In the past, when I've used a laptop or a netbook, there were keys in the middle of the keyboard that could be used as a number keypad if paired with the laptop or netbook's Function (Fn) key. For example, on my old Toshiba netbook, Fn+M = the keypad's 0, Fn+J=1, Fn+K=2, Fn+L=3, Fn+U=4, Fn+I=5, Fn+O=6, Fn+7=7, Fn+8=8, Fn+9=9. And so if I then hold down the ALT key and then Fn+m, Fn+j, Fn+o, and Fn+l, that would be the equivalent of ALT+0163 and it would produce a £ . Frankly, I found this a PITA, but it did work without my having to change the keyboard. However, I confess that the last time I bought a laptop, I made sure it had a regular numeric keypad, since I type a fair amount in Spanish and want to be able to use the numeric keypad to type characters like ñ, é, ¿, etc. However, if all you need is a very occasional £, it might be worth giving the Fn key method a try, assuming your laptop has one.
