Are Physical Keyboards a Dying Breed?
- i think shortcuts will be the limiting factors for full touchscreen devices. there may be shortcuts implemented via long presses, gestures, and what not. But still using a physical keyboard will still be more efficient.
Then again, its back to compromises again. Whether users will be willing to give up doing certain things a little faster in exchange for a bigger screen.
Personally, i don't think it's worth it. Probably because i'm not into watching videos or playing games on my phone, even when i was on an iphone as i found the experience to be a little limiting. Thus, i am willing to give up a big screen in exchange for efficiency on a smartphone. If i wanted a consumption device for watching videos, playing games and reading magazines, i would rather have a tablet. It offers a much better experience even compared to full touch screen phones.Morty2264 likes this.02-07-12 10:35 AMLike 1 - Sales numbers, and thus the market, do not agree, and I remember a time when the same resistance describe above was offered against the mouse.02-07-12 10:41 AMLike 0
- I do think eventually they will be fazed out, but not for quite a while.
Right now, BB makes its business mainly on its physical keyboard products. They don't have much incentive to leave it behind and yes I know we have only seen the London leaked so far but I highly doubt it will be the only BB10 phone launched.02-07-12 10:54 AMLike 0 -
- It's all about choice and personal preference. Nothing more. It doesn't matter if person "A" can type faster on a touch screen or if person "B" is better with a keyboard.
What matters is that the choice is available. If you want a touch screen only, you can choose from BB, Apple, WP, Android, etc.
If you want a keyboard, you are down to BB, Android, and WP.
If you want a horizontal keyboard you leave BB out. But if you want a vertical keyboard BB and Android is your only choice.
I know I've stated the obvious. My point is, if there is a market, someone will make and sell it.
There is no doubt that there is a market for keyboard devices. Therefore, they won't be going away until the market for them does.kraski likes this.02-07-12 11:51 AMLike 1 - I agree with you, 100%. Physical keyboards are wonderful to use. My first qwerty keyboard was a Nokia C3. I loved that phone. The keyboard was so easy to use; and it helped me prepare for my BlackBerry's keyboard later. I too think there's something gratifying about physically pressing buttons; and you know what you're typing, too (your thumb won't slip and touch another letter by accident).
I'm not saying that I'm 100% against touch-screen phones. They're cool; and I often admire the Android or the HTC phones my friends have. However, I enjoy a keyboard. I edit every text, message, and post I send; so I'm always using the trackpad to go back and edit. I also love the text shorcuts and am constantly updating my dictionary and shortcut lists. The keyboard makes it easy for me to do that.
I'm sure people with touch-screen phones would also say that messaging is efficient with their platform; and I'm sure it is. However, I just prefer keyboard phones. I like knowing what I'm doing; and I feel like a touch-screen phone would unnerve me. My editing would be in overdrive!02-07-12 02:24 PMLike 0 -
- It's all about choice and personal preference. Nothing more. It doesn't matter if person "A" can type faster on a touch screen or if person "B" is better with a keyboard.
What matters is that the choice is available. If you want a touch screen only, you can choose from BB, Apple, WP, Android, etc.
If you want a keyboard, you are down to BB, Android, and WP.
If you want a horizontal keyboard you leave BB out. But if you want a vertical keyboard BB and Android is your only choice.
I know I've stated the obvious. My point is, if there is a market, someone will make and sell it.
There is no doubt that there is a market for keyboard devices. Therefore, they won't be going away until the market for them does.02-07-12 02:52 PMLike 0 -
What is the point in having an iphone wishing it was a blackberry. I don't wish for my blackberry to be an android.02-07-12 02:56 PMLike 0 - Nope, no, no way, nuh-uh, nyet, not so much, absolutely not, h*ll no, etc.
There are few things in life in which there aren't more than one option for doing what you want/need (ie car vs truck, shoes vs boots, wired vs wireless etc.) You could compare just about anything. Everything has it's place, has it merits and shortcomings compared to the other, maybe it's need, preference or both, but no sir. What's better in one person's world is garbage in another's. It's all about what is best for the individual. Period.
