[Joel Olmedo]

Priv vs Q10:

http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...rison-1055646/

Priv vs Classic:

http://cdn.mobilesyrup.com/wp-conten...6944082988.jpg

Priv vs Passport:

http://zdnet1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/2...v-passport.jpg

As you can see, the Priv keyboard is essentially the Q10/Classic keyboard, but shaped to fit the constraints of the slider form factor. There are no .com shortcuts or stuff like that on the other devices. The Passport is what it is, with the software fourth row (here: http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/m...ef8127d17c.jpg) and unique dimensions.

There is also the upcoming (?) device codenamed Mercury, which is compared to several devices here (post #138): http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...l#post12688082

While I agree that the pkb on the Priv is useful, I still find the pkb on my Q10 still superior. So much so that I even bought a new Q10 to make sure I will have a serviceable unit years from now. I use my Priv as my primary phone, but for business email, I find myself faster cranking out long email messages on my Q10.

Posted via CB10

[Tech Idiot]

In my opinion, the keyboard on the Priv is not nearly as good as my previous BlackBerry models (and I was a Bold user for a long time -- 9650 and 9930). Personally, I don't think it is designed to be, vis a vis it's a slider, and the keyboard is not a focal point as was the famous BlackBerry keyboard of yesteryear.

[Joel Olmedo]

The Priv keyboard is actually decent BUT only if you get a unit that was made properly.

I've owned 5 Privs to date and only one had a pkb where all keys clicked properly.

The other ones had several keys that were mush/stuck. Subsequently returned obviously or sold.

I firmly believe a lot of people's gripes with the Privs pkb do with the fact that so few of them were properly assembled.



Posted via CB10

I got mine just four months ago amidst the anxiety and dread that life will be like a box of chocolates when mine was just being shipped to my location. I've never seen, much less handled a Priv in the wild prior to ordering mine, so I really didn't know what to expect after reading all those things like the wobbly screen, mushy pkb, the handset getting hot like a furnace, or the dreadful battery life.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when mine finally reached my hands. My Priv was very very solid and I didn't get any of those problems above. Maybe the earlier releases had those birth pangs. I'm glad I held off until almost a year after it launched. Maybe that was all the time they needed to retool their act.

I'm still using my Samsung Note and my Q10. I find myself being extra careful not to drop the Priv. With that mechanical sliding keyboard, it doesn't and will never feel as solid as any slab phone. No gadget with moving parts will ever feel as solid as a plain old slab, and I've accepted that with my Priv. That being said, this is the reason I'm feeling the lust all over again with the advent of the Mercury. Seems like a perfect marriage between a solid slab device with a pkb, albeit with an awkward form factor and a smaller screen.

[djslam]

I'm now 2 months in and after the initial learning curve, using the PRIV keyboard is pretty much smooth as ever. It will never be the 9900/Q10/Classic Keyboard, but it's a great sacrifice to get the extra screen space and access to every app.

[skstrials]

The priv keyboard is good enough that I would choose it over the on screen keyboard, but compared to a classic or a q10, the priv keyboard is still not good.

The issue that I have with the priv keyboard is not necessarily the shallow travel, but the keys do not have enough ridges. I use the ridges, center line, and the "d" dot to type without looking on my Q10. I can determine which letter I am typing based on how far the letter is from the landmark.

With the priv, it is still possible, just tougher.

Posted via CB10

[Tech Idiot]

I also think due to the slider format -- it can only be so good. Old school BB users who swore by the pkb's were used to flush, click-resistance-style buttons, with physical feel ridges, and so on. This slider has the kb set-back so to speak and has a few nuances. Once you get used to it -- hopefully you'll be fine.