[stclifton]

Hi All,

While I barely have ever posted here, everyday I log on to the Crackberry site to read the forums. I love the die-hard attitudes some people have here, shows true passion.

I do see a lot of people talking about BB being better than iPhones and Androids, and one reason in particular is the physical keyboard helps people type faster and is "better" than virtual alternatives.

I primarily use an iPhone 5s for all work emailing, texting etc, and have found that no matter how much time I invest into using a physical keyboard, it just is never nearly as fast as a virtual keyboard.
My typing style is pretty bad, I mush the keyboard in the right direction of the letters I want to press, and let auto-correct sort it out (90% of the time its accurate)

Now I know that CB is going crazy for the new Passport phone, but surely the physical keyboards days are numbered? After spending time with a GOOD virtual keyboard (iPhone, Swiftkey on Android), surely most people would find this an easier, more efficient way to type?

What are others thoughts? Keyboards gone from the BB lineup any time soon? Or still flogging that old dead horse?

[barbas79]

Personally I like the physical keyboard and of course the additional buttons for answering a call, just like the old BlackBerry phones used to have.
There are times that I have to write or answer a phone call without looking at screen (unfortunately the second option is not so doable on Q10, because you might mute the call and think that the other person hanged up).
On the other side, I often envy those that have the Z10 or Z30 or any other full touch device because of the larger screen. Which helps with browsing websites etc.

I think that if they could make something like the old torch. Combining the pros of both world, it would be awesome.
Imagine a phone maybe like passport, and an thin extendable keyboard.

Posted via CB10

[eldricho]

Keyboards are here to stay in the BlackBerry World. Atleast for a long time coming. Currently I do think they are investing a little bit too much focus on the physical keyboard tho, with no high-end all touch released yet. But there is this one part of the BlackBerry customer base that still loves their keyboard as it makes them more productive.

I myself feel that no virtual keyboard (even the BlackBerry one, which is in my opinion the best I've ever used) can replace a physical keyboard. I'm in love with physical, but love that the virtual can give more screen real estate and get hidden away. I love that you can hammer away on a physical keyboard without looking and still get almost all words right. I often write in many languages, including my native language (Papiamentu) and it isn't supported by any phone, so no auto correct for me. However the physical keyboard it is very easy to type Papiamentu without even looking at the keyboard. Even though the BlackBerry 10 virtual keyboard remembers quite a bit of those Papiamentu words, it'll never feel as great as that physical keyboard. It'll be hard for me to give it up for a physical keyboard again, so no Passport or Classic for me.

Long story short; is the physical keyboard going to dominate the world again? No, sadly it won't. Is it going to still be on BlackBerry devices in the near future? Yes, as long as that one niche costumer base keeps existing

Posted via CB10

[skstrials]

It is not all about speed.

How about accuracy? With Swype, every couple sentences, Swype recognizes the word wrong, and I have to go back and retype. With my Q10 keyboard, I rarely ever have to go back and retype since the physical keyboard is so much more accurate.

Also, if you ever have to type in a dynamic environment (walking, inside a moving car, train, etc), there is no comparison. Physical keyboard's tactile feedback absolutely beats the virtual keyboard in this setting.

HOWEVER there are some disadvantages with physical keyboard as well.

1) More likely for hardware failure.
2) Not good for one hand typing
- Although, Iphone keyboard also sucks for one hand typing and this point really applies for Swype keyboards. However, since most Android phones are gigantic anyways, they suck for one hand use. This point only applies for small sized Android phones with the Swype keyboard.
3) Not viable for adding 2nd language.
- I need the keyboard for both Korean and English. Since the physical keyboard keys cannot change, I would not be able to use the Korean keyboard, without memorizing the entire Korean keyboard layout.


All in all, I would stick with the physical keyboard. I have tried a friend's iphone keyboard for a bit, and I was surprised at how hard the typing was. I can actually type faster on my Q10 than on a Iphone. With Android keyboard, it is faster than my Iphone typing but still slower compared to my Q10.

