Handheld wireless communication device is presented and includes a housing with a display above a keyboard exposed for user actuation. The length of the device is greater than the width, and the width is less than five centimeters. The keyboard has a right-hand key field and a left hand key field. Each key of the right-hand key field has a longitudinal axis oriented at a left-to-right inclined angle from the vertical centerline, and each key of a left-hand key field has a longitudinal axis oriented at a right-to-left inclined angle from the vertical centerline. The respective inclined angles are between about ten degrees and about fifteen degrees. A left boundary and a right boundary of the keyboard is located adjacent the left and right lateral side edges (respectively) of the device so that the keyboard spans a substantial entirety of the width of the device.