6 replies to this topic

[JPo_23]

How easy to use is the keyboard on this phone?

I'm currently using a Sony Ericsson XPeria X1, and find the keyboard on that too small and quite difficult to use.

How good is the Milestone in comparison?

[Rob V]

JPo_23, on Jan 5 2010, 15:19, said:

How easy to use is the keyboard on this phone?

Keyboard preferences are such a matter of individual taste (and what you're used to) that it's really impossible for anyone to say that one is "better" than another for anyone other than themselves.

For what it's worth, I've ended up seldom using the physical keyboard on my Droid.  Two reasons:  First, I'm a "portrait mode" kind of guy.  I prefer to work with more vertical screen real estate than horizontal, so use landscape mode only when I have to.  Second, I was surprised to find that I can enter text a whole lot faster using a next-generation soft keyboard like ShapeWriter or Swype (which I currently use) than I can with the physical keyboard and no predictive text capabilities.  Another advantage to either of those two soft keyboards is that they can be used effectively with just one hand, once you get the knack of it.

But it's definitely a "YMMV" thing - someone else will reach exactly the opposite conclusions that I did.  

[roy_drage]

Gotta say I personally love the slide out keyboard. Took me all of a few hours to get used to and now I can fly around it leaving huge long msgs on forums, msn, emails etc.

I think it's great and almost always use qwerty over the on screen keyboard. Having a physical keyboard is also a massive advantage when playing a lot of games as the actual buttons really help. Something I missed on phones like the Hero and something that puts me off the upcoming Nexus one.

I have medium sized hands I guess so for me personally the keyboard is just right.

[JPo_23]

I'm definitely, a 'keyboard guy', my last two phones before the Xperia were HTC Hermes and an HTC Wizard. Both of those had good size keyboards, which I found easy to use. I'm sure I can type at least twice as fast on the Wizard as on the Xperia...

Can anyone tell me if the Milestone keyboard is closer in size to these, or smaller like the Xperia?
It's quite hard to tell from photos and I don't know if it's in many shops where I can have a look at it as yet.

[Dayzee]

I don'y use the hard keyboard all that much, but I do use it for terminal stuff (or I did on my G1) and for some games.   Its really solid to hold also, and when its slid out makes the phone easier to show off to folk without accidentally pressing the soft keys...

[Ingvarr]

I think keyboard on milestone/droid is quite good. Keys are bigger then on Xperia vertically, about the same size horizontally, but without spaces between the keys. Feedback/travel is about the same, maybe little better on droid.

For me hardware keyboard is a must for tho reasons:
1) proper tactile feedback, you can feel the keys before you press on them and can actually blind type
2) hardware keyboard does not take screen space at all, while landscape soft keyboard takes a lot of space - important to type in browser for example (like I am doing right now )

[Cutefox]

I am an ex xperia user and i found the keyboard on milestone pretty good.. One thing to note is the stupid big cursor button on the right of the kb is redundant.. Is should be taken out totally or use a trackball ala hero.. Reason i say this is for ur right thumb to type it has to stretch/travel due to this.. Often i jus dont pull out the kb and use osk instead.. Both are good depends if u wanna use it 1handed or 2handed.. Also note that the bigger screen osk on milestone helps over hero small screen.. I bought both hero and milestone at the same time and decided to pass down the hero to my sister due to this and other factors..