[whodathunkit]

I have a Tour and really like it but the new iPhones and Droids appear to be taking over the market and none have a BB like keyboard. Even the new BB coming out is missing a keyboard. Some people like typing on a flat screen - I don't and find it extremely frustrating to type lengthy emails. BB has the best typing experience around on a keyboard but it appears the future is flat screen.

Other than the Bold touch - about a year old - there is nothing on the horizon that incorporates BB's keyboard. Too bad. I for one will find it extremely difficult to switch to a flat screen surface.

Hey BB - come out with an iPhone like device with your patented qwerty keyboard!

Any hope for that or do you make the change to flat screen now?

[Mr.Monty]

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has stated that there WILL be a BB10 physical keyboard device in the future. There is a blog on Crackberry's homepage about why it is a good idea to first release a full touchscreen device.

If you are content with using BlackBerry devices, you could look into a lightly used Bold 9930 and run it until you find something else you may like more, or until the BB10 keyboard phone is released. You should be able to find one fairly cheap, I think one just sold on the market place here in good shape for $175.

Good luck finding what you're looking for

[whodathunkit]

I looked at an iPhone and Galaxy Nexus and although the screens look very nice, I need that tactile feel of a BB keyboard.

Not sure I understand why RIM wants to go head to head with iPhones and Droids. I doubt BB 10 has anything substantial that would make it a better product and it seems as though they are playing catch up and trying to market a device that may be as good at best.

Would like to have seen a physical keyboard device as the new release but they have there reasons.

Anyone have an idea how long it will take for BB to release a physical keyboard as part of its BB 10 line?

[Artemis68]

There just doesn't seem to be as high of a demand for physical keyboards. The touchscreens have gotten better and better over time and we've seen more people adopt them. I think that there will always be some demand for physical keyboards so you'll see a couple models for a while.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Michelle Haag]

Read this post, please: http://crackberry.com/why-it-wouldnt...sical-keyboard
Most of your questions are already answered.

[whodathunkit]

I still think BB is making a mistake by trying to go head to head with iPhone and droids. BB is known for it's easy to type keyboard. Trying to sell that it has a better flat screen typing system than iPhone or droids is going to be tough. Why not go after the market that like the physical keyboards? If the answer is that apps are not being made for keyboard smartphones then we lovers of the physical keyboard have to realize it's a dying love. No apps means no one is going to use it and everyone will be on flat screens soon. Very sad Then again, if that were the case, why did BB CEO say keyboards will be in the BB 10's lineup?

[Mr.Monty]

I still think BB is making a mistake by trying to go head to head with iPhone and droids. BB is known for it's easy to type keyboard. Trying to sell that it has a better flat screen typing system than iPhone or droids is going to be tough. Why not go after the market that like the physical keyboards? If the answer is that apps are not being made for keyboard smartphones then we lovers of the physical keyboard have to realize it's a dying love. No apps means no one is going to use it and everyone will be on flat screens soon. Very sad Then again, if that were the case, why did BB CEO say keyboards will be in the BB 10's lineup?

BlackBerry already HAS those customers. There is no [close] competition to BlackBerry's physical keyboards, even though some still try -- Motorola Pro, Droid, and XPRT come to mind. RIM is trying to expand it's market to include those dedicated full touchscreen customers.

Die hard physical keyboard users still have new OS 7 devices available through carriers, such as the Bold 9900 and Torch 9810 among others. Those that have been following BB World and OS10 in general know that an OS10 physical device IS in the works.

As far as apps on BB10 physical keyboard devices: (from Kevin's post, note highlighted)

3. Apps, Apps, Apps - a front facing physical keyboard would fragment resolutions for developers

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device has the same HD aspect ratio as the BlackBerry PlayBook. There's a reason for this. It makes it easy for developers to turn their existing PlayBook apps into apps for a full touchscreen BlackBerry 10 phone.

We're not quite sure how RIM is going to handle resolution when it comes to a BlackBerry 10 phone with a front facing physical keyboard (the same sort of form factor as a Bold 9900). RIM could do a slider that shared the same resolution as the Dev Alpha, but when it comes to putting a keyboard on the front of the device, the display aspect ratio would change. You'd likely get more of a 1:1 aspect ratio (with no need for the trackpad and navigation buttons, we'd expect the display to be 20 - 30% taller than on a device like the Bold 9900).