So says I...yohohoLast edited by BitPusher2600; 02-08-12 at 04:35 AM.
02-08-12 04:32 AMLike 0 - Yes, physical keyboards are going the way of the dinosaur. There is simply no need for them. Virtual keyboards have faster and more accurate typing. On an android or iphone, type 2 or 3 letters of a word an many word options come up. Select the right word and move on to the next word.
I think the market has spoken. As evidenced by the rapidly increasing market share of android and ios and the falling market share of RIM, keyboards are a thing of the past.
The keyboard on my 9810 feels great but it is slow compared to virtual.
If people cared about keyboards, RIM would be doing great right now.02-08-12 05:11 AMLike 0 - Some people like keyboards while some prefer touch screens. Touch screens are more popular.
Which ever one a person prefers they claim it to be superior.
Have I covered everything? Just want to make sure I'm caught up.02-08-12 05:56 AMLike 0 - Yes, physical keyboards are going the way of the dinosaur. There is simply no need for them. Virtual keyboards have faster and more accurate typing. On an android or iphone, type 2 or 3 letters of a word an many word options come up. Select the right word and move on to the next word.
I think the market has spoken. As evidenced by the rapidly increasing market share of android and ios and the falling market share of RIM, keyboards are a thing of the past.
The keyboard on my 9810 feels great but it is slow compared to virtual.
If people cared about keyboards, RIM would be doing great right now.
You do realize a qwerty blackberry has this option too lol02-08-12 06:09 AMLike 0 - To OP, do you know the population in China and India? Well, the Blackberry is getting popular on those countries. If you get used to a physical keyboard at early stage like I am, it will be hard for you to go back to touch screen. This is why even Samsung is considering making special editions for Asia.
When I was in South Asia I saw a lot of young people (under 18 or so) with their parents using Blackberries. (yep, there are rich people in South Asia). I am sure most of those kids will hate touch screens for sure.02-08-12 07:40 AMLike 0 -
Sent from my BlackBerry 9850 using Tapatalk02-08-12 07:54 AMLike 0 - Yes, physical keyboards are going the way of the dinosaur. There is simply no need for them. Virtual keyboards have faster and more accurate typing. On an android or iphone, type 2 or 3 letters of a word an many word options come up. Select the right word and move on to the next word.
I think the market has spoken. As evidenced by the rapidly increasing market share of android and ios and the falling market share of RIM, keyboards are a thing of the past.
The keyboard on my 9810 feels great but it is slow compared to virtual.
If people cared about keyboards, RIM would be doing great right now.
Sorry good idea though. So its faster to search for a word than type it? I dont think so. Not for me anyway. I would be totally confused. Its the reason I came to blackberry to begin with. To get away from T9. You suggest to go back. No way in..... Not in this life time.02-08-12 09:51 AMLike 0 -
- So you think people are going to androids and ios to get away from keyboards. I would think that you might be on to something but some android devices has keyboards....
Sorry good idea though. So its faster to search for a word than type it? I dont think so. Not for me anyway. I would be totally confused. Its the reason I came to blackberry to begin with. To get away from T9. You suggest to go back. No way in..... Not in this life time.02-08-12 08:28 PMLike 0 -
- Hi Echo. My point is that pushing keys to type a message is the same as Fred Flintstone using his feet to propel his car. It was acceptable when it was the only way but not now.
When the automobile replaced the horse and buggy, zealots were outraged that anyone would want to spend so much on a car when a horse was so much cheaper.
Anyway, I digress. My point about the voice dictation which works amazingly well on android and iOS, is it is an option for users who are not comfortable using a virtual keyboard.
I like the voice typing option/dictation and hope that this feature is soon available on a blackberry as a core feature instead of as a 3rd party application. I guess if you have a QWERTY keyboard why do you need voice typing.Last edited by E92Vancouver; 02-09-12 at 12:12 AM.
02-08-12 11:51 PMLike 0
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Are Physical Keyboards a Dying Breed?
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