[Just Me]

After several uninterrupted months with my Z10 I went back to a 9900 and struggled with my beloved keyboard. While typing is much more pleasant with a physical keyboard, the gesture based ancillary actions such as double thumb delete and down swipe for number are just plain natural now. I have not used the Q10 yet but I would imagine it is still similar to the experience with 9900. How amazing would it be if each key had a capacitive surface allowing for gestures to be used in conjunction with the physical keyboard? (Swipe from right to left to delete a whole word. Swipe down to use the symbols and numbers. Swipe up on a individual key to select the predicted word.)

[Alex_Hong]

Or how about if each individual key is translucent, and underneath the entire keyboard, is a touch-capable LED display. This way, we can even do flicking up words on top of swiping down to gestures and swiping left to delete words.

Another advantage would be that there wouldn't be a need to manufacture different keyboards for different countries or keyboard format. The OS will take control on what to display for each key. When you're trying to input numbers, the OS dims all other keys and just show numbers. Perhaps they can even open up the api to allow apps to change alphabets into shortcuts, like the letter "T" could become an icon to "go to top", "B" becomes an icon for "go to bottom". Or when playing a game that using physical keyboard for controls, they can "A,W,S,D" to "Up,Down,Left,Right" arrows, and dim the rest of the buttons. Lots of potential.

[mithrazor]

That's cool and all. But I'm not sure if minimizing screen real estate for capacitive physical keyboard is a good idea in reality.

Might as well get a full touch screen in that case.

[jimmyjyc]

Or how about if each individual key is translucent, and underneath the entire keyboard, is a touch-capable LED display. This way, we can even do flicking up words on top of swiping down to gestures and swiping left to delete words.

Another advantage would be that there wouldn't be a need to manufacture different keyboards for different countries or keyboard format. The OS will take control on what to display for each key. When you're trying to input numbers, the OS dims all other keys and just show numbers. Perhaps they can even open up the api to allow apps to change alphabets into shortcuts, like the letter "T" could become an icon to "go to top", "B" becomes an icon for "go to bottom". Or when playing a game that using physical keyboard for controls, they can "A,W,S,D" to "Up,Down,Left,Right" arrows, and dim the rest of the buttons. Lots of potential.

How amazing would it be if each key had a capacitive surface allowing for gestures to be used in conjunction with the physical keyboard? (Swipe from right to left to delete a whole word. Swipe down to use the symbols and numbers. Swipe up on a individual key to select the predicted word.)

Then your BlackBerry would probably be twice as thick as it is now. You'd need a touchscreen under that keyboard, which would displace the battery. Not to mention, exactly what kind of material are they supposed to use to make the keyboards? I like the matte plastic of my Q10, my fingers can slide right across it. Glass has a higher coefficient of static friction as well as kinetic, and your finger would drag instead of slide. This is just fantasizing, the actual execution would suck massive dicks. There would be at least one huge drawback, and for what? A couple of extra gimmicks?

Also the keys would have to be flat, so that they wouldn't refract the light from the screen underneath. You know how when you look down into a pool from out of it, things look weird and differently sized? Yeah, that would happen. I don't know about you, but part of the reason I think the physical keyboard is great is because of the bumps and stuff so I can feel my way around, and it's comfortable as ****.

So you'd end up with a flat, glass keyboard with a screen underneath. Sounds pretty familiar, right? Except this screen keyboard is divided up into little sections which you can press. Now why the **** wouldn't you just pick up the Z10 and get that extra screen space, I mean, you did just take away 90% of what makes the physical keyboard great.

Sorry for being a party pooper, but this idea has been brought up many times and is just completely ridiculous anyways.