[jmo712]

That's why you need a Classic

Posted on my New BlackBerry Classic

[Tre Lawrence]

I can't believe this.

Alrighty then...

[acovey]

Maybe, but someone who's only typed on a vkb might still do better than with a pkb. You do better on a pkb because that's probably what you are used to.

No it's because I can find the key, apply a little pressure to keep my fingers from roaming and then press it to type, you can not do that on a glass slab. I have tried many times even a 10 inch tablet is difficult and requires many corrections.

[clickitykeys]

I don't understand the supreme importance of PKBs on smartphones. I spend 90% of my time reading data and posts on social network sites. The other 10% that I write or post messages, the average text I write is "Honey I'm home". Even then I have a program in my VKB phone that automatically sends that text message to my wife once it detects my WiFi signal in my home or cell tower near my house. Do I miss the "tactile" feedback of sending that automated message? Hell no. Now PKB users will argue what if you had to write a long text. Simple - I call my Wife.

One more thing - OP, if you really want to go old school, I have a Note 4 and I use a stylus to write all my messages. Can't get more traditional than that.

Well, text entry is not your primary use case for a smartphone. So, it is completely understandable that you don't feel strongly about tactile feedback.

Q10/10.3.2

[MarsupilamiX]

Well, text entry is not your primary use case for a smartphone. So, it is completely understandable that you don't feel strongly about tactile feedback.

Q10/10.3.2

So only 0.05% of the smartphone buying public write enough to "need" a keyboard?

And those are the only ones who truly get stuff done?

Nobody who writes on a touchscreen phone could potentially write a lot of stuff?

[idssteve]

Wait, they did what?

Naturally we didn't have to spend that much, but it's still budgeted. And i didn't even request it. Our 9900's replaced two techs and a Toughbook for one of my team's QC functions. A very unusual, but effective, application for smartphones. Our productivity 4X'd first year and this last year is just short of 7x the Toughbook years. Toughbooks hit $5k pretty quickly. $3k's a bargain. $4C was a steal.

[donnation]

No it's because I can find the key, apply a little pressure to keep my fingers from roaming and then press it to type, you can not do that on a glass slab. I have tried many times even a 10 inch tablet is difficult and requires many corrections.

But what if your finger applies pressure to the wrong key? Or if you accidentally hit two keys instead of one?

[acovey]

But what if your finger applies pressure to the wrong key? Or if you accidentally hit two keys instead of one?

Then I fix it. BUT happens a LOT less on a PKB then a slab phone. PKB works for me so I will use one.

[CTU2fan]

But what if your finger applies pressure to the wrong key? Or if you accidentally hit two keys instead of one?

That really doesn't happen.

I've seen many VKB users claim they can type without looking at their fingers. I question that, but with an intuitive autocorrect and lots of practice I'm sure they do pretty well. Well in the case of PKB, we type without looking as a matter of course. If we happen to land between keys we can feel it immediately and adjust, usually as simple as rocking your thumb a bit. Same with hitting the wrong one; that's a rarity, and you can usually feel the difference.

Missing is more likely on a small keyboard like on my Curve, but one nice thing about the Curve (as well as Bold, Torch, and other BBOS devices) was the curved rows of keys which made it easier to orient your thumbs without looking. I miss that on my Q.

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

That really doesn't happen.

I've seen many VKB users claim they can type without looking at their fingers. I question that, but with an intuitive autocorrect and lots of practice I'm sure they do pretty well. Well in the case of PKB, we type without looking as a matter of course. If we happen to land between keys we can feel it immediately and adjust, usually as simple as rocking your thumb a bit. Same with hitting the wrong one; that's a rarity, and you can usually feel the difference.

Missing is more likely on a small keyboard like on my Curve, but one nice thing about the Curve (as well as Bold, Torch, and other BBOS devices) was the curved rows of keys which made it easier to orient your thumbs without looking. I miss that on my Q.

Posted via CB10

I've seen some folks that can swipe accurately on vkbs. I'm not that good, but am still significantly faster than on a pkb.

[CTU2fan]

I've seen some folks that can swipe accurately on vkbs. I'm not that good, but am still significantly faster than on a pkb.

I can understand that. Playing around with the Z30 I was amazed at how often and quickly the word I wanted was there for the flicking. With the flicking/swiping you could get very quick. I still hated the actual typing part, but I could see where people would like it and become proficient.

Posted via CB10

[southlander]

The older generation would be pecking at the screen with a pkb just the same so that's not really a good example. Do you think your mother would be flying around on her pkb if she had one?

No I think she'd still peck at the screen. I didn't say (or mean to imply) she could likely touch type with a PKB; you're the one saying that. What I mean is that your experience of not knowing anyone that looks at the keys is the opposite of what I see all the time. And it is likely due to the age group association.

I can touch type with either a VKB or PKB. I just enjoy doing it more on a PKB. But I know one can touch type on either. Yes.

[southlander]

That really doesn't happen.

I've seen many VKB users claim they can type without looking at their fingers. I question that, but with an intuitive autocorrect and lots of practice I'm sure they do pretty well.

It's a mindset thing. For me. Like playing the piano. You can play complex things on a piano until you think too hard about it. If you just let the muscle memory happen and trust auto correct, it usually works out if you relax your fingers. More relaxed equals less errors. Just like playing a musical instrument.

