[Tariq Nasir]

Real Keyboards for the iPhone - WSJ.com

Quote from the article:

"The best phone with a real keyboard is a BlackBerry Q10. Even longtime BlackBerry fans understand it isn't a good choice. The company's future is uncertain and worse, the phones offer subpar software and far fewer apps than the competition."

BlackBerry has a lot of work to do if they're going to become cool again. I hope they have a court order injunction to halt all typo sales and sue Typo for the highest amount in Damages that they can get.

BlackBerry is on the right track to profitability and must fight the notion that the software is "sub par ". In my opinion, it is far superior than Android or iPhone.

Posted via CB10

[Nharzhool]

haha...that's why I don't read that publication.

While you can't argue about fewer apps...the rest: blegh.

[Bfalcon1]

BS article...

Posted via CB10

[Cesare21]

By
Joanna Stern

It's tough to admit, but I am still a BlackBerry addict. I have an undying love for keyboards with real keys.

You will get used to typing on a touch screen, people have told me since 2007. You will get used to living without the perfectly shaped physical keys and their melodious clicks. You will get used to auto-correct.

Only I haven't, and phones with physical keys have become an endangered species.

The best phone with a real keyboard is a BlackBerry Q10. Even longtime BlackBerry fans understand it isn't a good choice. The company's future is uncertain and worse, the phones offer subpar software and far fewer apps than the competition.

But just when I thought I'd never type on small plastic keys again, hope arrived. Two new keyboard cases for the iPhone—the $100 Typo Keyboard Case and the $60 Solomatrix Spike—promise to place genuine QWERTY keyboards beneath my fingertips. The trouble is, they can only do it by hampering the core iPhone experience.

Typo has an interesting back story. According to the company, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest was sick of lugging around an iPhone and a BlackBerry (see, celebrities are just like us), so he and his business partner Laurence Hallier decided to bring BlackBerry's keyboard to the iPhone. The keyboard looks so much like the classic design, in fact, BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit against Typo's maker, Typo Products LLC, alleging it infringed against BlackBerry patents. The company says preorders have sold out and new orders will ship in February. A BlackBerry representative said the suit has been filed in California and is still pending.

Unlike bulky Bluetooth keyboards, the 1.4-ounce Typo fits snugly around the iPhone 5 or 5S like a regular slip-on case, adding about a half an inch to the phone's overall length. It felt foreign at first, but within minutes my thumbs were at home on the four-row keyboard. I've even got stats to back that up: In repeated typing tests on my iPhone's software keyboard, I averaged 37 words a minute; with Typo, I averaged 57. Not all people I gave the keyboard to could type fast or even liked using it—but tried-and-true BlackBerry users were off to the races almost instantly. There's even a backlight button to illuminate the keys.

That's the good news. The bad news is Typo covers up the iPhone's home button and remaps it to a button on the bottom right of the keyboard. It takes some getting used to and if you have a 5S, you lose the convenience of the fingerprint scanner.

I had other issues with Typo. The Bluetooth connection disables the iPhone's auto-correct feature so you better be more accurate because you have to manually correct any typos. The keyboard itself is overly plastic-y. I like the clicking of keys more than most, but these made so much noise, I couldn't inconspicuously type during a meeting. The case makes the phone top heavy. And you have to charge the case via Micro-USB once a week. If only it was powered by the phone itself, or better yet, doubled as a portable battery pack, like Mophie's cases.

The Spike keyboard manages to avoid those Bluetooth shortcomings but it has its own issues.

Instead of establishing a wireless connection, the keyboard is placed over the iPhone's pop-up software keyboard. The keys make direct contact with the screen when you press them. When you aren't using the keyboard, you can swing it around and stow it in the rear of the case. It's a clever design trick, but also a clumsy one. I've spent more time flipping the keyboard out of the way than I've saved on my typing speed.

And since the rigid keys must line up with the on-screen keys, they are narrower than the Typo's and they don't always register keystrokes. Auto-correct works and it does help, but at 25 words a minute, I'm slower on the Spike than I am even on Apple's software keyboard.