Posted via CB10 using Blackberry Q10

[crackbrry fan]

This keyboard on the Passport ain't your run of the mill device. Its a hybrid that I can see many running to get their hands on.
It's a cross between virtual and hard keyboard. It will ensure more "accurate " typing.
Posted via CB10

[eyesopen1111]

OP, my understanding is that there are more virtual keyboard BB10 phones sold than there are physical keyboard BB10 phones sold, so PKB BlackBerry users are a minority.

Like most of the smartphone market, I'm a VKB user and don't imagine ever going back to a PKB phone. I can certainly imagine a day in the relative near-term where BlackBerry would no longer make PKB phones at all or perhaps only one model per year. First, I think all it would take is the abandonment or mission completion of Passport and Classic, ie that their mission to migrate Old School qwerty BlackBerry users to BB10 would no longer be pursued. Second, the all-touch line up would need to be acknowledged as the future of the phone business at BlackBerry like it has been at all other OEMs. I think that this is a likely scenario because I don't think that a PKB-centered smartphone company has any future in this market. I think that the sales results of the Classic and Passport will finally prove this point. I just hope that BlackBerry will be able to continue a phone business at all should those models fail to sell.

Z-30/STA 100-5/10.3.0.700+.296/T-Mobile USA

[Coraya]

I don't think pkb will ever disappear from the BlackBerry lineup. Many countries overseas demand that core feature. If blackberry ends the pkb show here in the US I'm moving overseas. Just saying...

Posted via Q10RR

[stclifton]

Interesting replies,

The thing I like most about the iPhone is the ability to txt (accurately, but slightly slower) with one hand. When using a Galaxy S5 or Note, its impossible to use just 1 hand.

I am interested in the Passport phone, not ever to buy one (unless it ran iOS or Android, as I use many apps) but to see how the keyboard feels now its spaced out more. I had a 9700 and the keyboard was so small my fingers felt cramped up..

I imagine the new Passport is what the new iPhone 6 will be to the PKB guys yeah? 'The next best thing' as spamsung like it call it

[crackbrry fan]

Interesting replies,

The thing I like most about the iPhone is the ability to txt (accurately, but slightly slower) with one hand. When using a Galaxy S5 or Note, its impossible to use just 1 hand.

I am interested in the Passport phone, not ever to buy one (unless it ran iOS or Android, as I use many apps) but to see how the keyboard feels now its spaced out more. I had a 9700 and the keyboard was so small my fingers felt cramped up..

I imagine the new Passport is what the new iPhone 6 will be to the PKB guys yeah? 'The next best thing' as spamsung like it call it

Prior to BlackBerry 10 in particular the Z10, I was a hard keyboard advocate having used other Virtual keyboards, I can confirm that the BlackBerry experience is by far the best, I got the Z30 and never thought that I would ever promote the use of the hard keyboard again but the Passport changed my mind. :-))

Posted via CB10

[Bbnivende]

I have no problem on the iPhone. I do find the prediction of words on my Z10 speeds up my typing. I miss my 9900 keyboard but not the small screen. It is all what you are used to.
My kids type much faster than I can on their iPhones.


Posted via CB10

[Coraya]

Interesting replies,

The thing I like most about the iPhone is the ability to txt (accurately, but slightly slower) with one hand. When using a Galaxy S5 or Note, its impossible to use just 1 hand.

I am interested in the Passport phone, not ever to buy one (unless it ran iOS or Android, as I use many apps) but to see how the keyboard feels now its spaced out more. I had a 9700 and the keyboard was so small my fingers felt cramped up..

I imagine the new Passport is what the new iPhone 6 will be to the PKB guys yeah? 'The next best thing' as spamsung like it call it

The 9700 was tiny and at the time there weren't that many complaints ( at least here) about it being too small. People were in love with that thing. It's like blackberry got pissed about consumers reaction to the 9000 and made a super tiny phone in the 9700 only to have the consumers change their minds and request the 9000 form factor AGAIN in the 99xx. It's funny though because when I had my tour and bold 9650, I thought the phone was big. But now, with these huge hands of mine, I don't understand how I typed on that little tiny keyboard.


