Trackball vs. Trackpad

(computing) A pointing device consisting of a ball housed in a socket

an electronic device consisting of a rotatable ball in a housing; used to position the cursor and move images on a computer screen;

Example: ‘a trackball is essentially an upside-down mouse’;

A trackball is a pointing device consisting of a ball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-down mouse with an exposed protruding ball. Users roll the ball to position the on-screen pointer, using their thumb, fingers, or commonly the palm of the hand while using the fingertips to press the mouse buttons.

touchpad