For those who prefer the on-screen keyboard, I'd be very interested in usage habits. I will often type out a short missive on my BB while waiting for a flight, or will send a quick response while driving (yeah, I know...). When toying with iPhone demos in the Apple store, the lack of tactile feedback is just a deal killer for me...
The lack of tactile feedback does not bother me on my iphone at all. I also disable the annoying audible click the keys make by default.
I think that in order to get really comfortable with the iphone keyboard you have to become dependent on the auto-correction feature. I mostly use my iphone keyobard for texting, and the spelling correction catches nearly all of my mistakes. Otherwise, my only major complaint is the send an SMS button is just above the keyboard and I hit either 'o' or 'p' instead of send all the time.
I prefer a physical keyboard that literally disappears when I'm not using it.
Seriously, your question is bad because it ignores the inherent trade-offs in the decision. An on-screen keyboard isn't easier or faster to type on, but it allows for a larger screen and probably cheaper manufacturing costs.
You have to mention the trade-offs if you want useful information from your question. More like: Would you rather have a powerful engine that gets mediocre gas milage, or a mediocre engine that gets great gas milage?
Otherwise you'll just get everyone saying they want the powerful engine.
I prefer a physical keyboard that literally disappears when I'm not using it.
Last time I checked, "slider" phones have exactly that. Physical keyboards and full sized screens. The trade-off wasn't mentioned because it isn't necessarily true.
But that phone design, too, has tradeoffs. It's thicker, and more failure prone. This isn't an either/or subject you can poll. It's OK to ask if someone prefers the iPhone or a Blackberry. But you can't just separate the keyboard feature and get a meaningful answer.
Obviously I like Physical keyboards more, but I would prefer a bigger screen (i.e. iPhone) if I was given the choice. I don't have much of a problem with the iPhones on-screen keyboard...
I have an iPod Touch, and the lack of a physical keyboard would drive me nuts were it my phone. Certainly, some of the usefulness would be cancelled out by voice activation, but you just can't feel which key you're about to press with the virtual keyboard.
I actually prefer T9, even if it's a little slower, because I can feel the buttons.
I choose "other" - the main reason I ignore most otherwise reasonably priced mobile devices is their lack of integration with external keyboards/mice/screens. The Mac Air announcement was a disappointment to me - I was really hoping for a Mac ultraportable that could serve mainly as an ebook/email reader when I'm not at my desk.
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 30.4 ms ] threadI think that in order to get really comfortable with the iphone keyboard you have to become dependent on the auto-correction feature. I mostly use my iphone keyobard for texting, and the spelling correction catches nearly all of my mistakes. Otherwise, my only major complaint is the send an SMS button is just above the keyboard and I hit either 'o' or 'p' instead of send all the time.
Seriously, your question is bad because it ignores the inherent trade-offs in the decision. An on-screen keyboard isn't easier or faster to type on, but it allows for a larger screen and probably cheaper manufacturing costs.
You have to mention the trade-offs if you want useful information from your question. More like: Would you rather have a powerful engine that gets mediocre gas milage, or a mediocre engine that gets great gas milage?
Otherwise you'll just get everyone saying they want the powerful engine.
Last time I checked, "slider" phones have exactly that. Physical keyboards and full sized screens. The trade-off wasn't mentioned because it isn't necessarily true.
I actually prefer T9, even if it's a little slower, because I can feel the buttons.