In order to support a BB10 phone with a keyboard on the front, RIM would either have to introduce some fragmentation and force developers to support another resolution, or perhaps run apps like games in a frame on the display - leave games in HD format but put black bars on the top and bottom. Either way, right now RIM needs to simply hustle on getting apps onto BlackBerry 10 for the launch of the first phone. Going with the same resolution as the PlayBook just makes sense. To launch the first BlackBerry 10 phone with a physical keyboard on the front would just make things messy, and RIM doesn't need any messiness when BB10 hits the market.

This is for the developers. This gives them time to develop apps for the devices that are already in circulation and a smooth integration to the first consumer released BB10 devices.

[whodathunkit]

Mr. Monty raises some good points but I would argue getting new customers is important but keeping existing customers happy with new products so they don't jump ship is just as important, if not more so. My Tour is 3 years old and although it works perfectly I wouldn't mind a new model with new features. The swagger of what the iPhone and droids offer is tempting and without something out there to keep people happy, it's tempting for people to make the switch. Yes, BB can hint in dangle the carrot of a new keyboard phone in the works but the reality is RIM only has so much cash which they are burning through daily and if they don't have a hit, they won't be around to complete what is allegedly in the works.

[Laura Knotek]

The thing is, RIM needs to win back folks like me who switched. I would never want a device with a physical keypad again. A touch screen BB10 device might bring me back.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

[whodathunkit]

The thing is, RIM needs to win back folks like me who switched. I would never want a device with a physical keypad again. A touch screen BB10 device might bring me back.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

It's amazing to me to hear people like you who like touch screen over a physical keypad. I tried my friends iPhone and another friends droid - hated them both. I couldn't type a sentence without issues. I couldn't imagine typing a lengthy email on a touch screen. Now, I whip them out like nothing on my tour error free. I know everything takes time to get used to but I don't think I could make the change. No matter how good, a touch screen won't ever be as good for typing longer emails as a physical device IMHO.

[houshinto#IM]

At the moment there is more then enough space in the smartphone market for both physical keyboard devices and full touchscreen.

RIM knows that, but they want to make up for the lost ground in the touchscreen race. So although you have to wait longer for the physical keyboard BB10 device, it is assured that it will come next.

[kbz1960]

To each their own. Some prefer a physical and some virtual. Even though I'm not hot for sliders at least they can get the screen size people want.

[dave1701]

I will always prefer a physical keyboard. Although I don't foresee upgrading from my tour in a while

[mike in nc]

I think RIM should have pushed the 9810 more, had it on Verizion. I think it is the best of both worlds, I have thought of switching to at&t just so I could get one.

[Thunderbuck]

I looked at an iPhone and Galaxy Nexus and although the screens look very nice, I need that tactile feel of a BB keyboard.

Not sure I understand why RIM wants to go head to head with iPhones and Droids. I doubt BB 10 has anything substantial that would make it a better product and it seems as though they are playing catch up and trying to market a device that may be as good at best.

Would like to have seen a physical keyboard device as the new release but they have there reasons.

Anyone have an idea how long it will take for BB to release a physical keyboard as part of its BB 10 line?

There was an internal roadmap slide deck that suggested the BB10 Bold replacement was launching calendar Q1 next year. It IS coming.

As for the whole full-touch vs. keyboard argument and which should have come first...

First, RIM still makes a whole array of excellent keyboard phones, and will continue to produce OS7 keyboard phones for likely a couple of years to come (the Celestica wind-down notwithstanding). Many corporate/institutional customers will not be adopting BB10 immediately, and it makes sense that these customers have ongoing requirements and it makes sense for RIM to keep serving them.

Second, the overwhelming majority of smartphone customers want full-touch. Period. If RIM decides to put off this market in favor of what's become a small niche of keyboard-phone customers, they run the risk of turning off developers and carriers. As well, the touch keyboard that RIM has demonstrated in BB10 may just win over some users. It's gotten rave reviews.

[Vurhan]

A solidly engineered slider would've solved all problems.
Get Porsche Design to engineer the mechanisms or something.

I know its not impossible. They used magnesium alloy on the Storm.

[ajst222]

Well I had the Tour, and now I have the Droid Razr and I miss my BlackBerry. I may switch back and sell the Razr. The touchscreen keyboard isn't that bad and they have never bothered me. There will be a BB10 phone with a QWERTY keyboard though