Posted via Q10RR

[Tre Lawrence]

It is not all about speed.

How about accuracy? With Swype, every couple sentences, Swype recognizes the word wrong, and I have to go back and retype. With my Q10 keyboard, I rarely ever have to go back and retype since the physical keyboard is so much more accurate.

Also, if you ever have to type in a dynamic environment (walking, inside a moving car, train, etc), there is no comparison. Physical keyboard's tactile feedback absolutely beats the virtual keyboard in this setting.

HOWEVER there are some disadvantages with physical keyboard as well.

1) More likely for hardware failure.
2) Not good for one hand typing
- Although, Iphone keyboard also sucks for one hand typing and this point really applies for Swype keyboards. However, since most Android phones are gigantic anyways, they suck for one hand use. This point only applies for small sized Android phones with the Swype keyboard.
3) Not viable for adding 2nd language.
- I need the keyboard for both Korean and English. Since the physical keyboard keys cannot change, I would not be able to use the Korean keyboard, without memorizing the entire Korean keyboard layout.


All in all, I would stick with the physical keyboard. I have tried a friend's iphone keyboard for a bit, and I was surprised at how hard the typing was. I can actually type faster on my Q10 than on a Iphone. With Android keyboard, it is faster than my Iphone typing but still slower compared to my Q10.

Posted via CB10 using Blackberry Q10

I won't disagree with all your points, but I will say that Swype was the only keyboard that allowed me to get past a physical keyboard. One big reason is one-handed use. I can even use it with my non-dominant hand.

I can't type effectively on the current iOS keyboard, but know quite a few people who can.

[Carrtman]

I love the physical keyboard and always will. For me it's not just about the typing but also about all the either things I can do with it. Ie using it for shortcuts, type almost blindly on it and of course the feedback I'm getting back from the buttons.

A friend of mine did let me type on her Iphone and needless to say I sucked (slow, tons of errors). Android same story till I learned to swype that keyboard is amazing and I can really type fast on it, sometimes even doing the one handed typing if the size of the phone is right. Never tried WP so I cant comment on it.

As for call accept, end buttons I love them they so much better than taping on glass and much more accurate. Tons of full touch users are asking me to hang up first because it takes them time to find the spot on their phone. I never understood why Apple, Samsung aren't using the home button in a smarter way (call comes in press it two times is accept, 1 long press is decline..) ?

Like others mentioned there are also cons involved: german has a bunch letters that arent on your BB keyboard so you need to configure the dictionary and type stuff like "sz" to get � or "ue" to get �. Another con are small buttons like on the curve series.

My perfect phone would be a BB 9900 with samsunglike display and specs, running either OS 7 or Android Kitkat (not a fan of gesture driven OS OR the bright Android L).

Sent from my BlackBerry

[beemaabeemababy]

I currently use a Z30 and a Q5. Although I can definitely type faster on my Z30, I am definitely more accurate on my Q5.

I have had my Z30 for a while now, but auto correct screws me over once in a while (but saved me millions of times). Which is why I chose a physical keyboard for business use.

Don't know about anyone else, but is anyone annoyed about the difference in placement of the "shift" key between the physical keyboard and the virtual keyboard? It took me a short while to get used to the Q5, but now I'm happy to say that I can switch easily between both kinds of keyboards. It just takes a bit of practice.

Posted via CB10

[Bbnivende]

I love the physical keyboard and always will. For me it's not just about the typing but also about all the either things I can do with it. Ie using it for shortcuts, type almost blindly on it and of course the feedback I'm getting back from the buttons.

A friend of mine did let me type on her Iphone and needless to say I sucked (slow, tons of errors). Android same story till I learned to swype that keyboard is amazing and I can really type fast on it, sometimes even doing the one handed typing if the size of the phone is right. Never tried WP so I cant comment on it.

