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This article is about a computer input device. For the teaching and presentation aid, see Pointer (rod).Pointing stick on a Lenovo ThinkpadIBM Thinkpad caps(left-to-right): Soft Rim, Classic Dome, Soft Dome The **pointing stick** (trademarked by IBM as the **TrackPoint** & by Synaptics as the **Touchstyk**) is an **isometric joystick** used as a pointing device (compare especially touchpad and trackball). It was invented by research scientist Ted Selker. It is present on many brands of laptops, including IBM's line of ThinkPad laptops (now made by Lenovo), Toshiba Tecra laptops, HP business notebooks and on Dell Latitudes under the name of Track Stick. It has also been observed on computer mice and on some desktop keyboards (as an integrated pointing device). The pointing stick operates by sensing applied force (hence it is also known as an isometric joystick), by using a pair of resistive strain gauges. The velocity of the cursor depends on the applied force. On a QWERTY keyboard, the stick is embedded between the 'G', 'H' and 'B' keys, and the mouse buttons are placed just below the Spacebar. The mouse buttons can be operated right-handed or left-handed due to their placement below the keyboard along the centerline. The pointing stick has a replaceable rubber cap, traditionally red on the ThinkPad but also found in other colors on other machines. The cap can be a slightly rough "eraser head" material (Classic Dome) or other optional shapes (Soft Dome or Soft Rim).[1]