In the past, all laptops featured tiny little keyboards.  This was because people wanted a laptop for its portability and smaller size – the whole point of buying a laptop was so that they didn’t have to lug around something as heavy or as large as a desktop computer, after all.  However, today, some laptops are being constructed with a full keyboard.  But which is better, the larger keyboard or the smaller computer?

First, what is meant by a full keyboard?  Basically, it’s the same type of keyboard you’d use with a desktop computer.  In addition to featuring the full set of keys, a full keyboard includes a separate number pad (what accountants refer to as a ten-key), the row of F1 through F12 keys, and others such as the four arrow keys, a delete key, a home key, and an insert key.  On the smaller laptop keyboards, these keys do exist, but they’ve been integrated with the standard letters and require you to press a specific function key.  For example, in standard mode, the keys for letters like j, k, and l type those letters.  In function mode, however, they become 1, 2, and 3 for the number pad.  This means that you can’t easily enter numbers and letters without pressing the function key often.

If you’re not an accountant or won’t be dealing with many numbers, you may think that you’d have no need for the full keyboard.  However, if you’re a gamer, you will certainly want to consider it.  In many online games, players use the keyboard to type to other players and use the number pad to control their characters or perform specific functions in the game.  Without a separate number pad or set of directional arrows, it may be impossible to play some games on a laptop.

Finally, some people, especially those with large hands, may find it hard to type on the smaller keyboard.  For them, it’s simply too difficult to use a laptop for typing, and while it is possible to connect a full sized keyboard to their laptop, that means lugging around a keyboard.  However, if they purchase a laptop with a full sized keyboard built-in, they don’t have to deal with carrying around an extra keyboard.

No matter what the reason, laptops featuring full sized keyboards are often just as affordable as those with tiny keyboards.  It all depends on if you need the number pad, the arrow keys, or the larger sized keyboard for typing convenience.