You have to have something there, for times when you don't have a mouse or the mouse isn't working. If you intend to have the laptop in one place at all times with a mouse at all times, perhaps you should get a desktop?
But, to properly answer your question: some laptops have 'nipples', that are in between some of the keys on the keyboards.
An example of a laptop range with these nipples is the Lenovo Thinkpad range (several models, anyway).
They work pretty well, but take time getting used to.