I have a BlackBerry Classic and I am loving it. The physical keyboard is really comfortable and for daily usage its perfect. When I am stucked in train or while traveling I can even write long mails for work without my fingers getting tired. The keyboard was the main reason for getting the phone. But there are special situations every week I would wish the "sym" button on my physical keyboard wouldn't just open the symbol keyboard but rather a full touchscreen keyboard. The symbol keyboard is already implemented so it could not be a big deal to add the full keyboard.
For example when I go to bed, my girlfriend is lying next to me and I start typing a message its so loud that its bothering her. She owns a Q10 and when she starts writing a text message in bed its the same story for me. An other example is the daily "come together" meeting in our company before lunchtime. When I notice the meeting will be longer than usual and I want to write a short message to move the next appointment a few minutes to the back, its so loud using the physical keyboard that people turn around to me. I know that some people will say "why buying a smart phone with a real keyboard - and want a smort phone without one" but I hope that there are some Q10 and Classic owners who share my wish to just have the alternative!
Aside from the obvious you've already stated, depending on how exactly you implemented such a virtual keyboard, it would likely take up a minimum of 75% of the screen real estate on a Classic, Q10, or Q5. Maybe more!
That's just a recipe for an awful UX overall. It's probably just not something BB would want to implement for that reason. It would also confuse many users, not to mention frustrate the heck out of most if there's any way to accidentally invoke such a virtual keyboard.
Maybe consider your early experience and try to trade your relatively new Classic for a Leap or maybe a slightly used Z30 or Z10. The BB10 virtual keyboard is terrific. I was a devoted physical keyboard guy until BB10 came along!
I understand that some people will be frightened that the UX will be horrible. But the interface isn't that worse now when you are using the symbol-keyboard so there wouldn't be a difference with the full virtual keyboard in the same size. Of course it would be confusing to start the virtual keyboard by accident but I can't see the difference (just for example) to people which turn of their wlan and start wondering why the internet is gone....It shouldn't be there by regular but the option to activate a "silent keyboard" wouldn't be a major job for an software update. This feature wouldn't hurt anybody but could help a lot of users! And at least there must be some people with the same request like me - otherwise there wouldn't be a third party software like "silent keyboard" which is only offering me an touch-keyboard with the simple function to type a text and copy it for pasting it later at the right place...
Any idea where I can post this kindly request at a blackberry support page and maybe a really pleasant developer is helping me out? BB10 OS isn't open source so there is no way to change it by myself!
Silent keys is a brilliant substitute, but it's also an acknowledgement to why a soft keyboard on the passport is a must!
Other languages!!! Other languages!!! Other languages!!!!
I speak and write multiple languages, I travel a lot for work, I want the passport, it needs to allow me to use other languages directly from within the app!
Silent keys is a gift from heaven! But a deeply integrated soft keyboard is a requirement!
You think that's bad? Try sitting in school and text on the keyboard in a super quite room. It's practically impossible to not make a noise... I have to go slow mo on the keyboard. I do agree with the others though, just download the app they stated and that should fix your issues.
You should be studying and paying attention in class instead of texting.
Funny some of the complaints people have about their devices. Getting a physical keyboard...learn to live with the clicks.
Posted via CB10 on the President Underwood version of the BlackBerry Classic
I like the click noises but they get annoying sometimes. I do pay attention in school (A's and B's) plus when we get done with our work, we can be on our phones depending on which teacher you get.