Laptop keyboard rant

[afton]

The disadvantage of discovering the joy of mechanical keyboard is:
      I can't stand my laptop keyboard anymore :-(

How do you guys deal with this??

I'm planning to sell my Macbook Pro and get an iPad instead,
as I can't stand the flimsy scissor switch mechanism.

argghhhh!!!!

[Tony]

I bring my Noppoo Choc keyboard with my laptop.

[Lolcakes]

I bring my Leopold TKL MX Reds with my Thinkpad laptop.
However I find even scissor switches to be better than typing on a touch screen.

[TacticalCoder]

I'm planning to sell my Macbook Pro and get an iPad instead

I think you're going to hate typing on a touchscreen much, much more than typing on a scissor switch...

Why not do as several GeekHackers do: use a good TKL connected to your laptop?

[JimBobMorris]

I bring my Deck 82 with my laptop everywhere. Thinking about picking up a Poker at some point to substitute instead of it as they are considerably smaller.

[GeorgeStorm]

Only just 'converted' to mechanical keyboards, but I'm already looking at picking up a KB Poker so I can carry it around

[Findecanor]

Depends on the MacBook... Which model is it? Lots of people use it as their primary computer together with a large screen and proper keyboard, and not just as a portable to lug around.

There are lots of limitations with the iPad. You can't transfer files to/from it in any normal fashion, and with the latest iOS update, you can't connect that many wired keyboards to it -- and that rules practically all mechanical keyboards.

[RC-1140]

This is exactly, why I always have my G84-4100 with me. It might not be a perfect one, but it's definitely better than my wobbly notebook keyboard (Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook). That doesn't even use scissor switches, but some other (in my opinion strange) RD mechanism. Maybe one of the worst keyboards I own. If it wasn't built into my notebook i would have got rid of it already.

[pitashen]

Not sure what laptop you own, but laptop keyboard nowadays are actually not so bad. Have you typed on one of those keyboards used in school computer lab? or at work? THOSE are nightmares.

[pitashen]

Laptop keyboard nowadays are actually not so bad (especially the Apple ones). Have you typed on one of those keyboards used in school computer lab? or at work? THOSE ARE nightmares.

A lot of people here actually don't hate all the non-mech boards as much as you think, there are some gems even in the rubber dome world.

iPad won't solve your problem but worsen it.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

The keyboard on my netbook is actually not too bad, considering its small size and its lack of an "F12" key.  I would much rather use my netbook over the school computers any day.  Although it is not the best for computer science... a simple JOptionPane will take up about 1/3 of the screen.

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[Ekaros]

Laptop keyboard nowadays are actually not so bad (especially the Apple ones). Have you typed on one of those keyboards used in school computer lab? or at work? THOSE ARE nightmares.

Some Dells aren't all bad. On other hand Lenovo's are, why didn't they get keyboards too from IBM
Also I came across one Dell AT102W, not in real use anymore though...

[blues for the red sun]

old ibm thinkpad keyboards are still one of my favorites. use the G84-4100 when traveling but I am going to replace it with a filco TKL (blue switch).  G84-4100 is to small for any fast typing, at least for me

[jkercado]

The scissor keyboard on my ASUS K60-IJ is not bad at all. Pretty smooth with decent resistance.

[jkercado]

Buy the iPad!!!

AAPL closed at 394 and at a P/E of 14 it's way undervalued!

Hahahaha! You selfish dude.

[jkercado]

I'm waiting for Windows 8 tablets. I admit it, I'm a Microsoft ho.

[jkercado]

Good luck with that.
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Hahaha! Windows Phone 7 is pretty friggin' awesome. In my opinion, WP7 and iOS are the only worthy mobile OS's. Quick, fluid, snappy, efficient. On the other hand, Android...blech.

[pitashen]

I'm waiting for Windows 8 tablets. I admit it, I'm a Microsoft ho.

For me, if I want windows experiences, I would just be a good boy, stay home and sit in front of my deskto it with my big screen, a nice mouse, and my mechanical keyboard. OR maybe a laptop if on the go.

[flyball]

The disadvantage of discovering the joy of mechanical keyboard is:
      I can't stand my laptop keyboard anymore :-(

How do you guys deal with this??

I'm planning to sell my Macbook Pro and get an iPad instead,
as I can't stand the flimsy scissor switch mechanism.

argghhhh!!!!

you would rather type on an ipad than a mbp?

[fireball87]

I'm planning to sell my Macbook Pro and get an iPad instead,
as I can't stand the flimsy scissor switch mechanism.

If you use your laptop for more then web browsing, trying to use the IPAD to replace it is a serious mistake.  They're good and useful and whatever, but they are very clearly not a replacement for a proper portable computer.