As for call accept, end buttons I love them they so much better than taping on glass and much more accurate. Tons of full touch users are asking me to hang up first because it takes them time to find the spot on their phone. I never understood why Apple, Samsung aren't using the home button in a smarter way (call comes in press it two times is accept, 1 long press is decline..) ?

Like others mentioned there are also cons involved: german has a bunch letters that arent on your BB keyboard so you need to configure the dictionary and type stuff like "sz" to get � or "ue" to get �. Another con are small buttons like on the curve series.

My perfect phone would be a BB 9900 with samsunglike display and specs, running either OS 7 or Android Kitkat (not a fan of gesture driven OS OR the bright Android L).

Sent from my BlackBerry

Just a question...have you used a BB10 device?

Posted via CB10

[menshawy]

It's a matter of what you are more comfortable with / used to. Back in the old days I could text without looking at the phone using T9 or without. And first time I put my hands on iPhone I found it ridiculously hard to use the touch keyboard. But we evolve, one day I found myself better at using those touch screen phones with their keyboards.

But nothing compares to BlackBerry 10 keyboard, it's a whole different experience. So unique that I can't imagine going back to any physical keyboard.

I understand that BlackBerry physical keyboard also is the best out there of the remaining physical keyboards, but it's for those who want it and used to it but not for me, not for those who chose to evolve with the phones evolution.

[tomcat23]

There was a time when I would disagree with the OP, but after using the BlackBerry 10 keyboard on Z10 and Z30 I have to agree. The BlackBerry 10 virtual keyboard is so good that I type faster on it than any of the BlackBerrys with physical keyboards.
However I still maintain that the keyboards on Androids and iOs are nowhere near the physical keyboard of BlackBerry. The BlackBerry 10 virtual keyboard is in a class of its own and I don't see myself switching back to a physical keyboard after using this.

Posted via CB10

[SunshineStateFlyer]

I think the full physical keyboard will stay, for now, as a niche in the market.

You're right, physical keyboards are not really faster for most people. It is more about the convenience and personal preference. A lot of physical keyboard users, like me, just find it to be more enjoyable to type longer e-mails on a physical keyboard. It just kind of feels better than typing on glass.

But I don't know how it's going to look in a few years. The young generation of smartphone users is not used to physical keyboard typing at all - they were born into a full touchscreen world - so I think keyboards on smartphones might eventually disappear from the market.

[sentimentGX4]

Now I know that CB is going crazy for the new Passport phone, but surely the physical keyboards days are numbered? After spending time with a GOOD virtual keyboard (iPhone, Swiftkey on Android), surely most people would find this an easier, more efficient way to type?

This is my observation of this community. Most on Crackberry had no/little experience with virtual keyboards when bashing them before BB10. It was mostly just fans being fans.

Then when the Z10 hit, a lot of the Blackberry fans jumped to an all touch device and thus became more accustomed to virtual keyboards. Most admitted they were great and it was easier to admit since the virtual keyboard was now a Blackberry offering. Many resigned never to go back to physical keyboards.

There are still some individuals on here that actually prefer physical keyboards even after giving both a serious try; but, I would describe them as a minority amongst even Blackberry fans. It has been proven that virtual keyboards are more efficient (faster AND accurate) than the physical keyboards on smartphones for a long time.

[anon(832122)]

Interesting replies,

The thing I like most about the iPhone is the ability to txt (accurately, but slightly slower) with one hand. When using a Galaxy S5 or Note, its impossible to use just 1 hand.

I am interested in the Passport phone, not ever to buy one (unless it ran iOS or Android, as I use many apps) but to see how the keyboard feels now its spaced out more. I had a 9700 and the keyboard was so small my fingers felt cramped up..

I imagine the new Passport is what the new iPhone 6 will be to the PKB guys yeah? 'The next best thing' as spamsung like it call it

I absolutely can text with one hand using my note 3. Swiftkey allows you to position the keyboard for one handed use to the right or left side of the screen. Together with swiftkey flow I can text and email faster than many people I know using 2 hands. I also have it set up so I can accept predictions but taking space bar and since this keyboard knows what word I want most of the time texting on my note 3 is a pleasure.