Neither the Spike nor the Typo are available for Android phones. However, unlike iOS, Android lets users download keyboard apps aimed at making touch-screen typing easier. On the Swype app, you draw a line from one letter to another and the software intelligently predicts the word. Though Swype is popular and even comes preloaded on Samsung's Galaxy S4, I never had much luck with it—32 measly words a minute. I had a bit better luck with the SwiftKey app, which predicts the next word you might type based on your typing history. I averaged 40 words a minute on the Moto X's 4.7-inch screen.

It's clear no software keyboard can give me the speed and confidence I get from one I can really feel. The perfect transplanted BlackBerry keyboard may still arrive, but the Typo is the best one I have found so far. Ultimately, those of us with a love for hardware keyboards seem to be running out of time, especially if we want to maximize the benefits of modern-day smartphones.

—Check out Joanna's video review of these two cases at WSJ.com/Tech. Contact her at [email protected] and on Twitter at @joannastern.

Let's avoid more clicks to this article.

[birdman_38]

Quote from the article:

"The best phone with a real keyboard is a BlackBerry Q10. Even longtime BlackBerry fans understand it isn't a good choice. The company's future is uncertain and worse, the phones offer subpar software and far fewer apps than the competition."

BlackBerry has a lot of work to do if they're going to become cool again.

All true statements. Not sure what the issue is here.

[Kingdmen]

Let's avoid more clicks to this article.

Thank you.

Posted via CB10

[SubCamp]

Yawn..

Posted via CB10

[igor10000]

All true statements. Not sure what the issue is here.

Don't see how is the software subpar. The OS is 1 year old. Imagine iOS or Android after they were out for 1 year.

Posted via CB10

[--TommesJay--]

All true statements. Not sure what the issue is here.

Statements? All I read there is

"Even longtime BlackBerry fans understand it isn't...well...it has no apps. You miss out on all those cool apps! No apps no apps no apps! Like Instagram! And Vine! And....you know...a Starbucks app! And all thi- sorry, all those apps. Damn. If BlackBerry wants to survive there'll better come a magician down to earth that makes third party developers code fancy apps for it. Now that'd be cool."

....so, I'm fine.

Posted via CB10

[Tariq Nasir]

Don't see how is the software subpar. The OS is 1 year old. Imagine iOS or Android after they were out for 1 year.

Posted via CB10

I would go as far as saying it is the best OS in the market period.

Posted via CB10

[WorkStation 0]

Don't see how is the software subpar. The OS is 1 year old. Imagine iOS or Android after they were out for 1 year.

Posted via CB10

BlackBerry has been around much longer than Android or IOS. Poor software ecosystem is real. BlackBerry has no excuse.

People who say applications don't matter must not use their phone for much. I monitor my security camera on my phone. Multiple third party applications to do so. I bank with USAA and GFCU, Android apps for both. Many more examples, point though is that software matters. Who buys a computer and installs no third party applications? Enterprise surely doesn't.

[jegs2]

Have to admit: One of the main reasons I'd avoided the iPhone was because of its pure slab form. If I could type on it like my 9930, I might be tempted to get one.

Still, I've become used to such things as speed-dial from the home screen, and not even the Q-10 can do that - much less an iPhone with Typo.

[Kingdmen]

I would go as far as saying it is the best OS in the market period.

Posted via CB10

The OS lags a lot. Especially text messaging and browser. It takes me 40 seconds to open a text message. Never seen or heard of such a thing from iPhone or Android. And I just did a factory reset. Did nothing for the lag.

They have so much work to do on this OS it's ridiculous. Forget 10.2.1, I want 11. I'm stuck with 2 more years on the contract. Fix this nonsense up.

Still though. I hate the wsj

Posted via CB10

[MartyRC]

The problem in these articles is that they seem to be more about BlackBerry becoming "cool" and not focusing on functionality. Yeah, they talk about the OS(not much), but never about who it is good for.
Personally, I want a functional phone, not a "cool" phone.

Posted via CB10

[ColdStoneGuards]

Legit question about the Typo; how does it affect the battery life of the phone?