I find in situations where I am relaxed I can touch type on a VKB. But in a situation where I am stressed and trying too hard, it does not work well. Too many errors.

[southlander]

I do type rather long emails on the Passport, and rarely ever bother with sitting down in front of my laptop anymore... :-)

I like it. My wife had a Z10 (now she has a Galaxy S5). I was on a ski trip this last year and only my Passport had service at the resort due to it being on a different carrier (TMO roaming on AT&T tower) than our normal phones which are on Verizon.

Anyway she had to send an email and I let her use my Passport. She'd never even touched one before. She sent the email and the first thing she said was she "sure could type a lot better on it than on her phone". She wasn't able to type particularly fast. She was just more comfortable with the feel and was able to make less errors. Now she used to have a BB Tour. I thought it was cool how it felt natural for her to use the PKB again even after typing on glass for about 18 months or so.

[southlander]

Long press = Caps on the Z10 and Z30.

9000 > Q10 > Z10 >Z30>Z30>

Yes. I had a Z10. But now my VKB phone is an LG G2 and SwiftKey does not do that that I can tell.

[ALToronto]

Very interesting discussion. I'm in the PKB camp, but only on the Passport. The physical keys AND swipe to select words are the best of both worlds. I don't think I could go back to a Bold.

I have written essays on the Passport, by now I prefer it to a computer keyboard. I rarely need to type more than 4 letters of a word, and swiping down for the Alt menu is way faster than pressing the alt key. I just find it a pleasure to type on, as long as I don't try to do it in bed (as I'm doing right now - can't sleep on a business trip!) or one-handed. I've used a Z10 and a Z30, and the experience doesn't come close. My most used app is Blue TouchPad, which allows me to use the Passport as a Bluetooth keyboard for my Surface tablet. The vkb on Windows devices is even worse than iPhone's.

I honestly don't know what I would do if BlackBerry stops making pkb phones. Probably buy a couple more Passports and hang onto a dying dream for a few more years.

Posted via CB10 from my awesome Passport

[southlander]

Interesting and intelligent replies all around, but the question is why, in a world of possibilities, we end up with such a near-universal adoption of one standard (slabs).

Because as I wrote in post 2 -- the VKB is a better trade off overall for how most folks use smartphones. I will also add that I think to a non BB user, the PKB can be intimidating. Especially for older folks. Think about how complicated all those little buttons look to an older person and how comparatively simple the iPhone looks. In fact a friend once told me she thought BlackBerrys "looked complicated because of all those tiny buttons". She ended up getting an iPhone. Lol.

[southlander]

But what if your finger applies pressure to the wrong key?

Possible but I think not as likely. Like playing a C scale on a real piano vs. the garage band piano on an iPad or whatever. You can feel the physical key separation and I think it helps.

[huster]

Because it is a waste of screen space, instead of a landscape slider.

I agree this idea, I like space for my hobbies on the phone.

[RH1Pearl]

Well, text entry is not your primary use case for a smartphone. So, it is completely understandable that you don't feel strongly about tactile feedback.

Q10/10.3.2

Why yes because I use a smartphone for what it was initially intended to do - make calls.

[Tre Lawrence]

I can understand that. Playing around with the Z30 I was amazed at how often and quickly the word I wanted was there for the flicking. With the flicking/swiping you could get very quick. I still hated the actual typing part, but I could see where people would like it and become proficient.

Posted via CB10

I meant to post swipe "without looking."

I still can't do that LOL.

[CTU2fan]

I meant to post swipe "without looking."

I still can't do that LOL.

How do you manage to swipe the right word without looking?

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

How do you manage to swipe the right word without looking?

Posted via CB10

No idea. When I try, it's gibberish. Some folks can though.

[pantlesspenguin]

That really doesn't happen.

I've seen many VKB users claim they can type without looking at their fingers. I question that, but with an intuitive autocorrect and lots of practice I'm sure they do pretty well. Well in the case of PKB, we type without looking as a matter of course. If we happen to land between keys we can feel it immediately and adjust, usually as simple as rocking your thumb a bit. Same with hitting the wrong one; that's a rarity, and you can usually feel the difference.

Missing is more likely on a small keyboard like on my Curve, but one nice thing about the Curve (as well as Bold, Torch, and other BBOS devices) was the curved rows of keys which made it easier to orient your thumbs without looking. I miss that on my Q.

Posted via CB10

My first BlackBerry was the 9700 bought in 2009. Before that I was an avid Sidekick user (I had the 3, LX, and LX09). I swore up and down that I would never stray from a physical keyboard phone. That sentiment didn't last long, however. In July '10 I got tired of the 9700's teeny tiny screen and got a Samsung Vibrant. I quickly became proficient at touch typing. A few months later I started missing BBM, so I got another 9700 to put on a prepaid plan just for BBM. I quickly realized I was having trouble re-learning to type on a physical keyboard. I made many mistakes, and I had to slowly type out the letters. When I had the 9700 before I had no problem just rolling my fingers around on the keyboard. It goes to show that people are proficient with what they're used to.

[Oshasat]

Why we write. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle25413849/

Posted via CB10