the number on the phone key pad are different to the keyboard number, 456 are they same but instead of 123 being at the bottom on the phone 789 are.
2007-01-20 08:37:00 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Consumer Electronics ➔ Land Phones
Good question.....
Look here http://www.vcalc.net/Keyboard.htm
Incidentally, the answer by wildbill is not correct.
Touch-Tone telephones have been around only since the 1960's. It was all rotary dial before that. This is roughly the same time that digital calculators came out. There was not a huge disparity as is suggested by mamabear below.
To sumarize the aritcle, it appears the reason is due to trying to mimic older technologies. Remember that phones used to be rotary dial...with 1 at the top, down to 9 at the bottom, then 0. The alphabet was also on the dial because prefixes used to contain letters (BR-549, PA6-5000). The article states, on the telephone, if the lower numbers were on the bottom, the alphabet would then start on the bottom and be in reverse alphabetical order, a confusing setup.
The article also states that for cash registers: "Before 1964, calculators were either mechanical or electronic devices with heavy tubes. The key pads on the first calculators actually resembled old cash registers, with the left row of keys numbering 9 on top down to 0 on the bottom. The next row to the right had 90 on top and 10 on the bottom, the next row to the right had 900 on top, 100 on the bottom, and so on. All of the early calculators were ten rows high, and most were nine rows wide. From the beginning, hand-held calculators placed 7-8-9 on the top row, from left to right."
There is a 19 page white paper on the design of the touch-tone telephone pad here: http://www.vcalc.net/touchtone_hf.pdf
No one can say for sure, but the above explanations seem to make sense.
Keep in mind that there is no law that states phones and calculators must use the standard layout for keys. It's just what people are used to, and manufacterers are reluctant to go against that, especially in the case of calculators/keyboards where people become quote proficient at 10-key.
2007-01-20 08:44:00 · answer #1 · answered by Yep! 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The computer key pad is set up like an adding machine ("10-key"). This is very convenient for people working on computers and needing to type numbers.
Phones have been around for a long time, why they were set up the way they are I don't know. I've become so used to them, that I can dial without my reading glasses--so I hope they don't change them.
2007-01-20 08:44:01 · answer #2 · answered by Holiday Magic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honestly I'm not sure, I think the computer keypad comes from adding machines which were developed before button phone keys. So that when you enter digits you can do it without looking at the keypad.
Phone keys are more suited for looking at and reading up/down and left to right.
2007-01-20 08:41:50 · answer #3 · answered by sagegranny 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Computer key pad is a 10 key - key pad. You know an adding machine.
2007-01-20 08:40:57 · answer #4 · answered by Ofc J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know for sure but I suspect that you'll find the answer in patent law. Whoever came to the table first probably didn't want their design copied by those who came after. Just a hunch.
2007-01-20 08:42:29 · answer #5 · answered by Goofy Foot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So the people who use adding machines had to slow down when calling so the phone equipment could keep up.
2007-01-20 08:40:20 · answer #6 · answered by wildbill05733 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