How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

I previously owned a Sidekick 2 and the keyboard on that was excellent. How's the keyboard on the N810? How's the feedback on the keyboard?

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

It's no where near as comfortable as a BB Curve or a Sidekick. The keys are very shallow and close together. I always figured I'd use my bluetooth keyboard for typing out emails and such but I have found myself using the biult in keyboard more than the BT one. It grows on you but it's still not enjoyable.

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

Yes, it's definitely usable but not as good as just about anything else. I get a very strong impression that someone at Nokia designed a keyboard that looks nice, without giving too much thought to how it feels. As a result, while the N810 keyboard is half again the size of what a 5000-series Sharp Zaurus had, it's much harder to find the keys.

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

I think the important thing to realize, IMO, is that it is way better than an On Screen Keyboard. I find myself being able to type relatively fast on it (despite using only thumbs, don't go thinking you will be using you other fingers on it!). To the point where I do not dread using it at all. The back light is a nice feature as well. The one thing you will hear people say over and over again is that it does not have good feedback, which is kinda true. I like it though. If you are in a spot where you need to do a lot of typing and you have a BT keyboard I would use that, but on the go, it is way better than having a Touch Screen keyboard. Way better! Again, IMO.

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

I think it is pretty good, i little hard to press with minimal feedback, and also a little flat. But I think it would be hard to make it better, since the N810 is quite thin. Personally I can write much faster with the HW keyboard than with the onscreen keyboard, with only minimum wrong presses, it just need some time to get used to.

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

I'll chime as a brand new user this week and say that yes the keyboard could be better by adding a little bit of depth/height to them but for the thin-ness of the device it works. Like any micro sized keyboard, it just takes a little getting used to. There is no way you'll ever be able to type as fast as a larger size/full keyboard or even as fast as on a blackberry type device but hopefully youre not trying to write a book on it :)

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

It's not bad... At first I really didn't like it, but as mentioned previously it really grows on you! It's not perfect by any means and I usually make one or two typos, since it's waay too easy to hit two keys at once. Also, I would really appreciate a reference bump and greater tactile feedback. If I had these I think I could type at about three quarters of my normal speed. (right now it's about half)

I really like it though. I wouldn't have gone with the Nokia instead of the iTouch if it hadn't been for the keyboard :) But definitely, bluetooth keyboard is way faster

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

I heartily dislike the keyboard. I practically never use it. I use the screen keyboard instead. The only problem with the keyboard (IMHO) is there is no way to tactically center each finger. All they need to do is provide a tiny concavity or even a tiny bump to each key. As it is, I constantly touch multiple keys. It is frustrating!

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

Yea, pretty much what the others have said. Too flat, too little space between top row keys and the screen. Multiple key presses are annoying, but you do sort of get used to the keys. In any case, it is WAY better than the horrible onscreen keyboard. Way, way better. The onscreen keyboard obstructs your view of the screen, has no tactile feedback, and results in a much lower accuracy as well as speed.

Bluetooth is an option if you are typing a long document or email, but I never get why people would carry a BT keyboard everywhere they go. Must be typing some serious documents. I just use the thumb keyboard to type emails, forum responses, and most importantly - IM's. I use my device on the go, so a BT keyboard is out of the question for me.

Re: How's the keyboard on the N810?
 

Ah. but there's the rub. That's pretty close to what I did already with a Psion 3A and my M.Sc. thesis, a dozen or so years ago. Over the years I've got into the habit of keeping a copy of my work in progress on whatever my pocket-sized mini-laptop happens to be. Because of this, for me the critical features are a keyboard, Emacs, Unison, and at least a half-way decent web browser and calendar. I realise I'm not even close to the kind of customer Nokia is aiming at.

For my purposes the N810 works well enough even if it's by no means ideal, but especially the keyboard is a clear step backwards from my previous palmtop. Still, it's the best compromise currently available, and like others have said even the keyboard feels a bit better now than when I first got the tablet.