I wanted to buy a new netbook as my old one has a few keyboard issues, namely i spilt water on it and managed to break the shift key. However I was a little annoyed that every netbook seems to have a chicklet keyboard. Sony (not Apple) introduced Chicklet keyboards about 4 years ago and since then Apple took it and ues it heavily and since then every other company (mainly as a lot of the keyboards happen to be made by the same companies) has made their netbooks and notebooks with chicklet keyboards. However unless you are a 2 fingered typist, you will probably find you do type a lot slower on a chicklet then on a keyboard that has been fairly standard for the last 15 years. Some of these keyboards have flat tops, which given that your fingers are round and older keyboards had nicely curved surfaces does seem a step in the wrong direction. People that have been using keyboards for at least 25 years will probably city the early IBM model M keyboards as some of the best made, even the mid 80s Apple Macintosh keyboards were really nice, featuring a nice travel length and a tactile and audible feedback and keys that fit your fingers. In the end I couldn't type "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy hound" at any sensible speed without making a ton of mistakes on any of the netbook keyboards so once in Japan, although I was tempted by the netbooks they had that did hve normal keyboards I just went to hard off and bought a $3 NEC Japanese USB keyboard which I am currently typing this on now So anyone like Chicklet keyboards?
Old PC keyboards (with the AT connector), those were some of the best keyboards I ever used. Built like tanks and had proper clicky feedback. With regards to netbooks, all the ones I've seen have had tiny keyboards that were hard to use, but that seems more a problem of form factor than the keyboard design. As for "chicklet" keyboards a la MacBooks, I don't really care, they're about as good as any laptop keyboard. I'd prefer a normal one but it's not a deal breaker.
I have absolutely no trouble using a chicklet keyboard on my Asus 10" netbook, although it is by no means my main computer. Able to type in excess of 80WPM no hassles. It was actually recommended to go for the chicklet style when I purchased because of the tendency on standard small keyboards to contact multiple keys at once. And yeah, I'm typing this on my netbook now. The only thing that shits me about the keyboard is that the keys don't light up to make it easier to use in the dark. EDIT: And bah, I messed up my poll response. Should have been "No difference, I own a PC" but I put "Yes, I own a PC".
I use a Benq x800 Internet Keyboard Pro, and to this day, this is the best keyboard I've ever used. I type a lot faster and almost make no mistakes at all using this keyboard. Sadly, here almost all keyboards are old fashioned and so cheap that I actually erase the letters after 2 months of continous use
cheap logitech ps2 keyboard. Works great and feels great when typing on it. lol @ people buying expensive keyboards.
The problem for me is that there arent that many chiclet keyboards for PC, and those that exist are either too lame (Arc) or too shabby. the argument for chiclet is that its easier on the fingers, but I disagree, regular flat (laptop) keys are better, and if you have RSI its probably because of your mouse, so get a trackball. For speed typing the best IMO is the microsoft natural series keyboards, I been using these since I was 12.
I have a Razer Arctosa ( i dont need backlit keyes because i type blindly anyway) and it's awesome. low profile keys and soft but very much like a classic type M IBM keyb
No difference - owned both PCs and Macs. I am really most comfortable with laptop keyboards - as they are the ones I've used the most. I can probably type above 70 words per minute on a Laptop.
No difference - I type on a Mac's chiclet keyboard right now, but I've always been typing at that speed on a regular keyboard before I owned a Mac. I just tested it a minute ago and it's pretty much identical with the result I got years ago: 502 chars/min 82 words/min 82 words correctly 4 words w/mistakes
A ps2 keyboard? I thought they stopped making computers with ps2 connectors years ago. Or do you mean a keyboard designed to be used with a PS2? I'm not really sure which one I'm faster with, but it seems like a chicklet board should be faster because the keys require less force and take a shorter amount of time to be pressed. In any case, I prefer the way chicklet boards feel, for typing at least. On the other hand, I've never really played a FPS on a chicklet board for very long, so I'm not sure if it'd be ideal for that. Out of curiosity, I just tested my speed and got 52wpm, with no mistakes. I'm not really sure how I'm able to type, actually. I was never taught, and I don't use the "home keys" method, but I'm able to type without looking at the keyboard. Not incredibly fast (I can actually write faster with a pencil than on a keyboard), but fast enough. I wonder how I know where the keys are.
