Handtops, UMPC - UX keyboard, any good?

01/25/07 + Hite

the #1 complaint with the UX seems to be the keyboard, most people saying that Sony chose style over comfort by choosing small/flush keys. so i was wondering for those of u who have had their UX's for awhile now, how do u feel about the KB, does it suck, is it good, did u get used to it?

01/25/07 + rr0123

I still find it annoying.

01/25/07 + MeanSquare

To some extent, you get used to it. However, even while I am very used to it, I still can't type very fast without occasionally missing a few letters.
The keyboard is really the only thing I don't like about the UX. I wouldn't buy an OQO just to get the keyboard, but the OQO 01 keyboard is easier to thumb-type on. (I'm assuming the 02 keyboard is at least as good.)

Recent Blog: MeanSquare's Review of the Sony UX (with comparison to OQO)

01/26/07 + wayneparrish

I'll agree with both previous posters.I still would buy the 280 again,so it's not too bad I guess.It just takes geting used to it.This has been my first "thumb" KB so it has not been the easiest to pick up on,but I love the 280 !!!!

01/26/07 + muntaser7

I used it in frys and best buy (go and test it there before you buy it) and I honestly did not like it.
it felt* like typing on a keyboard screen found in a Pocket PC but that's just me.

02/03/07 + whydidnt

My opinion is it's probably the worst thumb keyboard ever made. I basically have quit using my UX because the keyboard was so unusable. I have fairly large hands, but not huge and I was forever pressing two keys at the same time, or pressing the wrong key. I can type about twice as fast on my little tiny Treo keyboard than I can on the UX. Too bad Sony screwed up a good thing by totally crippling the keyboard to save a couple mm's of space.

03/07/07 + Mika

And on the other side, if you have small hands like me, the UX is completely unusable as a thumbboard - my thumbs don't reach to the middle! Basically, if I hold the thing with both hands, I can only touch the side letters. The only way I can use the "thumbboard" is by holding the unit in one palm, and poking at it with an index finger - not fast at all - while hoping I don't drop it because of the weight imbalance on my small hand. You'd think the Japanese product designers would have accounted for small hands.

03/11/07 + tx6700ux

Keyboard is usable in a pinch. I actually use mine a lot, but for small bits of input. I am starting to use handwriting a lot more, and am liking that method more all the time.

03/11/07 + Picasso

I came from 2 OQO's to a UX. I sold the UX in two weeks. Could not type worth a damn at all. I found my thumbs just to wide to always get a full key dpress. But on the OQO the key was raised. Just seems much better to type on. I found my self pecking keys with a pencil back when it was on my desk.

03/13/07 + tonychew

I found that the easiest and most comfortable method of using the UX keyboard is to use it while it's on its port replicator / stand.

03/13/07 + MeanSquare

I'm not prone to "one-feature makes or breaks the sale" thinking, but I do hope that Sony re-thinks their keyboard so that you can thumb type on it without missed or extra keystrokes. This is the only thing, other than size, that the OQO has over Sony at this time. It's not enough to make me go out and buy a Model 02 OQO (because I'd lose processing and graphics power), but it was enough for me to take a long look at it.

Recent Blog: MeanSquare's Review of the Sony UX (with comparison to OQO)

03/13/07 + GreatDane

Hi MeanSquare,

I don't own a Sony UX, nor have I worked on one, but from the photos and comments, it would seem that the keys are too flush to permit easy typing. Would it be that difficult for Sony to say, bevel or recess the edges of the key holes, and dome the keys slightly? By the sounds of it, that might go a long way towards solving the problem.

Recent Blog: Performance Capped

03/13/07 + MeanSquare

That would go a long way toward making it better. I'm fairly sure the missed keystrokes come from the flushness of the keys (combined with my relatively light touch). I can't quite figure out why I sometime get doubles though. (De-bouncing keys goes back to the dawn of computers, so I've got to believe I'm somehow tapping the key twice.) Honestly, if Sony made the improvements you mention, I'd be completely happy with the UX.

Recent Blog: MeanSquare's Review of the Sony UX (with comparison to OQO)

03/13/07 + GreatDane

Perhaps someone could suggest an after market modification to them, for the people who do not like the existing keyboards?

Recent Blog: Performance Capped

03/14/07 + Picasso

Stickers would be the best easy fix for current UX owners. Some little raised micodots of some kind? Good chance to up sell by adding real GOLD.