What Makes the Perfect Laptop Keyboard?

[Chris Gohlke]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://notebooks.com/2010/12/27/10-keyboard-commandments-the-perfect-laptop-keybaord/' target='_blank'>http://notebooks.com/2010/12/27/10-...aptop-keybaord/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"As 2010 comes to a close we mark almost 35 years since the first commercially available laptop, or more aptly titled Portable Computer ( IBM5100 ), was first released laptops and notebooks have evolved to many form factors and sizes, but even 35 years of innovation hasn&rsquo;t delivered to us a perfect laptop keyboard. Sure there are some good ones, like the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, and even some great ones like you&rsquo;ll find on the Lenovo Edge or ThinkPad models, but all of them have some room for improvement."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/lpt/auto/1293589869.usr10.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I don't care so much about many of th rules laid out in the article, but the one illustrated by the above picture really irks me. &nbsp;Asus does something similar on the Eee's with the right shift key and it always causes me to end up hitting the up arrow rather than the shift key when typing, very annoying. &nbsp;You can have a certain degree of liberty with the keyboard, but I consider shift a main key that should be mapped the same on every keyboard, otherwise you just mess up everyones typing.</p>

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I had a notebook with SWAPPED right shift and up arrow keys once. Man, that was a pain to use. Didn't own it for long as a result.

I think offering chiclet style keys isn't necessary the be-all and end-all for keyboards. I mean, Thinkpads don't have them traditionally, and they're still the best keyboards I've ever used.

The most important element I feel is the one that's not mentioned: Tactile feedback. The response that lets you know when the key has been pressed so you can release and move on to the next key is important. That's what makes them Thinkpads great.

[Jason Dunn]

I care much less about the right shift key than the left shift key - the left shift key is the one that usually ends up getting shrunken. I wonder what the stats are on people using the left vs. right shift keys? I've been tracking my use of the shift key as I write this post, and I've used the right shift key exactly zero times. :)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I've never used the left shift key, always the right one. :P

[Jason Dunn]

I've never used the left shift key, always the right one. :P

Sounds like it's survey time! :D

[Stinger]

My biggest pet hate is laptop manufacturers who moves the Ctrl key away from the bottom left-hand corner. Grrr...

[Jason Dunn]

My biggest pet hate is laptop manufacturers who moves the Ctrl key away from the bottom left-hand corner. Grrr...

Yeah, that's an unforgivable sin...Lenovo does that with a few of their laptops. Not sure what the justification is for that. :rolleyes:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

FN+Page Up on Thinkpads (bottom left and top right) activates the Thinklight.

[Chris Gohlke]

Wouldn't you tend to use each shift key equally? Assuming at least that the words you capitalize have an equal distribution on either side of the keyboard.

[Jason Dunn]

Wouldn't you tend to use each shift key equally? Assuming at least that the words you capitalize have an equal distribution on either side of the keyboard.

Survey says....nope. :)

Laptop Thoughts: Which Shift Key Do You Primarily Use? (http://www.laptopthoughts.com/news/show/101799/which-shift-key-do-you-primarily-use.html)