Anyone think the D4 keyboard is a step backwards?

NoBloatware

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It's "laser cut" "laser cut" "laser cut"...I don't care what they use to cut it, I care about what keys are present and how it works.

I haven't used it, but from watching the videos my preliminary conclusion is that this is the least functional keyboard ever in the Motorola Droid line. Why?

- lack of symbols on keyboard, probably necessitating a virtual symbol keyboard. That takes more time, makes you take your fingers off of the keyboard, and a virtual keyboard covers part of the screen thus hiding what you are editing/writing.

- a CAPS LOCK key. Is that a joke? It's the one key I never use on my PC so why would I want it on my phone? What was wrong with pressing SHIFT twice for caps lock? I can imagine hitting CAPS LOCK by mistake all the time. This key annoys the heck out of me. There are keys that are actually used that should be there. CAPS LOCK? Sheesh!!!

- @ symbol is no longer on it's own key and now requires SYM + 2. A step backwards.

- = symbol is on it's own key. How often do I use that? I appreciate the idea of trying to make it like a PC keyboard but can they think a little? I use @ much more than = on my phone so @ should have it's own key instead of =.

- microphone key is on the TAB key instead of by itself. I think it's cool that with one touch on the D3 I can start dictating. Now I guess you have to press SYM and then TAB to do this. A step backward.

- no ALT key. Is SYM the new ALT? In the past all of the Droid physical keyboards had both SYM and ALT. I wonder if this will cause any complications. Maybe, maybe not.

- no magnifying glass / search key. I guess you could still use the capacitive search key so perhaps this is a good idea for removing redundancy but the keyboard is technically less functional now.

Maybe you think I'm whining but I just wanted to list all of my concerns about this keyboard. It's disappointing just like the non-removable battery. I haven't touch this phone but I know it's not for me. Maybe when Google takes over Motorola they'll pull their heads out of wherever they're stuck right now.
 

smalltowngirl13

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I haven't had any hands on experience with this yet either...but I have heard reports that this is the best keyboard yet (altho, that was said about the D3)...
 

liftedplane

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I haven't had any hands on experience with this yet either...but I have heard reports that this is the best keyboard yet (altho, that was said about the D3)...
guess we just have to wait to find out. I've been missing my physical keyboard since I moved from the d2g to the bionic. While I love the bionic the lack of real keys drives me mad. I think a physical keyboard, whether a step back or not, is still better than none at all.... I just wish the screen was that .3" bigger... >_> cause I'm effing blind
 

AZClimber

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Always thought the D3 keyboard felt kinda cheap - the keyboard on my Casio G'Zone Brigade was excellent (solid and slightly bubbled). The D4 from what I can see in the videos looks like a step up from the D3's keyboard. If it really does feel good I will buy it since the D4 will be getting ICS in the near future, it will be a global phone, is somewhat splash proof and 4G LTE. The non-removable battery kinda sucks, they'll probably come out with a D4 Maxx a month after the initial D4 release.
 

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Personally i wouldn't bother with the DROID4 I'd go with the Nexus or just wait for a quad core in the summer

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smalltowngirl13

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guess we just have to wait to find out. I've been missing my physical keyboard since I moved from the d2g to the bionic. While I love the bionic the lack of real keys drives me mad. I think a physical keyboard, whether a step back or not, is still better than none at all.... I just wish the screen was that .3" bigger... >_> cause I'm effing blind

I think that is the thing with these phones...the keyboard is a personal preference and if you like it, you like and if you don't, you can go without it...I had the D1 and never used the keyboard (same with the d2g and d3)...I love the virtual keyboards on the bigger screens but that is just my preference.
 

joemontana

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I think the D4 KB is a step backward, but not for any reasons you elucidate. I just think a physical kb is a step backward. Swype typing is awesome! Seems to take less concentration that hitting all the little keys.
I know a lot of people love their physical kb so i'll shut up now, I just had to put that in.

Joe Fisher
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NoBloatware

NoBloatware

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I think the D4 KB is a step backward, but not for any reasons you elucidate. I just think a physical kb is a step backward. Swype typing is awesome! Seems to take less concentration that hitting all the little keys.
I know a lot of people love their physical kb so i'll shut up now, I just had to put that in.