Posted via CB10

[ezrunner]

BlackBerry has been around much longer than Android or IOS. Poor software ecosystem is real. BlackBerry has no excuse.

People who say applications don't matter must not use their phone for much. I monitor my security camera on my phone. Multiple third party applications to do so. I bank with USAA and GFCU, Android apps for both. Many more examples, point though is that software matters. Who buys a computer and installs no third party applications? Enterprise surely doesn't.

I have USAA and GFCU apps on my Z10

Posted via CB10

[dc9super80]

Don't see how is the software subpar. The OS is 1 year old. Imagine iOS or Android after they were out for 1 year.

Posted via CB10

So, it is "young" and it is subpar. The age might the an excuse for it being subpar but that doesn�t help blackberry as most customers aren�t interested in the excuses. When Android and iOS were young there were few viable alternatives, at least in terms of modern smartphone software. The smartphone market now is quite mature, the situation has indeed changed.

[BBSpring]

@Kingdmen: I am not responding to challenge you, but I read the post you submitted and had to ask. Do you check up on the other OS's and the problems they have? I ask because I think it's easy to be insular and think that only BB has OS problems. IOS7 is on 4 of their NEW OS updates, many many things were not working "perfectly" upon release and there are still :fixes pending!

BB is the only OS that is offering access to 3rd party applications, therefore creating a very unique value to a holder of these devices. I don't think is fully developed right now, but it sure is coming along well. When Apple wanted to sell more PC's they added the Intel chip and allowed the computer to boot up with the Windows OS and gain access to Windows applications that developers were not building for the MAC OS, sound familiar? I think that worked out well for them. My point is, there might be issues with elements of this OS, but it is value packed and getting better. Show me an OS that does not have issues ,new or old because I am fairly certain, it does not exist.

[SunshineStateFlyer]

Normally I like WSJ but apparently they aren't that proficient when it comes to tech news.
Don't know why BB10 should be subpar. If you want a good OS and a nice keyboard a Q10 is the obvious choice. If you want a lot of apps that's a different discussion.

Posted via CB10

[Loc22]

BlackBerry has been around much longer than Android or IOS. Poor software ecosystem is real. BlackBerry has no excuse.

People who say applications don't matter must not use their phone for much. I monitor my security camera on my phone. Multiple third party applications to do so. I bank with USAA and GFCU, Android apps for both. Many more examples, point though is that software matters. Who buys a computer and installs no third party applications? Enterprise surely doesn't.

With the latest leaks this gap is closed. BlackBerry will have the most apps in the market when it is able to use all the Android apps.

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

I would go as far as saying it is the best OS in the market period.

Posted via CB10

LOL.... so you see that opinions vary. Some folks think it needs work, some think it needs work but it it is expected to, while others think it is the best.

What BBRY desperately needs is that last group to expand very quickly.

[Wiki Cydia]

Don't see how is the software subpar. The OS is 1 year old. Imagine iOS or Android after they were out for 1 year.

Posted via CB10

If BBRY wanted to compete with iOS at one year they should have released BB10 in 2008. If they wanted to compete with Android at one year they should have released BB10 in 2009. Unfortunately, when consumers compare products, they compare what's available now. They do compare based on version number.

[sixpacker]

If BBRY wanted to compete with iOS at one year they should have released BB10 in 2008. If they wanted to compete with Android at one year they should have released BB10 in 2009. Unfortunately, when consumers compare products, they compare what's available now. They do compare based on version number.

Exactly.

In fact to some extent it's an advantage to be later as you can learn from mistakes made my others.

People spending hard earned cash don't give a monkeys about the age of the os.

[Tre Lawrence]

People spending hard earned cash don't give a monkeys about the age of the os.

Agreed.

To be fair, I've never seen BBRY use this excuse itself; it's usually fans that come with the "1.0" argument.

[Antoniius]

I happen to think the hub and swipe features are amazing. Trying to use android or iOS after getting used to them is impossible. I found myself trying to swipe and check the hub constantly. So I switched back to q10 and love it.

Posted via CB10