Physical Keyboard vs Virtual

[nottmbantam]

Ok, so with the N97, I've got used to having a physical keyboard and obviously if I went with the Desire, I'd have to get used to a virtual one.

Anyone else made the change from phyical to virtual and how was it. Prior to the N97 I had the N95, so had to get used to the physical qwerty, but that took only a short time, I think aming the change to a virtual one might take a little longer.

Anyone use the virtual for long emails / messages and how do you find it?

Cheers.

 

[Quazar]

Ok, so with the N97, I've got used to having a physical keyboard and obviously if I went with the Desire, I'd have to get used to a virtual one.

Anyone else made the change from phyical to virtual and how was it. Prior to the N97 I had the N95, so had to get used to the physical qwerty, but that took only a short time, I think aming the change to a virtual one might take a little longer.

Anyone use the virtual for long emails / messages and how do you find it?

Cheers.

The Desire keyboard is amazing, extremely fast and responsive, big and easy to use. It detects any spelling mistakes and corrects them for you, you can also add words to the dictionary. It also allows you to calibrate it, so it learns your style of typing and uses that to help with the prediction.

 

[Lukehluke]

The keyboard is pretty good on the Desire but on most things, it can be rotated and then the keyboard is even bigger.

 

[Corewolf]

I went from the G1 to the Desire. The keyboard is good - much better than my experience of trying to use the virtual keyboard on the G1. The speed of the processor means there's very little lag, the screen size helps, and HTC's custom keyboard has very good auto correction. I'd say it's about 90% as good as using the G1's physical keyboard. I type at about the same speed, just make slightly more mistakes - though it auto corrects most of them.

I've also tried the Motorola Milestone/Droid's physical keyboard and i find the virtual keyboard a lot easier to use as my fingers couldn't comfortably hit the top row, so i kept making mistakes.

 

[lekky]

Try slideIt!!!

 

[The_Verse]

I'm slower with this, but I'm getting faster!

 

[ramanmilan]

I'm slower with this, but I'm getting faster!

I really want to say "Thats what she said now"
lol

 

[The_Verse]

loooooool

I did say it

:O

 

[lekky]

took me about a week to get up to speed with slidy keyboards. But now my speed in way above tapping.

 

[grainysand]

I came from a Nokia with a full qwerty. 5730 Xpressmusic, in fact, whose keyboard is considerably worse than the N97's, but still.

And you know what? I. Will. Never. Go. Back. Nokia put such a shitty keyboard on that one--and the E75 for that matter--it's just as well you don't bother (Samsung Corby Pro, a much cheaper phone that's also got a full keyboard, is much better). Typing on that piece of shit hurt my fingers. Even the stock Android keyboard (which isn't that bad, but is definitely inferior to the Desire's HTC IME or Swype) is better. **** Nokia and their overpriced barely-smart phones.

I'm bitter about the 5730, if you can't tell. Very bitter. Sworn off Nokia forever. Of course, that plasticky piece of crap is nowhere in the same league as my N1, but it's really not that much cheaper, which is all kinds of ridiculous.

 

[Mikeleonhart]

I went from the N97 to the desire, I was originally very worried about the change due to needing to be able to reply to e-mails quickly and consistantly.
The qwerty virtual keyboard on the desire is the best I've ever used, and I've been working in phone sales for 3 years!

It's really easy with its prediction of what your typing

 

[Bearo]

I went from a Samsung F480 Tocco... you should try using the keyboard on that, its awful!
I think the full screen qwerty keyboard on the Desire is nice to use and pretty swift too, once you get used it it.

 

[HalfAnAndroid]

You could get the Desire-Z, which has the physical keyboard.

 

[SUroot]

I like everything about the Z except the processor.

 

[Jon_LTD]

I have a condition known as "builders hands" or "Ham hands". I.e. I have fat fingers but quite dextrous. I tend to favour the virtual keyboard as I can turn a one line text message into a mass of garbled babbling nonsense with the small physical buttons.
A bit like that epsiode of The Simpson's where Homer gets really fat and tries to use the phone with his sausage fingers and gets told "Sorry. The fingers you have used to dial are too fat. If you require an additional dialing wand please mash the keypad now"

 

[Myarse]

I wondered about the virtual keyboard, as I have 'sausage fingers' but it's great. I'd recommend giving SlideIT a go, so quick and you don't have to be too accurate either
Am I the only one who when using friends/family members non 'touch screen' phones, instinctively stick your finger on the screen and wonder why nothing happens!