Posted via CrackBerry App

[ubizmo]

I won't disagree with all your points, but I will say that Swype was the only keyboard that allowed me to get past a physical keyboard. One big reason is one-handed use. I can even use it with my non-dominant hand.

Same here, although not because of one-handed use, which I'm indifferent to. Swype works for me because it enables me to write in a fairly continuous, flowing manner. I hope they implement something like it in BB10.

Meanwhile, I'm back on a PKB on my Q10. For me, the main attraction of the PKB isn't speed but the ability to focus less on the actual typing process and more on the content of what I'm writing. Using a virtual keyboard, with or without Swype/Flow, I have to be more mindful of where my fingers are going. Using the PKB is more like typing on a real keyboard, as I'm doing now, where I never look at my fingers.

As for speed, I get a good boost by being a Word Substitution (formerly auto-text) power user. I have abbreviations for many common English words, saving lots of keystrokes in just about every sentence I write. I've been doing this for years, since my SideKick days, so I'm very used to it.

As we know, predictive text is very good in BB10. For me, Swype works less well with predictive text. I find it much harder to interrupt the flow of text entry to select a predicted word when using Swype. On my Q10 I use predictive text constantly, and between that and my Word Subs, I fly along.

I think a lot of people believe that because most people moved away from BlackBerry and the PKB, there's little remaining interest in PKBs. I'm not so sure. I think people moved away for other reasons. If the Passport meets their needs in other respects (a big if), I wouldn't be surprised to see a good number of those people happy to use a PKB again. The really interesting question, to me, is how people who never used a PKB before will react to it.

[BBUniq01]

I think the virtual keyboard is only as good as its auto correct and the size of the phone. I think you will type faster on a Z10 and iPhone sized phone vs a Note for instance. I have had my Z10 for a year and a half and it is a great keyboard. One reason being the ability to delete typos and words by swiping across the keyboard. Without that option I would be greatly frustrated. Auto correct is very good but not as accurate as a PKB.

I find that I type more accurate on the Q10 vs my Z10. But I do agree that BB10 has truly done a fantastic job with the VKB. And yes I have used both Android and IOS too.

The Passport 's PKB combo seemed to be a great step to meeting users in the middle. I am looking forward to reading about the innovative design. I prefer smaller phones but am rooting for the success of the Passport.

And finally for people suffering from the effects of strokes like my mother, she needs a PKB for texts. It would be sad if that option is not available anymore.

My Z10 - an extension of me

[Carrtman]

No and as long as the API isn't open for developers, skins aren't allowed and pkb keys can be assigned as macros/shortcuts it's an OS that simply isn't for me.

I want buttons t see recent apps, homescreen and go back.

Sent from my BlackBerry

[dirtnapper75]

For me it is about accuracy. Until they build a 100% accurate auto-correct that can predict exactly which word I meant to type, the physical keyboard will always be better for me. Even that one word in a whole paragraph that I have to go back and correct annoys the hell out of me.

[spikesolie]

This is my observation of this community. Most on Crackberry had no/little experience with virtual keyboards when bashing them before BB10. It was mostly just fans being fans.

Then when the Z10 hit, a lot of the Blackberry fans jumped to an all touch device and thus became more accustomed to virtual keyboards. Most admitted they were great and it was easier to admit since the virtual keyboard was now a Blackberry offering. Many resigned never to go back to physical keyboards.

There are still some individuals on here that actually prefer physical keyboards even after giving both a serious try; but, I would describe them as a minority amongst even Blackberry fans. It has been proven that virtual keyboards are more efficient (faster AND accurate) than the physical keyboards on smartphones for a long time.

That's an ignorant assumption.. why? Most people had coworkers, family, friends and even products from other companies that utilizes virtual keyboard .

Also when has it been PROVEN that virtual keyboard is faster and more efficient? When exactly? And more efficient for what? No look typing?


This coming from a guy who never had a physical keyboard (qwerty). I jumped from the T9 sets to virtual

From my mobile arsenal..zee z10