[anon(3994952)]

Anyone knows why there isn't any android with keyboard? There are thousands of brands, chinese imitations, but there isn't any one with physical keyboard.

Any brand wants the blackberry's piece of cake?

I can't understand it.

Posted via CB10

[John Vieira]

Physical keyboards aren't popular anymore.

There is an android with a keyboard, the Priv, but it's not selling particularly well, proving that pkbs aren't popular.

Why build products that no one will buy?

Posted via a Priv on an 6.0 Mushroom

[Soulstream]

because most smartphone are used for media consumption. having a bit screen for that is essential. Also, people got used to write on glass with minimal loss of efficiency.

Another advantage of full touch devices is they contain less mechanical parts that were more prone to malfunctions.

[anon(3994952)]

Physical keyboards aren't popular anymore.

There is an android with a keyboard, the Priv, but it's not selling particularly well, proving that pkbs aren't popular.

Why build products that no one will buy?

Posted via a Priv on an 6.0 Mushroom

PKB isn't selling because of bad marketing, and bad blackberry's fame, but even being a very small market, there is a market for PKB, at least as an optional accesory

Posted via CB10

[Ment]

1) It takes alot of engineering to make a decent keyboard phone: both hardware and software and it will be more expensive per unit to make in a highly competitive market
2) Google does not approve 1:1 screen ratio so it limits form factors: ie no Classic, Passport etc.
3) Low demand. It essentially forces a pkb phone maker to play in the mid and upper tier price segments as the volume won't be there to sell millions.

[ALToronto]

I think BlackBerry holds most of the patents on pkb designs. But that's not the biggest reason - slab phones are cheaper to make, and it's no longer considered important to produce error-free messages.

Posted via CB10 from my awesome Passport

[Elephant_Canyon]

PKB isn't selling because of bad marketing

There was quite a lot of good marketing for the Motorola Droid series. The line even still exists, but none of them have hardware keyboards anymore.

but even being a very small market, there is a market for PKB, at least as an optional accesory

How do you know there is a sustainable market for physical keyboards on phones?

[anon(3994952)]

1) It takes alot of engineering to make a decent keyboard phone: both hardware and software and it will be more expensive per unit to make in a highly competitive market
2) Google does not approve 1:1 screen ratio so it limits form factors: ie no Classic, Passport etc.
3) Low demand. It essentially forces a pkb phone maker to play in the mid and upper tier price segments as the volume won't be there to sell millions.

Rome has not 1:1 screen, for example

In past qwerty phones like samsung ones are low end and cheap

Posted via CB10

[donnation]

I think BlackBerry holds most of the patents on pkb designs. But that's not the biggest reason - slab phones are cheaper to make, and it's no longer considered important to produce error-free messages.

Posted via CB10 from my awesome Passport

No. There have long been keyboards that weren't made by Blackberry. They own a patent on a specific design of a keyboard, but any manufacturer could make one if they wanted to. And I don't know where you get that a pkb is more expensive, there used to be a lot of cheap phones that had a pkb.

And keyboards don't mean error free, that's just nonsense.

[Troy Tiscareno]

The answer to this question is simple: lack of demand.

While BB has kept a good number of the relatively tiny amount of people who prioritize having a PKB, the reality is that most people don't want one - they'd rather have a full-screen display so that they can do other things on their phone when they aren't typing on it, and they'd rather have a phone that's less expensive, mechanically simpler, and increasingly, water-resistant. A PKB is definitely more expensive and mechanically complicated than a digitizer, and you aren't going to get a water-resistant phone with a PKB.

Every early Android phone had a PKB, but when all-touch phones became available, they outsold PKB phones by a wide margin. For several more years, there were flagship phones with PKBs, but again, they didn't sell well compared to thinner, cheaper all-touch phones, so manufacturers phased them out. Today, there are only a couple of low-end PKB phones for those who must have a PKB, because they only sell in low volumes.

[Ment]

Rome has not 1:1 screen, for example

In past qwerty phones like samsung ones are low end and cheap

Posted via CB10

And you just confirmed how limited that is. Samsung made a keyboard addon for Galaxy phones that was expensive for what it was because recouping cost + profit made the price high. No one wants to make a pkb on single digit margins. If you think there is money to be made in cheap pkb i'm sure you'll be able to wrangle up an investment group for such a venture no problem.

[early2bed]

Even the Priv didn't bring in many Android PKB fans.

AT&T offered a more detailed account of why the Priv has disappointed. BlackBerry and the carrier expected to see demand for an Android phone with a physical keyboard. Instead, most of the buyers were BlackBerry loyalists, the executive said. Those faithful, however, struggled with the transition from the BlackBerry operating system to the Android operating system, leading to a higher-than-expected rate of return.

