I don't see how the misprint of the letters on teh keys causes the laptop to be useless. I know I don't have to look at the keys for my fingers to know what to type... now tell me that the laptop actually types the wrong letter (example, the key mislabled Z actually types a Z) then I can understand the useless comment.

Laptop key tops can be easily pulled off and rearranged. I've fixed many laptop keyboards with keys fallen off.

Usless if you touch-type. The 'hunt-n-peck' typist probably wont notice, but if you touch type at 50 to 60 WPM this makes the entire keyboard worthless, and since its attached to the laptop in a rather significant way, the entire laptop is useless. Imagine trying to get your work done or even sending a simple email, and having to stop and look at the keys to type? Crazy. Did no one at Dell even get a sample of this laptop to do Q/A on it??

I have a feeling that Dell will just remove the slash, move the rest of the keys to the left, and write a new BIOS to compensate for this, so its not a total loss, however, its gonna cost the company any profit it made on each machine to ship the laptop to a repair center.

The problem with this keyboard, is that once you get used to typing a certain way, that you just keep doing it, and I know that I type out what I am thinking, not looking at the keyboard or what I am writing out, and then go back to correct what few spelling errors I might have made....if you shift one row one key over, then all the keys you memorized to type, all of a sudden become a problem....take a look at this guy trying to type out on the keyboard:

UPDATE 2nd May 11pm: For abyobe who's hacibg diffixulty ib ubderstabdibg just how ruvvish this laptop is with this dunv arse keyvoardm nayve tryibg to read this will help, I'n tryibg to spell this xorrextly ib that I'n puttibg ny fibgers where they bornally gom vut its hard for ne to realise whether or bot I'ce hit the xorrext keys as I xab varely read abythibg as I type it,

I'ce rexeiced ab enail fron Kelly at Dell to say she is sorry abd that its veibg dealt with etxm vut to ve hobest I'n bot too vothered right bow as I spebt all yesterday ibstallibg ZP ob it abyway as Cista xane preloaded, I wabted ZP origibally vut wheb selextibg that ob Dell's wevsite it said 'bot xonpativle with the ibtegrated wevxan' or sonethibg alobg those libes, Utter ruvvish - it ism works fibe ib ZP,

So tonorrow this laptop gets xobbexted up to ny three sxreeb setup abd ezterbal keyvoard abd nouse, Bo nore worries avout the keyvoard thebm abd I sinply await a replaxenebt or whatecer I guess,

Abywaym its veeb quite a fub day to hae ny 15 nibutes of fane, ny abger towards Dell has suvsidedm replaxed with ibxredulity that sone pepole really are stupid,,, too xlasses of people here:
- QA at Dell,,, why would you ecer release a keyvoard without typibg ob it first>
- Apple fabvoys,,, seriouslym ebgage your vraib vefore you speak

If abyobe's axtually read this whole thibg a nassice xobgratulatiobs to you!

Jake


That is the problem, and why they need to fix the keyboard...

I swap Latitude keyboards all the time, 5 minutes with a small phillips and standard screwdriver is all it takes.

You should have a look at things before you buy

and

Don't buy Dell in the first place.

Plus.. If you just typed without looking it'd be fine. The text that ends up on the screen is determined by how the keyboard is mapped according to the OS. The keys merely send a signal to the computer which the computer interprets. That means that even if you pressed the button with an on it you'd still see a z.
If you're so worried... Buy some little stickers, write the letters on them and stick them on the keys. (The laptop looks shit anyway so nobody would notice)

it must be cool L33T typing.
Dell might as well switch the keys to Dvorak.

Anyone who does not "see" the problem with playing with a standard letter arrangement, enjoy looking at your keys.