[knownastron]

I'm going to wade into the debate and say this design isn't intended to make traditional BlackBerry keyboard fans happy.

The capacitive keyboard is a whole new "thing". It will be used very differently from the traditional kb in in concept I'd say it's actually a lot closer to the (excellent) virtual keyboard on the all-touch BB10s.

This is a great point and I commend you for going against the grain and posting this.

I'll admit I wish they just used a 4-row and added touch sensitivity because I'd like a no compromise typing experience because I'm a BB guy.

But the target audience for this phone is someone who already has a touchscreen phone and is used to typing on a piece of glass. So from their perspective, it would be an beneficial addition of the physical keyboard instead of a compromise on the classic keyboard all us BB fans are used to and love.

This makes logical sense, but then I think adding touch sensitivity to the 4-row KB is still better.

[wnyjackson]

Doesn't compute.
If that is the case, they could leave the last row outside of the area... or making a rectangular keyboard with 4 rows.

Yes I thought of that. Making the 4th row not touch sensitive but i feel that would not have been received well. BlackBerry would have been panned for not making the keyboard completely touch sensitive. Also making an entire row not touch sensitive seems like a cheap cop out. Either go all the way or don't do it at all.

This is keyboard paradigm shift they are introducing so BlackBerry most likely expected to get some pushback from users for changing their bread and butter keyboard so radically. BlackBerry is attempting to make the keyboard more useful than just individual keys each with a narrowly defined purpose. They are transforming the keyboard into a multi-use interface for each user to be able to employ the keyboard real estate in ways that were heretofore unheard of. I applaud them for innovating the physical keyboard and refreshing it into something that now seems modern and hi-tech. I'm going to keep an open mind and give BlackBerry the benefit of the doubt because when it comes to the typing experience BlackBerry hasn't let me down yet.

Posted via CB10

[anon(8263181)]

Here we go again tool belt issue all over again this time it involves different keys -_- like really!!!

Posted via CB10

[conite]

You have to hope the good people at BlackBerry have spent a long time testing and honing this new format. They haven't let us down yet where keyboards are concerned.

I agree we need to look at this as a 3rd branch in keyboard philosophy. It's not all touch. It's not physical keyboard. It's something else.

I suppose the proof will be in the pudding, and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Z30STA100-5/10.3.0.296

[anischab]

Chen "knew" that the Passport would not make the "traditional" users happy, so he came up with the "Classic"... He even announced it because the Passport will come out earlier (?) so that the traditional users do not quit the brand permanently... He "knew" that the passport won't be "the" BlackBerry every one wants.

If the Q lacked the trackpad (it never did for me) or the passport does not fit, go for the classic. That's the good side of BB! They always offered an alternative... Z10/Q10 for example.

The Passport has a long way to emprove... it's a baby... We must help it in growing up!!

BlackBerry*Q10, T-Mobile Germany - SQN100-3, Running OS 10.2.1.2941

[stevepar]

We would all do better to wait a little bit more and ***** and speculate less :-)

Posted via CB10

[matt4pack]

Probably because adding the alt inputs would add to much complexity to the hardware with the capacitive features also included.

What would you rather have no capacitive and the 4th row? I know I wouldn't.

Posted via CB10

[II ARROWS]

That's the wrong way to put it.
Would you rather have 3 rows or 4 rows with capacitive abilities?

[KenFletch]

this is all a bit silly. There only one thing similar on the keyboard I'm typing this on, the touch one on my Z10 and my laptop. the 3 qwerty rows.

I somehow use each one everyday wothout any big brain fry or other serious trouble. The only keyboard the gets me is the massive new wave shaved microsft keybaord some of the workstations have ... it is tough to use. All the flat ones are okand easy to adapt to.

having a small sapce bar in the middle of the botton row is genious , for 2 hand typing while holding the phone they will be EASIER to reach. The space bar is no further away and you can double tap it for period-space.

They layout of a more convential PKB blackberry is less like any of the other keyboards.

Some users don;t know press and hold cysles through small-cap-symb, some don;t know double tap space gives you period space, some don't know you don;t need to the the spaces for web addresses, etc .,

a motivated user will find this phone faster than a tradtional BB PKB. and I expect most buyers wioll be motivated.

