Based on the results of last week's poll, an overwhelming 58% of voters need their mobile devices to have hardware keyboards that are big enough for touch typing.
I was intentionally vague about the "mobile device" definition in the poll because we all have different mobile computing needs: some can get by with smartphones, others rely on handheld UMPCs, and apparently the majority need what I assume are netbooks or mini notebooks. Given that I don't normally talk about gadgets with touch-typable keyboards around here (the Sony Vaio P coverage dominating the site right now is breaking my 7-inch screen rule), I'm surprised that so many of you associate the "mobile device" term with something like a netbook. No one actually specifically cited a netbook, but aside from a few exceptions in the UMPC category, little laptops are really the only devices with keyboards suitable for touch typing.
Here's the rest of the voter breakdown:
- 25% need a hardware keyboard for thumb typing.
- 11% need a hardware keyboard for thumb and touch typing.
- 4% need an on-screen/virtual keyboard for thumb typing.
- 2% need an on-screen/virtual keyboard for stylus tapping.
I'm part of the 25% that want/need a thumb board. Being able to touch type on a mobile device certainly has its merits, but being able to do so requires a trade-off on size and usage. And if I'm touch typing, then I'm sitting down at a table; and if I'm doing that, then I may as well just use my 2.7-pound Vaio TZ or now my 1.4-pound Vaio P. I consider both to be highly portable, of course, but when someone says "mobile device," I don't think of the laptop form factor; I think of a handheld that I would use while standing up or walking around.
