HP’s Dragonfly Chromebook convinces me it’s time for a Bluetooth haptic trackpad for ChromeOS

Years ago, my go-to desktop setup involved a lovely Bluetooth trackpad made by Logitech called the T650. If you ever had/used one, you know the brilliance contained in that wireless wonder. It was huge, glass, smooth, and had a supremely satisfying click mechanism. Early on, Google saw it as important enough to make sure the drivers were in place in ChromeOS to make this trackpad work with Chromebooks and it made for a wonderful pairing at the desk. Much like Apple’s Magic Trackpad has graced many desktops over the years, the Logitech T650 was a companion I was rarely without.

As time passed, however, the mechanism on my T650 finally started wearing out and I began to wonder how long it would last. As it turned out, a coworker at my previous job needed it a bit worse than me, so I sold it to the company at a fair price and moved on, not knowing the scant availability of that unique trackpad had transformed the humble $99 pointing device into an Ebay sensation. After selling it, I quickly realized I could have pulled $200 easily if I would have sold it online. To this day, the now-defunct trackpad still gets listed on Ebay for anywhere between $100 and $200.

Why wireless trackpads are awesome

Why is that? Well, for many reasons, users like a good trackpad experience. For Windows users (the actual, intended audience for the T650), there were no peripheral trackpads worth buying until the T650 showed up. And for some reason, even after Logitech moved on, there have been no other attempts to fill that void. As we’ve come to the point where nearly every single laptop is equipped with a trackpad – good or bad – as a default option, why would there not be more options for a standalone, wireless version of the same pointing device for desktop use?

That’s a question I have no answer for, and in an industry that spends a lot of time looking at Apple and doing likewise, I find it very peculiar that neither Microsoft nor Google have decided that making a first-party trackpad accessory makes sense for users. While many of us use a mouse on the desk on a regular basis, the truth is many of us also really like trackpads and would love to have one on the desk in place of a standard mouse.

Most desktop setups place the laptop to one side of the monitor or another, taking the Chromebook’s built-in trackpad out of play. Even if you love the trackpad on the device you have, these types of setups make them unusable at the desk. While I’ve made peace with my desktop setup keeping my laptop below my larger, extended display, this isn’t the best setup for most people. I do it so I can evaluate keyboards, trackpads, and screens on review units. Most users just want to put their laptop on a stand, plug in the dock, and use their desktop keyboard and mouse while at the desk during the day.

And for those of us that do this on a daily basis, many of us prefer a good trackpad to a mouse. I like using gestures to navigate the UI and I find that for most tasks, the trackpad is a bit more natural and ergonomic to use for hours at a time. Yet, my only real option at this point for a current, modern trackpad that wirelessly connects to my Chromebook is the Apple Magic Trackpad 2. And though Google has added the necessary drivers to make it work well, there’s still something just a bit off about it and I’ve found it less than reliable on a daily basis.

Why now is the time for a wireless haptic ChromeOS trackpad

With the arrival of the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, however, I’ve been reminded how great haptic trackpads can be, and I really feel like it is time for Google to make a standard haptic trackpad for ChromeOS users. The biggest benefit would be for Chromeboxes and Chromebases, but I could see tons of Chromebook and Chromebook tablet users buying one as well for their desktop setups. ChromeOS clearly supports basic haptic feedback at this point and there’s really no reason we can’t get that all running over a modern Bluetooth protocol.

And if Google isn’t ready to build it, how about partnering with Logitech or one of the bigger manufacturers like HP to make it happen? There are ways to get this done and I’m convinced now more than ever that the time is now. Google clearly put a lot of effort to get this working correctly on the HP Dragonfly, so why not extend the R&D to build a solid, wireless, Bluetooth trackpad that anyone can buy and use with a Chromebook, Chromebase, or Chromebox when at the desk? All the pieces are finally in place to make this work, and I’m hopeful that all of Google’s movement on haptic trackpads isn’t saved for one, single device. Sure, haptic on more Chromebooks will be great, but a peripheral that takes advantage would be well received, too; and it wouldn’t be limited to those willing to pay $1000 for a Chromebook.