The Physical Keyboard: Is it really THAT difficult to use?

[Big Cam]

The physical keyboard is what keps the droid one step up on the iphone or nexus one.

 

[iPirate]

using my nails with the keyboard helps a lot, i make a lot less errors. the on screen is nice but while I type very quickly, there are a bunch of mistakes and correcting them seems to remove any speed benefit

 

[nunka]

I'm asking for an option not a requirement

There is an option. Just takes a bit of tweaking to get it.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...cal-keyboard-here-how-you-do-you-welcome.html

 

[jasonb]

I've used touch devices since 2001. My first iPaq had a near standard-sized keyboard that I could attach to the data port and take notes and create documents. Even then I knew that doing work on a small screen was difficult at best and that using a physical device was much simpler than a virtual one.

Fast forward to just a few months ago and here I was making excuses for my HTC Touch, it's small screen and its virtual (on-screen) keyboard.

Since getting the DROID, I have not looked back, nor have I had ANY desire to use ANY on-screen, virtual keyboard at any point.

When I take the DROID out of my pocket, I don't even touch the power button. That's far too difficult. Instead, since I'll probably be using the keyboard anyway, I just slide the keyboard open, which turns the screen on. For me, that's the same amount of steps that it takes to locate and press the power button.

How easy is it to just slide the phone open and it's on??

As far as usability goes, I think the size is slightly awkward, but my average sized, man-hands (size large glove) seems to thumb the keyboard just fine.

I send text messages at teenager speed and am able to play emulators as if I were on a PC with no joystick. Web browsing has never been more enjoyable and I feel like I don't have a need for a laptop any longer as the DROID does everything I could ever want as far as mobility goes.

I agree. I love the slideout keyboard and I also feel no need for a laptop. My laptop actually just died about a week or so ago and I am in no rush to replace it.

 

[futurcorerock]

I came over from the dreaded iPod touch + junky sms Verizon phone

Got a lot of mileage out of using the touchscreen keypad on the iTouch and out of using the Samsung Alias' tiny keys

At first I absolutely detested the keypad and found myself reverting to the touchscreen keypad. The keys seemed to be not as tactile and physically 'felt' for me as I expected and used from my Alias.

However, after some forced learning my speed and accuracy built up on the physical keys.

I find myself using the physical keys more because the auto-insert dictionary of words for touchscreen keying is far less accurate than Apple's

 

[Dankinia]

I bought the Droid because of the physical keyboard. Coming off three Palm Treos, the physical keyboard was all I ever used.
However, I now have 3 keyboards, one virtual in both protrait and landscape modes, plus the physical slide out. I find myself using all three for different applications. A nice touch. I have no interest in the new Nexus because it lacks a physical keyboard.

I am another former Palm Treo user and for me, if the Droid did not have a physical keyboard, I would not have made the switch. I do use the virtual keyboard from time to time, and I find the virtual keyboard on the Droid much easier to use the the virtual keyboard on my ipod Touch, but I tend to make less typos on the physical keyboard.

 

[Liderc]

There's a physical keyboard on the Droid?

But yeah, I don't use it ever, to each their own of course, but I can't possibly see how anyone would prefer the physical keyboard over the virtual. The virtual keyboard has such a nicer feel and the speed at which it can be used is pretty insane.

 

[640k]

Why bother getting the droid if you're not even going to use the physical keybaord? Why not an eris or wait for someepthing else? I just don't get using the virtual over the physical. I'm using the physical to reply to this thread.

 

[Tegamal]

I love when people say the buttons are too small & such. I'm coming from a Samsung Alias (first Gen), & those buttons are TINY!

 

[MrTommy]

Waiting isn't even an option!

Why bother getting the droid if you're not even going to use the physical keybaord? Why not an eris or wait for someepthing else? I just don't get using the virtual over the physical. I'm using the physical to reply to this thread.

My understanding is (and it could be wrong, of course) that the Eris and the Droid are two completely different phones that do stuff differently. They don't even run on the same 'Droidian' OS. If that's the case, you get the Droid because you want the Droid and what it can do, not the keyboard (or keyboard's in the Droid's case).

And "wating"? Not an option.:happy:

 

[huskur]

Why bother getting the droid if you're not even going to use the physical keybaord? Why not an eris or wait for someepthing else? I just don't get using the virtual over the physical. I'm using the physical to reply to this thread.

My understanding is (and it could be wrong, of course) that the Eris and the Droid are two completely different phones that do stuff differently. They don't even run on the same 'Droidian' OS. If that's the case, you get the Droid because you want the Droid and what it can do, not the keyboard (or keyboard's in the Droid's case).

And "wating"? Not an option.:happy:

Depends on my mood on what keyboard i use. Once you get used to the keys on the physical keyboard it's rather nice also.

 

[crspang]

Because the DROID is cool and the Eris is not. IMO lol

 

[gardobus]

The Eris is pretty cool just not as cool as the Droid :motdroidvert:

 

[640k]

The Eris is pretty cool just not as cool as the Droid :motdroidvert:

yeah. it's cool. if you've never used a smartphone.

 

[crspang]

The Eris is pretty cool just not as cool as the Droid :motdroidvert:

yeah. it's cool. if you've never used a smartphone.

Or if you moved from a crappy 2 1/2 year old WinMo phone........Heck a JitterBug is cooler than my old WinMo.