[Affinity4BlkBrry]

.....I have noticed that a lot of people here in CrackBerry world have commented that they would like to have a future device similar to the Q10 but with a longer screen. As some have stated the top heaviness of the phone would be awkward. If you stretch the screen above the Q10 into a longer form it would become somewhat unstable because hands would be at the bottom of the device where the keyboard is, thus not providing support for the top portion. So why not invert the device? Place the keyboard at the top with the longer screen facing downward toward the body, in this position both hands can support the unbalanced weight of the phone under the screen because of the finger placement while holding the device at approx. a 45* angle. Four fingers on each side underneath providing full support while the thumbs are above tapping away on the keyboard. With the thumbs in constant contact with the keyboard their is no danger of dropping the phone, and even when you remove both thumbs from the keyboard the phone is still held steady and firmly cradled on top of all fingers and centered between the palms of each hand. The screen would also remain unblocked in this position because the thumbs are above it, and the fingers are below it. If you have a legacy device such as a Bold 9900, I invite you to try this test. Turn the phone upside down with the keyboard on top and the screen on the bottom, then pretend to type and notice the form of the finger placement and thumbs while holding the device. Even if you added another 1 inch or so to the phone, it still would remain comfortable, stable and secure in your hands. For large, med. or small hands, as an option of holding the phone, you can even rest the screen end against your body while you are typing or using the UI. Of course I would want it to be a touch screen as well as a physical keyboard. It would also be nice if they maintained the slight curve of the keyboard like the 9900 with frets (but downward) for ease of use. Its all about basic physics and functionality. Any input on this?

[dalight13]

SLIDER!!!!

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

.....maybe add a metal band all around the outside edge to dress and style it up, similar to the 9900, and put the glass weave back on it or another premium finish; running the latest BB10, I believe it would make a nice high end business class phone.

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

......a perfect blend of the Bold 9900 & the Q10, a hybrid phone. The look and feel of the 9900 with the taste of the Q10 (with a LONGER SCREEN). I also like the idea of this phone having a track-pad, for those who still need that functionality aspect, but with the option to disable it, for the people who prefer the all touch/swipe/gesture experience..........truly a phone made for both tastes!

[WorkStation 0]

Or just use touch keyboard and preserve screen space, and reduce bulk.

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

....I suppose, however I believe this type of phone would be for those who prefer the physical keyboarding experience but with a slightly more competitive sized screen.

[badiyee]

a slider. but then... hahaha.. people are saying sliders are too bulky.

[Poirots Progeny]

I too agree the slider form should return. The screen tech is getting thinner so the weight is really going to come from the keyboard. I had the (insert expletive) fortune to use the typo and, though there's not much too it, it seemed to make the iphone 5s bottom heavy.



We're not all namby pamby that we cant carry a little weight? I use fountain pens that weighs in excess of 500 grams with out any issue - the slider format would be superb!



5 inch 1080p with all the specs... I would buy that slider. I hope i'm not alone...


Sent from Tapatalk

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

.....I agree Poirots Progeny, a little bulk is a minor thing. Also, given the proposed phone I imagined in my post, it would be as slim as the Bold 9900, Q10 or even the Z10, as the there is no reason why it couldn't be. Also, maybe an added bonus of include a virtual keyboard as a built in alternative for those who wish to tap glass, with the option to switch to the physical keyboard aspect of the phone should they want to do so. Offer this phone with both variations of the keyboard. I think that this phone would be a very nice alternative non-slider device for the market, perhaps with mass appeal because of its wide range of physical/virtual keyboard and touch-screen/track pad variations.....all in one package!

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

...as I recently noted in another post, BlackBerry should add a "COOL" factor to its keyboard phones by offering different back-lit keyboard colors instead of just basic white. Each new model should offer a choice to come with either Red, Blue, or Green back-lit colors. This would be inexpensive to produce phones with this minor change, and would add more......."sex appeal" to the mix!

