Let me preface this by saying that I only had my Pixel Slate and Pixel Slate Keyboard review units for 10 minutes before I questioned how well the device would work as a laptop actually on the lap. And I let Google know about the experience: The “hinge” of the keyboard cover really needs some rigidity. Or there needs to be another magnet along the hinge that connects the keyboard to the base of the display.
To be clear, the design choice in this aspect wasn’t the best.
But over time, I’ve simply gotten used to it. Others haven’t and have returned their Pixel Slate Keyboard, opting for the Brydge G-Type Keyboard as a better alternative for lap use. It’s good to have choices.
Most reviewers just wrote of the Pixel Slate Keyboard, even saying in some cases that it’s just not usable on your lap. After 6 hours of coding, browsing and writing yesterday using the keyboard on my lap, I disagree with such an extreme statement.
Is it perfect? Nope. Is it usable and can you be productive? Absolutely.
This is the kind of product decision that’s personal, of course. So I appreciated this video look of how the Pixel Slate Keyboard works in different chairs, sitting in different ways, and even in bed. I think each individual has to make a personal choice on how well the Pixel Slate Keyboard does or doesn’t work for them; and of course, there’s no universally correct answer to that.
Maybe this video will help if you’re on the fence about adding a Pixel Slate Keyboard to your tablet.
By the way, I found this video posted on a new sub-Reddit devoted entirely to the Pixel Slate.
While there are certainly people there not happy with the Pixel Slate and/or the Pixel Slate Keyboard, there are also a number of folks happy with their purchase. The page is well worth following for a range of opinions, questions, and commentary that may help you decide if this Chrome OS tablet is right (or not!) for you.
7 Comments
Yay, my video is helping people!
Absolutely! I loved it, which is why I shared it. It helps people decide if the keyboard is or isn’t for them. Nice work!
I’ve seen reports of false trackpad presses resulting from either flexing of the keyboard or wrist pressure. Have you experienced any of that?
I had an old Dell laptop that drove me crazy with phantom cursor movement if you rested your wrists in the wrong spot.
It doesn’t happen in my normal usage but I can force a trackpad click if push my wrists down on the wrist wrests. I can’t replicate it on a flat surface because it’s caused by the keyboard base flexing.
I can make the false clicks happen when the keyboard is in my lap, but things have to happen just right. Mostly too much pressure on both sides of the keyboard while it’s resting on one leg. If I rest it on two legs I have no problems with false clicks.
It was just the video I was looking for before I got my Pixel Slate. It definitely leaves you in a place where if its not something you want to deal with on your lap, then you get the Brydge G-Type keyboard. That leaves you potentially having to deal with the bluetooth issues, and if you wanted a keyboard that much, you should just get a Pixelbook. Its not the decision process normal people want to go through for sure.
I’m really torn between the Slate and the Pixelbook. I think my family would enjoy the Slate more, but I think I might enjoy the Pixelbook more. I’ll go to Best Buy over the weekend and give it a quick spin. Thanks for this post, before seeing it I was about 90% Pixelbook, but now am 50/50.