One of the first droids released: Different keyboard

[iamloco724]

i didnt relize when this thread first popped up but mine is defiantly bubbly

42/09

 

[dankvwguy]

its like they went from flat, to bubbly, then flat again. i wonder if there is any other way of comparing the phones. like s/ns and stuff

39/09 - flat
42/09 - bubbly
43/09 - bubbly
49/09 - bubbly
50/09 - bubbly
51/09 - flat

 

[William T Riker]

Mine is a 48/09 and the keys on mine are flat.

 

[dankvwguy]

39/09 - flat
41/09 - flat
42/09 - bubbly
43/09 - bubbly
48/09 - flat
49/09 - bubbly
50/09 - bubbly
51/09 - flat

 

[Kitesurfer]

Mine is a 48/09 and the keys on mine are flat.

I have a 48/09 and my bottom two rows make a small pyramid kinda, then the first two rows [q and a] are flat? Just noticed.

 

[dankvwguy]

u have any pics? im kinda confused as to wat you mean

 

[apdts]

38/09 (x2) Flat keyboards

 

[dankvwguy]

38/09 - flat
38/09 - flat
39/09 - flat
41/09 - flat
42/09 - bubbly
43/09 - bubbly
48/09 - flat
49/09 - bubbly
50/09 - bubbly
51/09 - flat

 

[Kitesurfer]

In the 47/09 if you can see how the keys from left to right slant up then down then up then down, mine is flat, flat, slant up slant down.

 

[webeougher]

Mine's a 41/09 and has the flat keyboard, which I've never had a problem with. I think the real problem here is that some people just love to complain. You've got a portrait virtual keyboard, a landscape virtual keyboard, and a landscape physical keyboard, so if you don't like one, use the other two! It's not a huge issue. I've used the physical keyboard and can type pretty fast with it without issue, but I use the portrait virtual keyboard most often because that's how I'm usually holding my phone. I prefer the landscape virtual keyboard the best (and, consequently, can produce the highest wpm with it) - it's simply a matter of preference. As for why there's a difference, if it's not simply manufacture variance, as has been suggested, I'd guess it's an aesthetic thing - the Droid itself is square and bulky, so a flatter keyboard would seem to fit that aesthetic better than a "bubbly" one, I would think.

Also, for those commenting on the flatter keyboard issues, haven't experienced any of those described (had my Droid for 2.5 months now). As for the shell/holster catching, if you're referring to the shell/holster combo that Verizon offers (the phone slides into the holster face-in to protect the screen), it catching has nothing to do with the keyboard. If you slide it closed and look where it catches, it's the point where the tab that holds the back of the shell on the back of the phone catches on the lower tab (if you have your phone held in landscape orientation) of the smaller frame that goes around the touchscreen. I've really only had that issue if I'm holding the phone with my left hand while trying to slide it closed (because my left hand pinches the shell together just a bit and that causes the tabs to catch on one another).

 

[TheGr81]

42/09 and very annoyingly flat

 

[DeeMat]

48/09 - as previously state = flat

 

[droidpcguru]

First Droid..42/09- flat. My Refurb.. 51/09 and flat.

Another thing to look at.. WHERE(as in what facility) were these different Droids built at? There is a possibility that all of them are the same from each of two manufacturing facilities..

 

[DjOutlaw32]

1. First Droid (Force restart all the time) 39/09-Flat
2. Second Droid (always stayed in headset mode)41/09-Bubbly but after three months plastic became to unstick from keyboard.
3. Third Droid(refurbished)-01/10- Flat keyboard with very little bubble feeling.

I Don't mind my current keyboard but its weird how most droid keyboards have bubbles and some don't. Could be that one manufacturing plant has better quality control, or a evil plot from Motorola to dominate the world .

 

[dankvwguy]

38/09 - flat
38/09 - flat
39/09 - flat
39/09 - flat
41/09 - flat
41/09 - bubbly
41/09 - flat
42/09 - bubbly
42/09 - flat
43/09 - bubbly
48/09 - flat
49/09 - bubbly
51/09 - bubbly
51/09 - flat
01/10 - flat

im beginning to agree with some on the manufacturing differences but i dont see how verizon/motorola could allow such a big difference in manufacturing, especially one that affects user opinion of the phone...

 

[dankvwguy]

webeougher - the point of this thread is not to complain about the keyboards, its to figure out WHY they have 2-3 different designs, especially wen some people get frustrated with their keyboards. It may only be the physical KIND of keyboard they have that they hate, not the physical keyboard itself (which in turn hurts their opinion of the phone)

 

[dankvwguy]

if anyone doesnt mind, post the numbers on the small sticker to the right side of the phone, behind the battery. im beginning to think these are the manufacturer numbers as my friends (51/09) is a TA4440J3YX and mine (built 2 weeks earlier) is a TA4440DVPE and we are both bubbly. which makes sense alphabetically with his being built later then mine. All other numbers/letters on our stickers match up except for those.

I'm wondering wat anyone else has to offer, this may show there are multiple places for manufacturing/assembly. thanks!

 

[jd99]

Having worked in Manufacturing for 25 years, I can tell you that this is very likely to have the same part manufactured from the same print/drawings look and feel different the manufacturing tollerances allow this to happen.

I would be willing to bet Moto has the keyboard manfactured at several vendors, and areas. It's not a good idea to have single vendors manfacturing all your assemblies for your product. Could run into supply problems that way.

 

[dankvwguy]

i understand your point, but wouldnt it make sense to have one KEYBOARD manufacturer? i dont see why would would need the keyboard made here, and here, and here with each doing their own style which then affects a user opinion of the phone

ive never owned a motorola product that was different in such a major way from a friends....or any product for that matter.

 

[tbflx]

Bubbly here.

 

[dankvwguy]

build date?

 

[Amaroth]

In the 47/09 if you can see how the keys from left to right slant up then down then up then down, mine is flat, flat, slant up slant down.

thats like they spliced the 2 keyboards together?? u have flat/bubbly combo

 

[dankvwguy]

thats like they spliced the 2 keyboards together?? u have flat/bubbly combo

i think hes saying that his is flat, but rather then it being the normal lean forward/lean back pattern the alternating rows have, his has 2 of those rows but with 2 also completely flat...

 

[altimax98]

I have a 47/09 i believe and I have the bubbly keyboard. BUT my girlfriend has a 42/09 with a flat and my dad has a 51/09 with a flat..

But heres also something else I noticed. Look at the color of the keys under the screen. On mine it is a pure white, whereas the flat keyboards have a blueish color.. does anyone else notice that?

 

[dankvwguy]

i have, but a friend with the bubbly keyboard has a blueish color on his. ive seen that as well. i was thinkin mine had just been used longer so its color had faded slightly...