BlackBerry Priv is faring worse than expected - CNET

It also doesn't help that the PKB messes up your multi-national release strategy as different markets require different keyboards. It's a logistical problem unless you've done it before like BlackBerry has.

[TgeekB]

If there was a demand for pkb (a real demand) someone would be profiting from it.

[MikeX74]

PKB isn't selling because of bad marketing, and bad blackberry's fame, but even being a very small market, there is a market for PKB, at least as an optional accesory

Posted via CB10

You've explained why the Priv doesn't sell, not why other OEMs don't make them. For there to be a demand for a PKB phone in the mass-market, it would take someone like Apple or Samsung making one.

[Prem WatsApp]

.....

Every early Android phone had a PKB, but when all-touch phones became available, they outsold PKB phones by a wide margin. For several more years, there were flagship phones with PKBs, but again, they didn't sell well compared to thinner, cheaper all-touch phones, so manufacturers phased them out. Today, there are only a couple of low-end PKB phones for those who must have a PKB, because they only sell in low volumes.

And most likely these are utter rubbish and further taint the PKB's reputation.... :-(

�   There's a Crack in the Berry right now...   �

[donnation]

And most likely these are utter rubbish and further taint the PKB's reputation.... :-(

•   There's a Crack in the Berry right now...   •

The Priv's keyboard isn't doing anything to help that reputation either. Its the poor man's version of the Blackberry keyboard.

[Troy Tiscareno]

For there to be a demand for a PKB phone in the mass-market, it would take someone like Apple or Samsung making one.

Samsung used to make a bunch of them - but again, sales numbers were poor, with almost everyone choosing all-touch phones. And so now they don't make them anymore.

[Denise in Los Angeles]

Samsung used to make a bunch of them - but again, sales numbers were poor, with almost everyone choosing all-touch phones. And so now they don't make them anymore.

Exactly. T-Mobile and Verizon used to carry pkb devices about 5 years ago. One was the MyTouch Slide on TMo. Had a slide out kb.


Posted via the Diva's beautiful Red Passport!

[duezzer]

PBK. sucks? That could be it? Either a heavy slider or loss of entertainment are. Hmm let me think. Ya. PBK sucks. Well for me it does.

Posted via CB10

[anon(3994952)]

Exactly. T-Mobile and Verizon used to carry pkb devices about 5 years ago. One was the MyTouch Slide on TMo. Had a slide out kb.


Posted via the Diva's beautiful Red Passport!

All of them are low end phones, they aren't "sexy" phones, they are ugly and the most of them have the typical wide keyboard and you have to turn your phone right 90degrees to use its keyboard.

Any brand has invested to a mid-high end device, only BB

Posted via CB10

[skstrials]

and you aren't going to get a water-resistant phone with a PKB.

That is where you are wrong.

NEC Terrain
http://www.cnet.com/products/nec-terrain/

Runbo X3
http://www.androidauthority.com/runb...phones-147941/

CAT B100
http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/05/cat-b100/


Cheers.

Posted via CB10
Attachment 401606

Attachment 401607

[eshropshire]

I think BlackBerry holds most of the patents on pkb designs. But that's not the biggest reason - slab phones are cheaper to make, and it's no longer considered important to produce error-free messages.

Posted via CB10 from my awesome Passport

Five years ago there were several PKB Android phones. The reason there are not any today is not patents or bad marketing. The reason is simple, they don't sell enough to justify the cost.

[cribble2k]

I think it's obvious that physical keyboards don't sell phones.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[MikeX74]

Samsung used to make a bunch of them - but again, sales numbers were poor, with almost everyone choosing all-touch phones. And so now they don't make them anymore.

Flagship devices with all of their marketing muscle behind them, which is what I'm suggesting? Or low- and mid-tier phones made simply because Samsung makes just about any sort of phone because they can?

[idssteve]

Because Samsung & Apple are selling all the glass slab devices they can produce? Why would they legitimize an alternative technology by challenging the unmatched master of that technology?

Ford once sold all of the Model Ts he could produce. All painted black. Concluding that "the consumer" wouldn't consider any other color for their cars, based on T's market success, would be astoundingly myopic. (a myopia that early GM ultimately capitalized on)

Concluding that "the consumer" wouldn't consider pkb, based on SamApple's slab market success, is equally myopic. IMO.

Has BB EVER returned legitimate profit on ANY of its glass only devices? Things are obviously far, far more complex than JUST pkb vs vkb. Or Black versus Blue paint... Lol.