[dorkvader]

Hahaha! Windows Phone 7 is pretty friggin' awesome. In my opinion, WP7 and iOS are the only worthy mobile OS's. Quick, fluid, snappy, efficient. On the other hand, Android...blech.

What about RIM's QNX derivative?

[JimBobMorris]

Hahaha! Windows Phone 7 is pretty friggin' awesome. In my opinion, WP7 and iOS are the only worthy mobile OS's. Quick, fluid, snappy, efficient. On the other hand, Android...blech.

There is nothing wrong with the Android O/S at all. In fact i personally prefer it over both Windows Phone 7 and apple's iOS (having used iOS extensively and but only briefly tried Windows Phone 7).

Unfortunately a lot of people comment on the Android OS without an educated opinion of it.
Most of the time when a android phone is sluggish it isn't the O/S it's the fact that it's running on a ****ty low-end phone that simply shouldn't be running a smartphone operating system.
On a good phone the Android Operating System is terrific, especially for a technically savvy person that actually likes messing around with their phone.

[davkol]

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[Gerk]

What about RIM's QNX derivative?

You mean the one that comes on the tablet that doesn't allow you to check your email unless you have your blackberry physically plugged into it?  I try not to think of it.  Doesn't matter what is underlying if it doesn't do what you need.

My biggest problem with Android is the fragmentation.  It's a lot like linux in that regard ... it comes in 37 different flavours and not many of the vendors implementing it have spent the time and energy to make a nice unified UI, proper upgrade paths, etc. Also most of the time you're stuck waiting on the vendor for OS updates because the vanilla OS is not supported with your hardware or you have to jump through hoops to do it the hard way and take the chance of bricking your device in the process.  For example a buddy at a party last night pulled out his < 1 year old Samsung Galaxy (not sure which model) running 2.2.x.  He can't run 3.x because Samsung decided not to support it with his model (and he was less than impressed with that).  So he has a phone that's less than a year old that's already mostly dead-ended as far as OS goes that he paid premium $$ for because it was "open" and he could do whatever he wanted with it ... except run the latest OS that is.

[davkol]

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[Gerk]

What about WeTab (ExoPC), EeePad Transformer,...?


Only one possible answer: get hardware supported by community. You won't have to care about stuff like Carrier IQ, it'll work better and you'll be really free. The "one vendor, one OS, one attitude" philosophy is absolutely wrong and against people's freedom (remember, how Apple claimed that jailbreaking is illegal?). I keep using a Maemo 4 device that hasn't seen any updates from Nokia for ages, but it's one of the very few devices on that I can get root access just by installing a (semi)official package called gainroot.

Each to their own but personally I'd rather have a vendor supported piece of hardware.  I'm not against open by any stretch of the imagination but if I'm going to spend the crazy amount of money they want for smart phones then I want something that's going to be coherent and up to date with all the latest and greatest updates.  As for jailbreaking it's been upheld in court that it's not illegal (thanks EFF!) ... that said I still don't bother to jailbreak my phone, more hassle than it's worth.  I personally want something that just works and doesn't require research before running any kind of update.  I would love to have root without having to jailbreak but at the end of the day as long as it does what I need I don't really care that much.

[jkercado]

What were we talking about anyway? :loco:

[Daci_MVRL]

I agree, I am on the road and I've been using my 2011 MBP ever since, didn't bring my Filco MX Blacks cuz I already have a 7 string, an acoustic, and a midi synth with me, but I kind of regret my decision, especially when I hop on the net and play a few rounds of starcraft 2..

[Daci_MVRL]

Lulz, it's an UV777 man, that 7th string completes me (much more than sentimental purposes) XD  thanks for helping me choose the right keyboard over a year ago btw (read up your guides)

[shrap]

The difference in laptop keyboards doesn't bother me as much as laptop pointing devices. Maybe it has a trackpoint, two finger scrolling, separate buttons... and they're all at different tracking speeds / precision.

[Daci_MVRL]

The difference in laptop keyboards doesn't bother me as much as laptop pointing devices. Maybe it has a trackpoint, two finger scrolling, separate buttons... and they're all at different tracking speeds / precision.

yeah, that's kind of why I brought my roccat kone+ with me....but didn't bring my icemat2 though....

I absolutely hate the trackpad and apple mice in general

[NeeGo]

i wish i could bring my buckling spring keyboard to class... cant stand using my thinkpad's keyboard anymore

[zmurf]

You just have to get a old laptop from late -80ths... some of them had mechanical buckling spring keyboards.

Otherwise I'm still happy with my thinkpad t61 sissor switch keyboard. Of course not even nearly as good as my ergo clear board at work... but for being an laptop keyboard it's about as good as they get these days. And it has a trackpoint... so I'm happy.