Laptops take up very little space, continue running during a power outage, and LCD doesn't damage your eyes or emit EMR like a CRT monitor does. I have no wires to worry about and it only consumes one electrical outlet. Changing the volume and other tasks are easier with Fn-key controls than physical dials or system tray controls. It's extremely quiet. I don't have to turn it off, I just slap the lid closed and forget about it. Not having to turn it back on is even better!

I have a desktop at work but use a laptop at home. I seldom take the laptop with me anywhere, but it's great to be able to move around the house, watch DVD's, show off photo galleries or whatever else you need to do without being tied to a klunky desk wrapped in ugly wires.

With today's powerful-enough chips, we don't have to worry about laptops being slower than their desktop counterparts. I find that the only thing I'm limited in is video games, which I would rather play on a desktop anyway.

Asfar as the touch pad goes: you're one of the poor suckers that chose the Touch Pad over the TrackPoint (pointing stick). They're worthless. Did you choose it because somebody told you it was better, or because you were afraid to try something new? I wish my desktop had a TrackPoint in its keyboard.