[rkennedy01]

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery:

Samsung intros trifecta of Galaxy Duos in India, new Ace included - Engadget

RCK

[kennyliu]

Sorry but QWERTY phones weren't first made by BB

[Blackberry_boffin]

I must say Samsung have wrung the Galaxy moniker more than I thought was even possible.

[rkennedy01]

Yes, but in world where even BB is going "keyboardless" on their hottest new designs (and where anything with a physical keyboard is treated as outmoded/outdated by the iFan cabal), Samsung's entry feels like a bit of a throwback. Definitely looks out of place next to the rest of their glossy, full-screen lineup.

RCK

[conix67]

Yes, but in world where even BB is going "keyboardless" on their hottest new designs (and where anything with a physical keyboard is treated as outmoded/outdated by the iFan cabal), Samsung's entry feels like a bit of a throwback. Definitely looks out of place next to the rest of their glossy, full-screen lineup.

RCK

Other manufacturers have had designs like this (looks almost like BB copycat) for a while, this is not really new.

Physical keyboard does add bulk to the design, thus the reason many high end devices try to get away without the physical keyboard. I don't really miss it all that much, the only thing missing is tactile feedback.

As a bonus, the on-screen keyboard can give you *any* type of keyboard - be it french, english, japanses, arabic, chinese, korean, spanish, and so on. Think about it, the hardware doesn't have to change to sell localized version of the device. I believe this has been a problem for RIM in reaching out to Asian markets with native language support.

Rumored BB10 devices don't seem to have physical keyboard either (or smartly hidden away).

[anthogag]

Samsung copies everyone...

[sam_b77]

Samsung copies everyone...

They have no loyalty.

[Canuck671]

i love my 9800. with the hidden qwerty. I really wish that the new large screen torch's had a slider too.

[sleepngbear]

Sorry but QWERTY phones weren't first made by BB

Did anybody say they were? The point is, what's the first brand that comes to mind when the topic of QWERTY smart phones comes up. Right now it sure as he11 isn't Palm. That sammie even has a square trackpad and four hard buttons. Tell me that resembles something else closer than a BB, and I'll ask you where you got that crack.

[app_Developer]

All of the original Android devices I saw or used 6-7 years ago had fixed Qwerty keyboards. This was what Android looked like before the iPhone, they all looked like Blackberry or Treo.

[kennyliu]

Did anybody say they were? The point is, what's the first brand that comes to mind when the topic of QWERTY smart phones comes up. Right now it sure as he11 isn't Palm. That sammie even has a square trackpad and four hard buttons. Tell me that resembles something else closer than a BB, and I'll ask you where you got that crack.

Easy boy. Go here and see how many phones have QWERTY (576 only in that database) and how many have the square trackpad and four hard buttons. You'll be amazed to see that BB is the minority there and most of the phones were made before RIM even existed.

Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com

[belfastdispatcher]

All of the original Android devices I saw or used 6-7 years ago had fixed Qwerty keyboards. This was what Android looked like before the iPhone, they all looked like Blackberry or Treo.

Huh? What are you talking about? The first Android phone, the G1 came out only 4 years ago and none until the Pro had a portrait qwerty keyboard.

Were there android phones before google bought it?

[belfastdispatcher]

Easy boy. Go here and see how many phones have QWERTY (576 only in that database) and how many have the square trackpad and four hard buttons. You'll be amazed to see that BB is the minority there and most of the phones were made before RIM even existed.

Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com

That search includes many phones that are not being made anymore and many landscape slide out keyboards, if you look at current lineup there's not that many really.

[kennyliu]

That search includes many phones that are not being made anymore and many landscape slide out keyboards, if you look at current lineup there's not that many really.

Give it a second look.

[app_Developer]

Huh? What are you talking about? The first Android phone, the G1 came out only 4 years ago and none until the Pro had a portrait qwerty keyboard.

Were there android phones before google bought it?

Yes, when Android was an independent company, they made prototypes available to other developers and they did a fair number of public demos. All the prototypes I saw either looked like Blackberrys or Treos and had fixed keyboards.

That makes sense, since that was the popular configuration back then.

Edit: sorry, I see I forgot to say prototype in my earlier post. Sorry for the confusion.

[qbnkelt]

I find it interesting that Samsung would release a Galaxy phone, which is one of their top lines, with a keyboard.
Since keyboards are so dead and all....

[belfastdispatcher]

Give it a second look.

I did, maybe you should too, many are no longer in production and many have a slide out portrait qwerty. It's not hard to see it.

[kennyliu]

I did, maybe you should too, many are no longer in production and many have a slide out portrait qwerty. It's not hard to see it.

That's exactly my point. Read my first post in this thread.

Also look at all CURRENT Nokia QWERTY phones for example. Besides, note that only 70 out of 576 phones are shown. You'll need to do a little more digging on that site. Then, you'll see that QWERTY, four buttons, and a a square trackpad are not only on BBs.

Similarly, since BBs arguably copied (by the OP's and your logic) the design of other phones that existed before them, can we really blame Samsung for doing the same?

[Elyssa_38]

Well they are obviously targeting the BB population with this. But honestly how many phones can they release? This is out of control way too many samsungs and way too many htcs its out of hand. Yet people complain because BB has many options???

[Tre Lawrence]

Little by little...

RIM should be concerned when companies that don't really need to release QWERTYs are doing so.

These won't break sales records, but they won't have to.

Mobile post via Tapatalk

[sleepngbear]

Easy boy. Go here and see how many phones have QWERTY (576 only in that database) and how many have the square trackpad and four hard buttons. You'll be amazed to see that BB is the minority there and most of the phones were made before RIM even existed.

Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com

Means nothing junior. When somebody comes out with a candybar form factor phone, here, now, in 2012, do you honestly think they're targeting Nokia?

[qbnkelt]

Little by little...

RIM should be concerned when companies that don't really need to release QWERTYs are doing so.

These won't break sales records, but they won't have to.

Mobile post via Tapatalk

RIM needs to be concerned for a of a lot of reasons. Samsung releasing a keyboard device could possibly, just possibly, conceivably mean that just possibly maybe there are people who WANT keyboards?!?!?! NAH!!!!! Could it be?!?!

I find it funny in light of the whole keyboard is dead, people will be dictating into a phone a la Siri discussion.

Sorry, Tre....there have been so many anti keyboard threads that this one just made me laugh...

[phoreoneone]

misleading title -.-

i havent tried the device yet but i think samsung wont be able to make qwerty keyboards to the same standard that rim does.

[Tre Lawrence]

misleading title -.-

i havent tried the device yet but i think samsung wont be able to make qwerty keyboards to the same standard that rim does.

They don't need to, or (I think) want to. I am yet to see a QWERTY keyboard that matches RIM's.

But I think it's because they really are not trying to unseat RIM; they are cherrypicking newer smartphone users coming from feature phones.

Samsung (and other Android manufacturers) know where their cash comes in from, and I think this is just another attempt to pick up undecideds.

[sleepngbear]

RIM needs to be concerned for a of a lot of reasons. Samsung releasing a keyboard device could possibly, just possibly, conceivably mean that just possibly maybe there are people who WANT keyboards?!?!?! NAH!!!!! Could it be?!?!

I find it funny in light of the whole keyboard is dead, people will be dictating into a phone a la Siri discussion.

Sorry, Tre....there have been so many anti keyboard threads that this one just made me laugh...

I didn't do it. But if I did to it, it was an accident. Anyway they deserved it.