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I HATE Chiclet Keyboards !

5

53Percent

Junior Member
I'm looking to replace my 3 year old laptop and I've been checking so many computers out, but I can't seem to find one without those HORRIBLE Chiclet keyboards !
I'm looking to spend about $1200-1500 and I'd like a BACK LIT keyboard also.
I'm not interested in a separate keyboard, so I'm hoping someone who knows a lot more about computers than I do, can help point the way to my elusive non-Chiclet keyboard laptop.
Thanks all !
 
Agree - I have two of them - good laptop keyboards inherited from IBM. OTH, they are not backlit, however T-Pads illuminate via a small LED in the upper frame. It works for me. It has a toggle switch so it does not need to be on when not needed.
 
corkyg said:
Agree - I have two of them - good laptop keyboards inherited from IBM. OTH, they are not backlit, however T-Pads illuminate via a small LED in the upper frame. It works for me. It has a toggle switch so it does not need to be on when not needed.
Click to expand...

imo the thinklight is nicer than backlit keyboards.
 
Fujitsu lifebooks generally also have non-chiclet keyboards, but I don't know if they beat Thinkpads
 
I've heard people refer to "chiclet keyboards" before but I assumed that referred to pretty much all laptop keyboards. Obviously that is not the case, so what qualifies something as a chiclet keyboard?
 
I think this also depends what kind of chiclet keyboard. I had an Asus G53SW and Dell XPS17 that had similar keyboard and they were absolutely horrible. My HP Envy's chiclet keyboard is pretty good. I also had a Thinkpad T520 and the keyboard was ok for my taste, just an "old school traditional" feel for me.
 
The term comes from the keys looking like Chiclet chewing gum pieces. This has a good picture of them . . . http://www.netbookchoice.com/2009/04/19/so-what-is-a-%E2%80%98chiclet%E2%80%99-keyboard-anyway/

Chiclet keys are somewhat rectangular and the rise straight up from their nest. Think pads use an old school, conventional style with spacing achieved by tapered sides. The key caps are iusually square. This the the keyoard of a T510 Thinkpad.

T510KB.jpg
 
Personally, I think the quality and layout of the board is more important than the style. The only boards I use with my desktops are the small Apple wireless bluetooth boards (chiclet), but my Lenovo laptop (X200s) has the best laptop board I've ever used. I'm very attached to both.
 
Chiclet is more layout than style. Some prefer them. Some do not. I guess that's why both exist. 🙂
 
Here's a pic of my T520 in a pitch black room with the screen on minimum brightness and the ThinkLight turned on. It looks brighter in real life - crappy cell phone pic.

photo.jpg


edit: don't mind the crappy screen resolution. I had to lower it to play a game and didn't switch it back to take the picture 😛
 
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Thinkpad FTW...not only are the keyboards great, the thermals are much easier to deal with. My T61 and T420 stay relatively cool while I'm using them whereas my friends' Dell and HP machines practically burn my palms after spending more than a minute using them. I don't know how people can stand it.
 
My T510 with ThinkLight - slight jiggle due handholding the camera in a dark room. But, the tiny LED gives very decent illuminiation without adding to heat. The keyboard is always cool - that is one of the unit's main sources of cooling air.

KBLight.jpg
 
Recently got my x120e. I'm thoroughly pleased with the keyboard considering it is a netbook. The keyboard doesn't quite match the T400 I had but it comes very close. When I checked out other netbooks, they always felt very crippling. This one seems very capable despite only having an AMD E350.

Can't wait for 8GB RAM and 120GB ADATA S510 SSD to arrive. 😀 Even though this shipped with a 7200rpm HDD, it feels very much held back by it.

Anyway back on topic, the x120e is Lenovo's take on the chiclet style keyboard and I think they did a great job on it. Can't say the same about some other laptops though.
 
the x120e is not quite a chiclet keyboard, but its more or less one. the problem with thsoe flat chiclet keys is they are fat and they have no key travel.

i remember back in the 80s / 90s pc mag and the like used to actually measure the amount of key travel in a laptop.

most new laptops have those chiclet keys like the macbooks have. apple basically made it happen , and i blame them for that scourge. it "looks" nice, but they are god awful as far as key travel. they even use it on their desktop keyboards becuase they look "sleeker" .


i'm a keyboard whore though. i have like only MS natural elite keyboards which have better spring back than the new 4000s... i have a thinkpad. i got rid of the X120e , since it still wasnt quite as good.

the extent you may have to go thsee days for a real keyboard may be a bit more than before, but its worth it. layout AND feel combined is what a thinkpad will give you.
 
53Percent said:
I'm looking to replace my 3 year old laptop and I've been checking so many computers out, but I can't seem to find one without those HORRIBLE Chiclet keyboards !
I'm looking to spend about $1200-1500 and I'd like a BACK LIT keyboard also.
I'm not interested in a separate keyboard, so I'm hoping someone who knows a lot more about computers than I do, can help point the way to my elusive non-Chiclet keyboard laptop.
Thanks all !
Click to expand...
I too hate chiclet keyboards. I have a 2004 sony vaio PCG-GRT360ZG in mint condition and it has that awesome keyboard that lets you know your typing with a little feedback click. It's not as loud like an old typewriter but it keeps you engaged and make you feel like you're actually working or keeps your typing skills sharp. Anyone other than the already posted suggestions know of any current models with this type of keyboard. I am sure there is a name for it but I can't think of it at the moment. I REALLY DO HATE CHICLET KEYBOARDS. I am sure there is extra space with chiclet boards but they are so quite that you keep checking to see if you've typed something......
 
It's not about the style but the quality of it.

From the review of the E420 I just posted:

[FONT=&quot]Earlier I mentioned the E420 having an island-style keyboard, and for some that may have already spelled doom. This is very different from typical island-style keyboards, however, in that the keys have excellent travel, are well spaced, and are slightly curved, making touch typing a breeze. [/FONT]
Click to expand...

[FONT="]Compared to traditional ThinkPads it has a very similar feel and it’s one of the best reasons to get this laptop. When you’re typing normally the keyboard tray has no noticeable flex, but if you press it hard enough there is a small amount of it. My only gripe with it would be that the arrow keys are small. [/FONT]
Click to expand...

This is what their newer "chiclet" keyboard looks like, and it's still excellent:

1001436c.jpg
 
My main gripe with keyboards is the faces turn shiny and the numerals wear off making them look war torn. For us ladies that have nails that only exacerbates the problem!
 
I have an Ideapad Y470, and while the Thinkpad line is definitely better, it's keyboard is still much better than most other laptops. I actually went into a big laptop retailer and tested out typing on 20-30 different laptops. Lenovos were the best by far.
 
I love the keyboard on my Clevo.

Its a "Chiclet" keyboard. It took time to get used to the spacing, but its solid and quiet.
 
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