prefer using a trackball, like the one shown in Figure 1-3, over a trackpad any day . . . even the Mighty Mouse that Apple sells separately. Graphic artists find that trackballs are more precise and offer better control,
usually including a secondary button to display contextual menus. (One model on the market has eight buttons. Who needs a keyboard?)
Figure 1-3:
Many Macbook power users (myself included) favor a trackball over the trackpad.
What they cost
Trackballs range in price from $20-$90. Most are optical (see the following section), so they need little cleaning, and they’ll last for many years of precise pointing at things.
What to look for
Look for the following features when shopping for a trackball:
♦ More programmable buttons: Opt for at least two buttons!
♦ Optical tracking: An optical trackball — one that doesn’t use rollers, instead using a photosensitive sensor to record the movement of the ball — is more precise and easier to keep clean.
♦ A scroll wheel: Use this gizmo to scroll documents up and down.
♦ Ergonomic design: Look for a wrist pad or slanted buttons.
Joysticks
Game players, unite! For arcade and sports games, using a joystick results in increased maneuverability, more realistic action, higher scores, less wear and tear on your keyboard . . . and just plain more fun. Joysticks range from the traditional USB aircraft controller, as shown in Figure 1-4, to USB controllers and gamepads that rival anything offered on today’s console game machines.
Figure 1-4:
The secret weapon of Mac gaming — a joystick.
What they cost
Joysticks vary in price from $30-$120. At the low end, you’ll usually find the gamepad-type controllers, whereas aircraft controllers carry the highest price tag.
What to look for
Get the following features in a joystick:
♦ Yet even more programmable buttons.
♦ Pitch and yaw controls. These are for the flight simulator crowd.
♦ Force feedback. A force feedback joystick or gamepad rumbles and moves in tandem with the action in the game, providing an extra feeling of realism.