Thiose put off bythe differences and the newness ... really ... on a tech site you are put of by new and different

To thoise not paying attention ....noe of the extra keyboard elements will be up unless you are in a typing field or some sort.

they won't be there when you are web browsing or watching a movie!!!!!!!

..... curoius about the phone app though , the extra real estate should put plenty of choices up. keypad and call list/contacts tabs at same time.

saving up my nickels , and that's a lot of nickels

[Bla1ze]

I prefer to wait until I use the keyboard to debate the merits or disadvantages of it. If I like it, I'll defend the merits. If I hate it, I'll highlight the disadvantages. Until then, we're all kinda shooting blindly in the dark about it but whatever.

[Rahul1234]

The keyboard is as touch sensitive as the z30 and as physical as the q10, you can use the gestures and much more! You can just keep sliding on the keyboard to scroll, use 2 fingers to select words, rub to the left to erase etc!

The 4th row changes accordingly to the way you type and adapts to the user

Posted via CB10

[slagman5]

this is all a bit silly. There only one thing similar on the keyboard I'm typing this on, the touch one on my Z10 and my laptop. the 3 qwerty rows.

I somehow use each one everyday wothout any big brain fry or other serious trouble. The only keyboard the gets me is the massive new wave shaved microsft keybaord some of the workstations have ... it is tough to use. All the flat ones are okand easy to adapt to.

having a small sapce bar in the middle of the botton row is genious , for 2 hand typing while holding the phone they will be EASIER to reach. The space bar is no further away and you can double tap it for period-space.

They layout of a more convential PKB blackberry is less like any of the other keyboards.

Some users don;t know press and hold cysles through small-cap-symb, some don;t know double tap space gives you period space, some don't know you don;t need to the the spaces for web addresses, etc .,

a motivated user will find this phone faster than a tradtional BB PKB. and I expect most buyers wioll be motivated.

Thiose put off bythe differences and the newness ... really ... on a tech site you are put of by new and different

To thoise not paying attention ....noe of the extra keyboard elements will be up unless you are in a typing field or some sort.

they won't be there when you are web browsing or watching a movie!!!!!!!

..... curoius about the phone app though , the extra real estate should put plenty of choices up. keypad and call list/contacts tabs at same time.

saving up my nickels , and that's a lot of nickels

Yes, it really seems like you know the ins and outs of the keyboard to utilize for accurate typing alright... Was this satire?

?Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10?

[slagman5]

I prefer to wait until I use the keyboard to debate the merits or disadvantages of it. If I like it, I'll defend the merits. If I hate it, I'll highlight the disadvantages. Until then, we're all kinda shooting blindly in the dark about it but whatever.

Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I haven't made any mention of loving or hating the typing experience. I'm merely asking for any real tangible/empirical advantage of removing the printed most commonly used symbols, eliminating the shift and alt keys, and shifting half of the bottom row of the keyboard over a full key and a half from the big brother version you have at home to squeeze the spacebar in there. That's all, exactly how this design makes its use improved over an actual full keyboard with the same capacitive features added on top of it.

?Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10?

[spork141]

Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I haven't made any mention of loving or hating the typing experience. I'm merely asking for any real tangible/empirical advantage of removing the printed most commonly used symbols, eliminating the shift and alt keys, and shifting half of the bottom row of the keyboard over a full key and a half from the big brother version you have at home to squeeze the spacebar in there. That's all, exactly how this design makes its use improved over an actual full keyboard with the same capacitive features added on top of it.

?Posted without the aid of AutoCorrect with my physical keyboard via CB10?

To add my input to this, the only thing I could think of is the fact that the components in question might need clearance for the circuitry behind the device. I don't think it's as easy as saying, take a few millimeters here and move it to the bottom. Those components might need to be spaced to simply allow for venting or for circuitry. I'm not an expert on the subject. I'm just throwing it out there.

Also I don't think it's too early to talk about this stuff. It's a fair debate. I don't know why some people get so sensitive about fair critisism.

PS. They should have just made this thing a huge slider. THAT would have been badass!

Posted via CB10

[Ahmed Hanif]

The number area looks very hard to get use to and type on also writing a sentence every line have to go up there for a comma, or a full stop.

Mr A Hanif BlackBerry10

[anischab]

The number area looks very hard to get use to and type on also writing a sentence every line have to go up there for a comma, or a full stop.

