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1. Re batteries, I've never had anything but rotten luck with NiMH batteries in anything I've used them in--two laptops and a cellular phone. If you overcharge them, they are damaged and won't hold a charge any more. Lithium is better all around, but expensive. Ni-Cd is cheaper and holds less energy, but doesn't seem to need as fussy treatment as NiMH. 2. Re reverse video: battery operating time should be about exactly the same. The backlight uses exactly the same amount of power either way. The difference is just whether the LCD pixels are turned on or off. 3. Re trackpoint caps, I find the cats tongue ones wear out after a few tens of hours of moderate use. Since I use the trackpoint fairly lightly (my work style is to use the keyboard more), I go through about one cap per month.