[Bbnivende]

.....I have noticed that a lot of people here in CrackBerry world have commented that they would like to have a future device similar to the Q10 but with a longer screen. As some have stated the top heaviness of the phone would be awkward. If you stretch the screen above the Q10 into a longer form it would become somewhat unstable because hands would be at the bottom of the device where the keyboard is, thus not providing support for the top portion. So why not invert the device? Place the keyboard at the top with the longer screen facing downward toward the body, in this position both hands can support the unbalanced weight of the phone under the screen because of the finger placement while holding the device at approx. a 45* angle. Four fingers on each side underneath providing full support while the thumbs are above tapping away on the keyboard. With the thumbs in constant contact with the keyboard their is no danger of dropping the phone, and even when you remove both thumbs from the keyboard the phone is still held steady and firmly cradled on top of all fingers and centered between the palms of each hand. The screen would also remain unblocked in this position because the thumbs are above it, and the fingers are below it. If you have a legacy device such as a Bold 9900, I invite you to try this test. Turn the phone upside down with the keyboard on top and the screen on the bottom, then pretend to type and notice the form of the finger placement and thumbs while holding the device. Even if you added another 1 inch or so to the phone, it still would remain comfortable, stable and secure in your hands. For large, med. or small hands, as an option of holding the phone, you can even rest the screen end against your body while you are typing or using the UI. Of course I would want it to be a touch screen as well as a physical keyboard. It would also be nice if they maintained the slight curve of the keyboard like the 9900 with frets (but downward) for ease of use. Its all about basic physics and functionality. Any input on this?

This is why they use computers to design phones. They can design balance .... It just doesn't happen.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[--TommesJay--]

This is the worst idea I ever heard. Weight comes from inlying components, mostly the battery. Place the battery more at the bottom of the phone and you're good to go, no need to solve it with such a weird and ugly design.

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

.....Tommesjay, perhaps you are so accustomed to seeing the keyboard on the bottom of BB phones, the idea of having it above the screen seems a bit odd to you. Sometimes change is good. If BB had been making and designing keyboard phones with the keyboard on top from the very beginning, you would be used to it. Its like in England, they have the steering wheel on the opposite side of the car and drive on the other side of the road as compared to here in the U.S. but does that make it wrong? Of course not! I think the idea of having a device like the one I described above would actually be kool and very functional, and it would set a new distinct look for BlackBerry phones. Once you see it, you know right away its a true BB. Rounded edges and curved keyboard and all! Think outside the box my friend, its all good!

[rthonpm]

The engineers on the forum would tend to disagree with everything you've said OP. I'm no engineer, but there's a lot of research in ergonomics, and the natural use of our hands and vision ranges that goes into making a device. Yes, radical changes could be made to a device's form factor, but the chances are they haven't been made because other research shows it wouldn't be feasible long term as a useful tool. Your design also loses the one handed use that the Q10 offers, and also how this entire comment has been typed. Any QWERTY device is going to require a trade off of some kind. Either you need to go the slider route or go with the smaller screen to account for the physical keyboard. There's no real way to avoid that bargain if the keyboard is to remain.

The mental image I get from the device you're describing is one of those utterly bizarre Nokia phones when they were just chugging out any possible design.

Posted via CB10

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

.....perhaps some prototypes and some-hands on consumer testing would be key. Humans for some reason are resistant to change, I find this curious. They become so fixated on what is familiar to them, and when change is offered, even for improvement purposes, they somewhat panic, this in turn leads to stagnation!

[Affinity4BlkBrry]

....it seems that BlackBerry has created the Passport, just as I envisioned/predicted on my post back Jan. 2014, long before the announcement of the Passport itself, more specifically thread post #9 Jan. 16, 2014, on my post of Form vs. Function. The mix of the keyboard functionality aspect of virtual/physical working together seamlessly. How refreshing!

[hoonigan99]

...as I recently noted in another post, BlackBerry should add a "COOL" factor to its keyboard phones by offering different back-lit keyboard colors instead of just basic white. Each new model should offer a choice to come with either Red, Blue, or Green back-lit colors. This would be inexpensive to produce phones with this minor change, and would add more......."sex appeal" to the mix!

I very much agree with this idea of a different color backlit keyboard, it seems they could probably do it with LEDS with multiple colors like the front one, this would be a very cool addition and something that would lure the feature buyers.

Unfortunately, however, I completely disagree with the concept of the keyboard at the top, as mentioned it would make one handed use very awkward or impossible, and it would be quite awkward to use, with the only added benefit realistically being that your screen is hidden from others while you type.

Go for slider, the torch was a great design, and I'll gladly take the toolbelt on the front/screen part again too. Add in the virtual KB for when it's closed and you got a winner, with new tech the screen could be less thick and still have competing specs in the rest of it, oh and don't forget the color changing keyboard. (shutupandtakemymoney!)

BB for Life