First, let me say that I own a DROID, but will try to be as objective as possible. The Eris' keyboard has a more featured skin layout. In other words, the keys have both the letter, as well as, symbol/number on it. So, you can see if you want an "*" or "&" or whatever before you press their function key to select it. On the DROID, if you want a symbol or number, you have to press the "123" button, then a separate keyboard replaces the ABC keyboard. Other than that:
1) The keyboard isn't better because of the spacing. Maybe there's dead space in that spacing, but it's so small (that spacing) that it's insignificant compared to someone's finger tip size. That being said, the lack of spacing (not to say it's a bad thing) allows for the DROID's keys to be larger, more rectangular.
I find the Eris' onscreen keyboard easier to use than the Droid's even in landscape mode which I did not expect given that the Droid has extra area.
2) The DROID's predictive texting is pretty accurate, so any mistakes you make will be caught and changed or at least offered as a word suggestion.
I do like the Droid's predictive texting a bit better than the Eris'
3) If you're on-screen keyboard is giving you more a "push button" feel, then 1) You're pressing WAY too hard; you should be "gliding" across the screen when typing on a virtual keyboard, 2) I don't know about the Eris screen, but the DROID is one of only three devices using Corning's Gorilla Glass. So maybe that "push button" feel is a result of a cheap glass/plastic screen?
While the Droid's screen (both size and feel) is better than the Eris', the Eris' screen is definitely not cheap-feeling.
4) The physical keyboard is immensely useful for any number of tasks: Text-intensive work, e.g. long emails, editing MS Word documents, entering data into an Excel spreadsheet, etc. all work better than a virtual keyboard. Why? Because, to use a VK, it has to occupy the entire screen with 1) the keyboard and 2) the text box. Using the physical keyboard allows you to see the page you're on, the cell you're entering into, or even the string of text that you're using.
I found that I almost never used the physical keyboard on the Droid. Even though I came from a BB device and *thought* I needed a PK, the one on the Droid is just so-so. It does allow you more real estate on your screen though.
Never mind the utility of a d-pad that allows precise cursor control. Track ball is nice, but on these small screens, unit clicks are hard to obtain using tracking inputs, rather than a d-pad, where you can enter in single clicks. Not only that, the "tactile" feedback of a keyboard allows ultimately for more accurate composition. This is one reason why we don't have virtual keyboards at our desktops.
The d-pad might be a tad more precise but it's placement on the Droid makes it awkward to use. I think the trackball on the Eris is easier to use.
Here's the one drawback of the physical keyboard in my estimation: I wish there was less input force needed. Not that any human being with an ounce of strength will notice, but the key effort "click" is certainly more than say my laptop. It's got a "desktop effort" to the key. Not bad, but could be better. In my opinion, no physical keyboard has the lightness of a laptop keyboard, not even BB.
