Just curious, do you all prefer typing in portrait or landscape?
I generally hate virtual keyboards on smartphones, but since this is a 7-inch tablet, it isn't quite as bad. Even so, I find that when I'm typing in portrait, the keys are still a bit too small for my liking. But then again, when I switch to landscape I find that I have to stretch my thumbs a bit too far than I'd like. I usually end up typing in landscape though. What about all of you?
While I am not a touch typist by any stretch of the imagination, the virtual keyboard requires that I constantly stare at the keyboard which slows down my typing speed. On a real keyboard I am slowly training my memory to find the correct keys but not without many typos and backspacing along the way. Just the way I typed this message without looking at the keyboard except maybe 3 times.
I am not sure that I've ever tried typing in Portrait - maybe once when the PB did not rotate in the PASSWORD ENTRY screen.
But most non-standard keyboards can hamper my typing style. Each laptop I've used has its own quirks and spacing and feedback. My netbook is awkward and the keys crowded and flush that I make more mistakes. Glass has no means of finding the homekeys and staying there, besides the flat surface gives no locational feedback. Maybe if one spent hours typing and practicing, one could get the spacing down but then you run into the symbols being on another keyboard (- ' ?).
I find I can type better in landscape but the stretch is abit far, more hunt and peck using one finger. Portrait works great, can use both thumbs, but the keys a little small. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could type on the PB coming from always having a hardware keyboard with actual physical keys.
I generally prefer Portrait and thumb typing when doing email on the PB. Spacing is good and like you said, you don't have to stretch to reach the keys. Sure wish it had spell check AND predictive text for word mispelling corrections.
Always type in landscape. If I can set the PB down on something flat, I'll use two fingers; if I have to hold it up, I hold it in one hand and type with one finger on the other. I've tried thumb-typing, but that dfoesnt work for me. But even on the larger screen, I hate touch-screen typing; unfortunately I haven't found a good consistent alternative. I got a BT keyboard for it, and aside from the connection being iffy at best, it just isn't very comfortable. But it is what it is, and I don't think typing on any other tab would be any better for me. I know the wife's iPad isn't.
Wow i cant believe so many people type in landscape! It is just plain uncomfortable! If you havent tried it you should really check out typing in portrait ... it is that much better
Wow i cant believe so many people type in landscape! It is just plain uncomfortable! If you havent tried it you should really check out typing in portrait ... it is that much better
You must have tiny hands. The keys are way too close together for me in portrait.
Honestly, I seldom use my Playbook in anything other than landscape mode. But I also use a stylus instead of actually typing. I suck at typing anyway, and the stylus cuts down on finger smudges.
Portrait keyboard keys are too close together which causes mistypes, which wouldn't be a problem except there's no autocorrect. So I pretty much had to use landscape all the time solely for that reason.
My first touch keyboard is the PB. I too have to stretch my thumb a BIT too far in landscape, but its nothing major annoying. and portrait typing is usually uber fast with my hand size and everything. Feels like you're gonna miss the keys but you dont..and you could probably type without looking too.
The keyboard on OS2 in landscape feels better btw. It's slightly smaller.
You must have tiny hands. The keys are way too close together for me in portrait.
It is basically just a supersized touchscreen phone keyboard when in portrait. People type on 3.5" touchscreen phones in portrait with no problem - basically the playbook just solves the problem of having your thumbs hitting each other on the tiny phone screen. Portrait allows for much faster input speeds. Having to stretch with your thumbs all of the way to the center of the screen, I feel, slows things down and is cumbersome.
Now if you are typing as if it were a regular keyboard (pb laying flat or something like that) I understand landscape mode. But it is awkward to use the playbook laying flat because you would have to hunch over it. Sitting down or laying down and holding the playbook and thumb-typing is easier in portrait.
i use both. if i need to type a long email, i prefer the portrait since its not as much of a stretch but i can use landscape. i'm about 75/25 landscape vs portrait
I can type with my thumbs in Portrait, which is convenient, but I find it hard to hold up the PB and type at the same time (gets to be a bit too top-heavy). I'm probably actually faster when typing in Landscape position and just using both middle fingers to hit the keys. Even though I can type on a laptop keyboard very quickly (I actually took Typing in high school on a lark, but it's turned out to be quite a blessing), but there's no way I could ever lay my fingers on the PB's landscape keyboard and type as if it were a laptop keyboard.
Since I hold the PB mostly in landscape because the font is bigger and easier to read I generally type in landscape. I also use a convertible case and docking station so the PB is at a better angle.
