{"id":726571,"date":"2026-05-10T08:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T08:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:40:17","slug":"the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/","title":{"rendered":"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2554e15a82a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2554e15a82a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/#SHARE\" >SHARE<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-box clearfix entry-content\" style=\"max-width:1050px;\">\n                        <input class=\"jpibfi\" type=\"hidden\"><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-08.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624140\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-08.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The pointing stick is one of the more divisive input devices in computing history. Lenovo\u2019s TrackPoint has a devoted following, built around people who never want to lift their hands off the keyboard home row just to move a cursor. Everyone else finds the red nub somewhere between baffling and genuinely annoying. Either way, it has stayed locked to laptop keyboards for decades, with essentially no standalone options available.<\/p>\n<p>Ploopy, the Canadian open-source hardware company known for its lineup of trackballs and trackpads, has changed that with the Bean. It\u2019s a standalone external pointing stick that connects over USB-C and sits flat on a desk. Think of it as a TrackPoint you don\u2019t have to buy a ThinkPad to access, with a few deliberate improvements added to address the weaknesses that nub has always had.<\/p>\n<p>Designer: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ploopy.co\/bean\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ploopy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624141\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-04.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624141\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-04.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 4px; margin: 18px auto 20px; text-align:center;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7222236028814181\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" type=\"3d414eccf7c96d15961e76ca-text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- In-Content-Ad-1 --><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"3d414eccf7c96d15961e76ca-text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624142\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624142\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-12.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The Bean measures 84mm x 64mm x 16mm and houses a red pointing nub near the center of its flat, 3D printed case. Unlike the fixed nubs built into laptop keyboards, this one has additional <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> in its movement, which Ploopy says helps reduce fatigue from pushing a stiffer stick over long sessions. Four buttons flank the nub, covering the standard left, right, middle click, and scroll by default.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624143\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1280\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624143\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-02.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 4px; margin: 18px auto 20px; text-align:center;\"><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7222236028814181\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\" type=\"3d414eccf7c96d15961e76ca-text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- In-Content-Ads-2 --><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"3d414eccf7c96d15961e76ca-text\/javascript\">\n<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624144\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-07.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624144\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-07.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>None of those defaults is locked in. The Bean runs QMK open-source firmware on a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, and rem<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing any of the four Omron D2LS-21 buttons takes just a few minutes using the free VIA web app. There are no drivers to install and no proprietary software to deal with, just a browser-based tool that reads the device and lets you assign functions however you like.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624147\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-06.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624147\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-06.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624145\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624145\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-01.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624146\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-03.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624146\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-03.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>For anyone who finds the conventional mouse hard on their wrist, or simply prefers keeping their hands positioned in front of them rather than reaching out to one side constantly, a pointing stick can make a noticeable difference over long sessions. You nudge the nub, and the cursor moves without your palm going anywhere. It\u2019s a small thing until it isn\u2019t, especially for people managing repetitive strain concerns.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-09.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624148\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-09.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-09.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624148\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-09.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624149\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624149\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-11.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Like everything else Ploopy makes, the Bean is completely open source. Hardware design files and firmware are both on GitHub, so anyone who wants to print their own case, modify the button layout, or write custom firmware from scratch has everything they need to do it. That kind of transparency is unusual for any consumer input device and puts Ploopy in a different category from virtually every competitor.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624150\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-05.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-624150\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" data-jpibfi-src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-05.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The Bean is available now for $70 CAD (around $52 USD), which is reasonable for a device with this much flexibility built in. It isn\u2019t going to pull in anyone who has never thought about pointing sticks before, but for the enthusiast crowd that has been waiting for a standalone option this customizable and this open, it\u2019s about as close to a purpose-built answer as anyone has delivered.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-624151\" data-jpibfi-post-excerpt=\"\" data-jpibfi-post-url=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/\" data-jpibfi-post-title=\"The TrackPoint Was Always Laptop-Only, This $52 Bean Changes That\" 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                                                        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"vcard author\"><br \/>\n                            <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                                <span>JC Torres<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/2026\/05\/08\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The pointing stick is one of the more divisive input devices in computing history. Lenovo\u2019s TrackPoint has a devoted following, built around people who never want to lift their hands off the keyboard home row just to move a cursor. Everyone else finds the red nub somewhere between baffling and genuinely annoying. Either way, it&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":726572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.yankodesign.com\/images\/design_news\/2026\/05\/the-trackpoint-was-always-laptop-only-this-52-bean-changes-that\/ploopy-bean-trackpoint-08.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[119073],"class_list":["post-726571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-mouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}