I actually have a mouse along with a keyboard and monitor, set up on a table --- and completely buried under stuff that I need to work on. :-)
Because of my health, it's hard to sit at a desk for very long. I usually use my laptop in bed or on my futon, and don't have an easily available hard surface to slide a mouse around on... maybe a trackball, though.
Oh, and it's an MSI Apache with a Synaptics TouchPad V7.5
... and I found it as an option under "Tap Zones" in the advanced settings.
And, I
love the idea of you sitting outside, sipping coffee.
But even with a matte screen, I tend to get too much glare!
Thanks, Tad!