I love the physical keyboard

[johflo88]

@dgalt: you're the first Droid user who made any sense about the phone keyboard.Most of the people already formed or inbrained their opinions based on every critics (freelance writers)about the physical keyboard.Everybody ought to try for themselves and give it a chance.I remembered when i first bought the iphone everybody were complaining about the virtual keyboard and now everyone want a virtual keyboard.At least, if don't like the p-keyboard you still have a choice of the landscape virtual keyboard. You just can't please everybody. Btw,that's why i don't like apple, they basically control you when you buy their products for instance, no way to change your battery ($110 to replace the battery/1week by freight) no p-keyboard, learn to use it or don't text, no mms because Steve said so (he's a corporate dictator) the bluetooth just available on my 3g, no multitasking again because steve said so and if you don't like it just to bad because it is an apple product.There more, and lest you forget, why does the designer for facebook quitted recently? Steve is a corporate control freak.If he don't changed his attitude, he's going to die of an heart-attack or something related.
When a super product like moto-droid that comes along with a huge potential to be a great phone, listened to customers'complaints and within a few weeks addressed the issues with an ota updates yesterday.Try that with apple? I don't think so! Don't try to kill a good phone, instead help it to be better.
Sorry,i am a new member, only on this forum since late nov,09' also from canada.I joined when i found out that the Droid is coming to canada through telus as a milestone in early 2010 officially, to learn more about the droid. Yes indeed, it is a great phone and it has it shares of issues but there more positive than negative that i've learnt from this community. I was thrilled with awe and now that can i replaced my iphone 3g (the potential for this phone is stagnant and i am tired of playing games) with the Driod, oh,Milestone.
Cheer! Long live the Droiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid,sorry, i have to that!

 

[johflo88]

@headsong: i am glad for you and at least you think for yourself, you could have had past up a good phone.

 

[Night Train]

Once I started typing with my fingernails instead of my fingers, it's fine. I agree - faster than either virtual. Still miss my Treo keyboard....

Which Treo did you have? I've got the 755p and am looking at getting Droid real soon.

What makes the Droid better than the Treo?

 

[FrayAdjacent]

Coming from an iPhone, I find the physical keyboard a bit slower than the on-screen keyboard. I also find the onscreen keyboard to sometimes miss a few taps.

What I do like is the word completion with the screen keyboard. I wish the physical keyboard would use it as well. It could make typing much easier by being able to quickly complete a long word, or correcting simple mistakes... but with the physical keyboard, what you type is what you get (with only rare exceptions like im correcting to I'm).

 

[johflo88]

@takeshi: no,it's not!
Is smoking caused cancer and is that an opinion too?

 

[dmodert66]

After reading this, I am going to force myself to use the physical keyboard more often to see if I can get used to it...I think my problem is I was doing it "flat finger" method. I have never had a smartphone, but have had an original Env (great keyboard for me) and an Alias (horrible keyboard for me). After trying both keyboards when I got the phone, I gravitated toward the on screen keyboard...Before doing as I mentioned above (forced usage), I rate they keyboards on the Droid as below...

Hardware Keyboard - 6 - Tough for me to type without many errors, but I didn't give it much chance...

Software Keyboard (Portrait) - 6 - About the same as the hardware keyboard because the keys are too close together...

Software Keyboard (Landscape) - 8.5 - Keys are far enough apart, and unless I've been drinking, I can type pretty accurately (lol)...

I'll report back after a few days of forced H/W keyboard usage...

 

[audioi]

I still wish the physical keyboard had auto correction.

 

[gwlaw99]

I still wish the physical keyboard had auto correction.

Read this.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

I'm another former BlackBerry 8830 Curve user who thinks this keyboard is the Droid's greatest Achilles' heel. I love my Droid, but in comparison the physical keyboards lacks the effortless tactile feel.

However, it kick the Curve's @$$ is so many other ways that I am more than happy to overlook the shortcoming.

 

[jer.lawrence]

After reading this, I am going to force myself to use the physical keyboard more often to see if I can get used to it...I think my problem is I was doing it "flat finger" method. I have never had a smartphone, but have had an original Env (great keyboard for me) and an Alias (horrible keyboard for me). After trying both keyboards when I got the phone, I gravitated toward the on screen keyboard...Before doing as I mentioned above (forced usage), I rate they keyboards on the Droid as below...

Hardware Keyboard - 6 - Tough for me to type without many errors, but I didn't give it much chance...

Software Keyboard (Portrait) - 6 - About the same as the hardware keyboard because the keys are too close together...

Software Keyboard (Landscape) - 8.5 - Keys are far enough apart, and unless I've been drinking, I can type pretty accurately (lol)...

I'll report back after a few days of forced H/W keyboard usage...

I agree with this post in every way, and think that I'll also try to use the physical keyboard for about a week to see how it is. I'm coming from a BB Curve, so I was also disappointed with the physical keyboard. I guess I'll give the "finger tip" method a try.

 

[audioi]

Read this.

Cool but I cannot get it to function on my Droid Ver 2.0.1

 

[obutto]

I type amazingly fast on my keyboard. It just takes conditioning and effort. The reason why all of you hate the keyboard is that it is very awkward at first, and you guys are too used to the touch screen keyboard after giving up with the physical. However, I just kept using the physical and I can type on it as fast as I can type on a Sidekick.

 

[MonmouthDroid]

I'm another former BlackBerry 8830 Curve user who thinks this keyboard is the Droid's greatest Achilles' heel. I love my Droid, but in comparison the physical keyboards lacks the effortless tactile feel.

However, it kick the Curve's @$$ is so many other ways that I am more than happy to overlook the shortcoming.

I also came from a curve and its keybaord was awesome. I loathe the droids physical keyboard to my core. I have much shorter than average fingers ( i have only ever met like 3 people who's are shorter) and the physical keyboard is completely useless to me. My right thumb is not long enough to reach many of the keys, so my left thumb does like 80% of the typing. The software keyboard is great cause i can reach roughly 50% of the keys with each thumb. I can type much much faster on the software keyboard than the hardware one. I don't know how the experience is for people with average length fingers, but if yours are on the shorter side of the spectrum the physical keyboard is only there to mock you.

 

[freddyb]

I agree, I love the keyboard. It's my first 'smartphone' so I don't have experience with anything else for comparison.

 

[kg6epf]

I love having a keyboard, but as it is, I find it difficult to use with large fingers. A small amount of upward curve so you could feel the difference between the keys would have made all the difference. The keyboard itself works great, it just needs a little better "feel".

Yes I love my Droid. No I don't like the keyboard. Gonna try this mod and see if it helps....
http://androidforums.com/how-tips/20264-physical-keyboard-improvement.html