You could try to calibrate the keyboard. Menu>Settings>Language&keyboard>Touch Input>Text Input>Calibration Tool.

Sorry no idea on the brightness issue.

 

dlwills,

You could use Swype instead of the regular keyboard.

Concerning the brightness in landscape mode outside issue...are you by any chance viewing your phone with polarized sun glasses? Because I have the same problem when I look at the phone in landscape mode outside with my sun glasses on. It seems like the phone brightness goes away and the screen is almost completely black, yet when I put it back to portrait I can see it again.

 

Are you sure your not covering up the light sensor with your finger? The phone may be thinking your in a dark place and lowering the brightness accordingly. Avoid having your finger on this spot on the phone:



If you find that it keeps doing it, go to display settings and in the brightness setting disable the automatic brightness.

 

It's the sunglasses. I have the exact same issue.

It's not the actual brightness that is dimming. Lift your sunglasses off and you will see that the phone is just as bright as it is in portrait mode. This drives me crazy when I am on the golf course. I keep forgetting that it's the sunglasses and think something is wrong with my phone.