I'm back home in Hawaii after spending a week in California for my part in the MIDMoves project that has only just begun for some of the team. Along with my personal Willcom D4, a BenQ S6 MID and OQO Model 2+ on loan from Intel accompanied me on my tour of several theme parks and other locations, where the devices were used, shared, and promoted.
The Atom-based gadgets have more differences than similarities, so there wasn't any significant overlap in terms of usage. When, where, and how I used each MID/UMPC depended on the situation, which in many ways was dictated by the device's form factor and data entry options. For example, I was more likely to use the BenQ's on-screen keyboard to update my Twitter status than to type a full post while standing in line. Since I can also tweet just fine on my more portable iPhone 3G or Xperia X1 and my primary work involves a lot of typing, the BenQ S6 isn't something I would consider for anything but very casual use and maybe media consumption.
For my mobile needs/wants, then, a hardware keyboard is an absolute must. Your mobile device keyboard preferences, on the other hand, are the subject of the poll you'll find below.
What kind of mobile device keyboard do you need?
( polls)
I cast my vote for the first option, "hardware for thumb typing." Being able to touch type on a mobile device is a nice bonus, but it doesn't make or break a purchasing decision for me.
