What the heck!
One of the most annoying things in the world to me is the difference between the computer keypad and the phone keypad. I will be in the midst of a furious excel entry session when it will be critical to make a phone call. Then I’ll fumble around like an idiot as I dial the wrong number three times.
so what’s the deal?
Well, there are a few theories, but no one seems certain as to which is the real reason. The three theories that seem the most common on websites discussing keypad layout are such:
1. The telephone industry was concerned that people with data entry skills might dial too quickly and overrun the operators.
2. The telephone industry wanted to match the letters of the alphabet so that ‘abc’ was in the upper left and since Rotary phones had established #2 as abc… the layout followed.
3. Bell labs did a test to see what the easiest layout would be for dialing and ended up with the 123 setup.
Regardless, it seems that there’s no turning back now. Apparently new applications that require keypads (like ATMs) all follow the phone setup.
I think this is weak and I am disappointed in humanity’s inability to standardize.
I’m so happy to know I’m not the only one who has had problems with this! I worked in a grocery store for three years and can enter numbers on a computer keypad with lightning speed, but I always feel backward on a phone.
Theory 2 sounds the most plausible.
I don’t have a problem moving between a keyboard and the phone (and I do a lot of Excel data entry), but what does confuse me momentarily sometimes is moving between a keyboard and an ATM. ATM keypads are like phone keypads, so I always have to hesitate for a second to make sure I’m punching in the right number.
I’m blindingly fast on either. Maybe it’s just that half the time I don’t know if I’m backwards or upside-down anyway, so it makes no difference how anything is oriented around me. Mike, since you are ultra competitive, I think we should battle.
I think this is probably a bad idea. If I decided to do this any free time that I had would go to attempting to increase my speed on a keypad.
My life will revolve around practicing number combinations on various media.
I think I’d prefer to stick to my already insane goals like trying to hit 40 seconds on this game.
Mike, is this competitive streak of yours the reason we haven’t had many MSPaint drawings so far this year?
ha ha! no not at all. In fact, I was just thinking about the lack of MSPaint contests recently.
Perhaps I’ll get one together for next week!
Sounds good, but it better not be about that game.
I”m not blindingly fast on a keyboard, but I can punch the numbers in in good time. It doesn’t interfere with my phone dialing, but that could be because I dial with my thumb, instead of my fingers.
With all the changes, calculators will stay the same though, won’t they?
4. Alexander Graham Bell actually plotted 9/11 100 years ago by inversing the phone keypad. I’d explain it to you but it would require the purchase of a 2 hours of video for 19.95 + S&H. If you buy now, you’ll receive not 1, but 2 free flavor injectors as well (S&H not included)! Buy now!
I’m a completely unintelligent consumer! Tell me where to ship the money!
Just leave the money in an unlabeled envelope by the cube labeled “Mike’s Cube.” Quantities are limited so it may take a while/never to get your video and flavor injectors.
Reason # 4: the human ego. we all want to be the man. The two men/woman who invented the keypads want their legacy to continue. they will never accept the other persons keypad as the dominate pad.
Which came first, the computer number keypad or the telephone keypad?
Like Jes I have no problem with the two because I also dial phone numbers with my thumb. I’m fairly good at the number pad. I’m annoyed that my laptop doesn’t have one. Slows me down.