Thinkpads Forum

for those of you who have used the Edge, which type of keys do you prefer -- traditional ThinkPad keys or the new "island" style?

how are the island keys in terms of feedback and tactility?   what do you think about the aesthetics of each style?

i'm curious.

o.k. ive owned some of the best thinkpads over the years, t23's, t60, t4x etc. honestly i prefer the island keys. the tactile feel is great, it really feels exactly like using my desktop keyboard. it did take some time to get use too because there is so much more surface area on the keys.

It's a tough debate. (New guy here by the way, Jeff). I bought my Edge 14 in a pinch from the shop I work at when my MacBook crapped out on me, and the price was right. They keyboard reminds me very much of my macbook keyboard, which I loved. After playing on an x201 I was setting up for a client though, I'm not sure which I like better.

I really like the island keys.
They are identical to traditional keys (same underframe), but just have a different cap on top.
But they prevent to fall cookie crumbs to fall into the keyboard. Good solution!

beeblebrox wrote:I really like the island keys.
They are identical to traditional keys (same underframe), but just have a different cap on top.
But they prevent to fall cookie crumbs to fall into the keyboard. Good solution!

I could be wrong, but I don't think that's what "island" is referring to in this case. AFAIK, "island" refers to the key style found on the X100e/Edge series (aka. "chiclet" keys).

Personally, I like them. I'm not sure whether they're better than traditional keys -- especially with the improvements that the T400s-style brought -- but I certainly like them more than any other "chiclet" style.