I've slid it out a few times but have never really used it. The top row is too hard for me to use....my fat fingers keep hitting the edge of the screen.
Wish they'd offer a version without the physical keyboard....
I use it about half the time, I thought I would use it all the time but I find for short messages I can use one finger on either the portrait or landscape virtual keyboard. But for longer messages I'm still faster with two thumbs on the slide out keyboard. I don't like it as much as my old Curve, but I'm still glad the Droid has it.
For me, the keyboard was the reason I finally went to this smartphone to replace my old flip phone. It certainly could be a lot better, but I personally still need physical buttons for now...