Mr A Hanif BlackBerry10

Simple: the "5" is on the "D"-key...
But there are no little hints like on the Q10-symbol board, look here's my screenshot:

They absolutely should correct that!!!

BlackBerry*Q10, T-Mobile Germany - SQN100-3, Running OS 10.2.1.2941

[Ahmed Hanif]

What phone is that @anischab and where's the "0" is it a virtual q10, the thing is the passport is above the keyboard it's not like that and the "0" is to the top left.

Mr A Hanif BlackBerry10

[Thunderbuck]

After reading all the posts, I really feel that blackberry should read the debate & come up with an answer.Else Android, iOS & WP are already eating more & more into their marketshare. Blackberry just can't afford to repeat past mistakes. It has listen to us, or else it will go the way of Dinosaurs.

You don't think the same debate raged inside BlackBerry until they arrived at a final design? Maybe they went with what worked best, huh?

[Johnny Crack]

So, I've been wondering, I'm all for BB adding new features to the phones, especially the keyboard phones, the capacitive keyboard is actually something I've mentioned to a friend of mine YEARS ago (should have patented it dammit) but in my mind it would be a feature added ON TOP of the already great full keyboard. I don't really understand gimping it by getting rid of the printed numbers and symbols, and getting rid of the alt and shift keys. All of those features on top of an already tried-and-true full qwerty keyboard that doesn't change the arrangement (where the keys are in relation to other keys, half of the bottom row is shifted to the right a full letter and a half) to the keyboard I have at home would actually be quite awesome. Make it so pressing alt will type the printed symbols (most used) and swiping down on the keyboard will bring up the less used symbols, like pressing the sym key. So I can see getting rid of the sym key and replacing it with a dedicated period (.) key. That would be awesome. So someone please explain to me, by changing the keyboard to only 3 rows, shifting half a row of keys over so now their locations in relation to the other keys are altered, what benefit does that really give you? I know your answers, the size, the screen real-estate, yadda yadda yadda. Well, here, I've prepared this for you:
Attachment 280408
Seriously, that little difference in size can be mitigated if you just move that chin space under the keyboard up a few millimeters and it's literally the same size... So tell me, how does saving those few millimeters really help? I want to know what great benefit this new 3-row keyboard arrangement will have that the full keyboard could not accommodate???

I'm honestly asking, if you have an idea of what benefit the new arrangement will have, please share it with me. I really want to know.

I'm sure they've thought of this however nobody has held this phone in their hand except some BlackBerry employees.

On classic BlackBerry's it's really easy to hold "alt" and reach for a key on the left hand side like "*" or "#". Having said that, the phone is likely to wide to make this convenient to accomplish. Think about it...

Posted via CB10

[knownastron]

You don't think the same debate raged inside BlackBerry until they arrived at a final design? Maybe they went with what worked best, huh?

I don't know for sure, but a lot of companies make decisions based on things like internal politics and cost cutting rather than what is best for consumers. I hope that I'm wrong on this one!

[matt4pack]

Maybe you just swipe down and continue using the keyboard as a trackpad to highlight what you need and hit space bar to select it.



Posted via CB10

[BrizzadMan]

Simple: the "5" is on the "D"-key...
But there are no little hints like on the Q10-symbol board, look here's my screenshot:

They absolutely should correct that!!!

BlackBerry*Q10, T-Mobile Germany - SQN100-3, Running OS 10.2.1.2941

Good news:





Posted via CB10

[BrizzadMan]

& the dynamic contextual row:




Posted via CB10

[higherdestiny]

All I'm hearing is:

Bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, bla.

Wait until the device is out and try it for yourself before you judge / whinge / complain / demand answers from BlackBerry.

[KenFletch]

Same on the bla bla
The point is to not be the same
Fit "the same" there is "Casic" which ti some seems meh old school step back

But it is SAME, count have been called Retention.

Some will eat this up. Love the DIFFERENCE, you really think BlackBerry doesn't see 2 radically different phones.

The are for different customers. Maybe the retention phone will glop. Maybe people will say did that. No thanks, why go backwards.

Passport says BlackBerry is still moving forward. Classic says BlackBerry, yah we're still here, who was asking?

Time will tell.

Saving nickels and dimes, too slow with just nickels

HTC TOUCH, Nokia-N97, BlackBerry Torch 9800, Z10