The best (and worst) laptop keyboards
by CNET News.com | April 28, 2010 12:58pm PDT | Image 1 of 11
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The ThinkPad Edge represents a new direction for Lenovo: a redesigned raised "chiclet" keyboard for its ThinkPad products. While ThinkPad traditionalists might balk at messing with tradition, the great news is that the new keyboard excels just as much in its new design. With slightly concave keys that cup the fingers and good key spacing, it was one of our favorite parts of the new budget ThinkPad line released this winter.
The Netbook-like ThinkPad x100e adopts the same keyboard design with stunning success; it manages to be both full-sized and economically compact.
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One of the best keyboards I used was in Compaq F700 series (F730US). It was nice feeling to type on it.
From the removable touchpad that doubles as a remote for the laptop, to its powerful processor and graphics hardware, the Acer Ethos is definitely built for gaming and entertainment, which makes it also a powerful business machine for creating and delivering multimedia presentations. Acer just announced the Ethos will be available from select retailers starting this week.
The Ethos comes in two screen sizes, both with scratch-resistant Gorilla glass protecting the
widescreen HD CineCrystal LED-backlit displays: the 8951G has a 18.4? screen (1920 x 1080), while
the 5951G?s screen is smaller at 15.6? with a lower resolution at 1366 x 768. Without a doubt, the
18.4? is a desktop or even television replacement, while the 15.6? is large enough for everyday use
yet still portable.
Powered by Intel?s Sandy Bridge quad-core Core i7 processor that can be overclocked to 2.9GHz, the
U.S. models of the Ethos offer between 6 to 8 GB of RAM, a 750GB hard drive with support for a
second drive in the 8951G (via a combo USB/eSATA port), one Firewire and one USB 3.0 port that
can charge devices while the laptop is off. Although its Nvidia GeForce GT555M graphics card is not
top-of-line and is considered ?fast middle class graphics card for laptops? according to
NotebookCheck, it can run current games ?fluently in 1366?768 and high detail settings? thanks to
its 2 GB of VRAM urban not for only silicon from temple is basic idea from concept working always be there team of the best.
While the keys may have a sheen to them that makes it look greasy when you first take it from the box, the feel of the keys is very comfortable and easy to adjust to. The keys on mine are spaced just identical to my ergonomic desktop keyboard and makes the transition between the two seamless. I do like the Thinkpad style for the larger accessory keys and spacing, but stuck with the Satellite in the end when looking for a new laptop. Most people would read this article and think, "really?", but other than screen size and resolution capability keyboard comfort is up there on the list of laptop ipad bag blog of best sutudeg community the modern education news and country priorities.
@Arun (sreearun) Same was said about the iPhone. Still missing a lot of apps needed for business. Sure its got 100,000 tip calculator apps, but hardly any business apps. Here you are saying the value is in portability and the guy who commented above you said its mainly for using at home. You two should argue it out, and whoever wins can post here.
Once I got used to them years ago, nothing else works as well for me for compact on-the-go key-and-pointer combination. Touchpads always seem so awkward and vague to me, and seem to require 2-handed use (Trackpoints let me do the pointer management 1-handed quite easily), plus the tap-to-click design seems to aggravate my tendency to carpal tunnel syndrome, so I always disable it if I possibly can.
Notebooks like my work-issued Dell C630 with their hybrid trackpoint (sunk into the keyboard so as to be harder to use) plus touchpad make it a stretch to reach the keyboard, and awkward to work around the touchpad, so disabling it is mandatory, but that setting does not seem to stay in place from 1 boot to another - arrgghhh!
There have been a few alternatives to IBM/Lenovo for trackpoints such as my Fujitsu Lifebooks (P1120, P2046, P1610 over the years), and Sony Vaio P-series netbook (despite Sony's disclaimer), and what they have in common is more space for better keys without excessive keyboard overall sizing. But, alas, those are a dying breed of keyboard alternatives.
I would like to see more refinement of trackpoints so the tops are not so hard on the fingertip for prolonged used, but with little competition, there does not seem to be any interest or incentive in that - Lenovo probably puts more effort into their stealth schemes for "calling home" when their PC's are used for anything involving typing the word "freedom" on their keyboards...
Notebooks like my work-issued Dell C630 with their hybrid trackpoint (sunk into the keyboard so as to be harder to use) plus touchpad make it a stretch to reach the keyboard, and awkward to work around the touchpad, so disabling it is mandatory, but that setting does not seem to stay in place from 1 boot to another - arrgghhh!
There have been a few alternatives to IBM/Lenovo for trackpoints such as my Fujitsu Lifebooks (P1120, P2046, P1610 over the years), and Sony Vaio P-series netbook (despite Sony's disclaimer), and what they have in common is more space for better keys without excessive keyboard overall sizing. But, alas, those are a dying breed of keyboard alternatives.
I would like to see more refinement of trackpoints so the tops are not so hard on the fingertip for prolonged used, but with little competition, there does not seem to be any interest or incentive in that - Lenovo probably puts more effort into their stealth schemes for "calling home" when their PC's are used for anything involving typing the word "freedom" on their keyboards...
When I was searching for a laptop to replace my desktop for all my usage, one thing was required: a numeric keypad. After testing the few that are out there (including the Toshiba), I decided on the Acer. The keyboard is easy to type on even with my large fingers, the number keypad is easy to use and best of all, there is no, repeat no changes to finger typing memory - everything is in the same spots. Cudos to Acer.
Honestly, I don't know why they were giving the Toshiba keyboard a bad wrap. While the keys may have a sheen to them that makes it look greasy when you first take it from the box, the feel of the keys is very comfortable and easy to adjust to. The keys on mine are spaced just identical to my ergonomic desktop keyboard and makes the transition between the two seamless. I do like the Thinkpad style for the larger accessory keys and spacing, but stuck with the Satellite in the end when looking for a new laptop. Most people would read this article and think, "really?", but other than screen size and resolution capability keyboard comfort is up there on the list of laptop priorities.
I'm typing this on a IBM Model M (almost as old as me and still wonderful) attached to a Lenovo T510.
My keyboarding cup runneth over.
My keyboarding cup runneth over.
@supernova! Honestly, I don't know why they were giving the Toshiba keyboard a bad wrap. While the keys may have a sheen pembe maske energy balance oyna oyunu moliva orjin krem tutune son nanomatik complex 41 new fx15 to them that makes it look greasy when you first take it from the box, the feel of the keys is very comfortable and easy to adjust to. The keys on mine are spaced just identical to my ergonomic desktop keyboard and makes the transition between the two seamless. I do like the Thinkpad style for the larger accessory keys and spacing, but stuck with the Satellite in the end when looking for a new laptop. Most people would read this article and think, "really?", but other than screen size and resolution capability keyboard comfort is up there on the list of laptop priorities.
The best laptop is stay cool laptop, even while working hard. Bad laptop is easy to be hot. m k l
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