Joe Fisher
Kalispell, MT

There are 2 benefits of a physical keyboard as I see it:
1) you can see the whole screen when typing/editing
2) makes entering key combos easier/possible. For example, for a quick copy paste or when entering weird key combos in a program like emacs.

#2 is the big reason I have to have a physical keyboard. I've tried using a virtual keyboard (like Hacker's keyboard) but it just doesn't work very well when ssh-ing and using a program like emacs.

Probably other reasons too, like:
3) type without looking
 
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AZClimber

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Well it looks like a pretty awesome phone, I wasn't all that impressed with my Nexus especially since I actually use a phone as a phone and the call quality was terrible on it plus the cheesy battery cover was a joke.
 

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Well it looks like a pretty awesome phone, I wasn't all that impressed with my Nexus especially since I actually use a phone as a phone and the call quality was terrible on it plus the cheesy battery cover was a joke.

I think the D4 KB is a step backward, but not for any reasons you elucidate. I just think a physical kb is a step backward. Swype typing is awesome! Seems to take less concentration that hitting all the little keys.
I know a lot of people love their physical kb so i'll shut up now, I just had to put that in.

Joe Fisher
Kalispell, MT

If you look at your hands or at the keys when you type, be honest now and (oh, you're a vzw shill? Yes, I know, you're not paid to be honest. But everyone else) own up. Hard keyboards are for people who touch type -- and also for anyone who really likes them. If you type Biblical style, you know, "Seek and ye shall find." then maybe you like them and maybe you don't, but either way, you don't NEED a physical keyboard and you have no idea why anyone else would NEED one either.

So, please go away. Don't post in this thread. It's not about you.

Edit: Quote / apostrophe key at the top left?!! NOT like a PC keyboard!


Perspective instantiates reality.
( By DX w/DF app. )
 
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liftedplane

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I think that is the thing with these phones...the keyboard is a personal preference and if you like it, you like and if you don't, you can go without it...I had the D1 and never used the keyboard (same with the d2g and d3)...I love the virtual keyboards on the bigger screens but that is just my preference.

It is personal preference, i prefer to not have to look at my phone to type. With a virtual keyboard i have to, physical keyboard i don't, not to mention snes and gba games play better with a physical keyboard. If just rather have a bigger screen AND physical keyboard. Guess we can't win them all yet. Maybe a mini Bluetooth keyboard case for the bionic or nexus? Sounds kinda hokey

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silverfang77

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I strongly prefer the hardware keyboard. I am a touch typist on the PC and love to type actual words, use punctuation, etc. The people who prefer the on screen keyboards are usually the ones who answer with "lol" "omg", etc.
 
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NoBloatware

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the d3 keyboard is a step back.maybe not so much for the lack of symbols, but other things. That lack of a dedicated @ key ruins any typing smoothness you hope to acheive. And i cant understand how motorola could do that? A smart phones primary function is for communication. That includes a lot of emailing. The @ key gets used alot! Hopefully the device can prove us wrong when it gets released... i doubt it though.. keyboard does look cool though....

You wrote D3 but you meant D4. Anyway, the @ symbol is going to be used more than CAPS LOCK. It is used when emailing people but also when filling out web forms, like when ordering stuff or logging into a web site. I'm not getting the D4 because of this. The Droid line has gone from a hacker's phone to just hacked up.

Personally, I'm keeping an eye on Nokia. I shudder to think that I would ever use any kind of Windows again but let's face it: I need the phone for work. If it doesn't have some way for me to efficiently and fluidly edit a document or code then the phone is not for me. Use the right tool for the job. If you're not into physical keyboards then, with all due respect, I don't know why you're in this neck of the forums.
 
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I ALWAYS use the Caps Lock rather then the shift key.

And my mother is one who is still stuck on her crummy old phone because she loves the keyboard. So hearing about the D4 having a keyboard and being the newest phone, let's just say she's gone insane/
 
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The main reason I want a physical keyboard? I hate most of my screen disappearing for the virtual keyboard. I really need to see more than the little sliver of screen that is left!

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