Crave UK (via Gizmodo) decided to put two ultimately mobile devices, the iPhone 3G and the Asus Netbook, to the ultimate mobile stress-typing test, in a rally car going 80mph under 3Gs (not cell speed, forces of gravity!).
Yep, it’s virtual keyboard vs. cramped keyboard, typing on glass vs. typing on chiclets.
Any guesses as to which device reigned supreme?
|
|
|
The iPhone blog (TiPb) is for those who dare to phone different.
Send us news:
Tip line - @theiphoneblog
Rene Ritchie, Editor
rene@tipb.com - @reneritchie
Chad Garrett, Writer
chad.garret@tipb.com - @ichadman
Jeremy Sikora, Writer
jeremy.skiora@tipb.com - @JFSikora
Dieter Bohn, Editor in Chief, SPE
@backlon
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Copyright 2008 Smartphone Experts Ltd. All rights reserved.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Oh yeah, take that physical keyboard nay-sayers!
April 30th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Here come the lame “fat finger” excuses from other smartphone users.
April 30th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I don’t get the netbook keyboard complaints they are way bigger than a blackberry keyboard
April 30th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Go speed iPhone, Go speed iPhone, Go speed iPhone, GO!
April 30th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Yay thats my local track! Mmmm really good Breakfast rolls on race days.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:27 am
fake maybe??
April 30th, 2009 at 11:41 am
No way this can be true!
April 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I bet this test is legit, but it does not really test virtual vs physical keyboard — it just shows that Apple’s predictions and autocorrections are very good. The more stressful the environment, the more important role these will play. In rally car where you are likely to miss every 3rd key, those corrections will help tremendously, something they must have known before stepping in the car.
Now, if he really wanted to test just the virtual vs physical keyboard aspect, he could have also typed in a URL or something else not likely to be predicted or corrected, to provide a correction vs non-correction data point. Or he could have just tried to go back and put the word “brown” in the sentence, which he completely forgot to type during the iPhone run-through. Either one of those would have made this a much more interesting test.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
@fassy – I don’t think the point is REALLY which one is better, but more like just showing how good auto-correction on the iPhone actually is.
Although I think his performance on the netbook was hindered by how you type on it. It’s much easier to type while in motion with just your thumb than both hands on the keyboard on your lap. If he had helt the netbook in one hand and pecked at the keys with just his index finger on the other it probably would have been a lot better.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
In all fairness, one device is held in the hand while another is separated from the hand (resting on the lap). It seems obvious that if your holding the iPhone, the phone is going to move everywhere the hand moves, making it easier for the fingers to remain aligned to the keyboard… while the netbook keyboard is moving differently than the hand typing on it.
But the point, as I see it, is that the iPhone IS easier and more accurate to type on, while moving, regardless. So, it’s still a fair product comparison.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Good poker guide. Made a poker guide myself, check it out if you want.
July 7th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
This is a test of the auto-correction feature, being conducted to compare a device with auto-correction vs a device without auto-correction. It’s like a French language test carried out by a French and an Italian to see who has better French.