hey i thought about getting a BT keyboard, seen a real nice one on youtube, folds up and clicky, but doesnt that take away from the portability of the ipad.. see here.. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geLV1uDZD5k]YouTube - Bluetooth Keyboard on iPad[/ame] anyway, i use the virtual keyboard and kinda like/hate it , i mean i like that its a part of the ipad and dont need anything extra to carry around, but the lack of key springs makes it dreadful to type long letters/essays.. anyway, i might buy that keyboard on utube, but wait for the price go down.. how do u ppl like the ipad keyboard?
I have this one. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Pro-Bluetooth-Keyboard/dp/B0030IT6AO]Amazon.com: Freedom Pro Bluetooth Keyboard: Electronics[/ame]
For minor word processing I think the virtual keyboard works pretty damn well. But if you plan on doing some more intensive typing it's worth it to get the bluetooth keyboard
The iPad is still early days yet. The more I use it, the better I get with it and the longer I can type on it without feeling hampered by its foibles. I think its acceptability will improve as time passes.
I think as long as you are not doing intensive word typing it should be perfectly fine. I typed a two page report today and it went pretty well. I think more than keyboard, after you type for a while and want to review it, it becomes little hassle IMHO. But i rather not carry anything around with me and using the virtual keyboard.
The onscreen keyboard takes a while to get used to, but I found that I've been able to type out some-what lengthy documents (2-3 pages at a time sometimes). Of course, I haven't been able to buy a bluetooth keyboard yet so I'm not yet jaded by using a physical keyboard with my iPad.
Getting an external keyboard takes away the hold in your hand total portability which is the iPads big claim to fame. Hold it in portrait mode and type with your thumbs, it is fine once you get used to it.
I bought the small Apple BT keyboard, but I still mostly use the virtual. The more you use it the easier it gets.