BlackBerry: "Keyboards Are the Future"

[Permalink]

I can respect that.
After all, some people like keyboards, and it’s not like they can compete by being just like everyone else.
Someone’s gotta be the Saab.

6 Likes
4 Likes

Honestly my old work BlackBerry was a lot easier and faster to type on then my work Iphone or personal S4.

6 Likes

I must say agree, i greatly miss android devices with physical keyboards, but the industry has decided every possible input must be touch if possible, which i do not like :frowning:

Sadly, i dislike the blackberry OS more than i dislike onscreen keyboards, so i’ll stick with android.

5 Likes

I’ll just leave this here:

4 Likes

All these worlds are yours, except Waterloo. Attempt no typing there.

2 Likes

I agree with this guy. I really miss my old slider Pantech keyboard, especially when I’m in the car or outdoors and light conditions make it impossible to read a screen but I still need to text a message.

1 Like

More than just keyboards, but a real physical-key-centric OS as BB7 was, not the neither-fish-nor-fowl cockup of BB10. Speed dial, helloooo.

It won’t take over the universe, but it will definitely keep a few million productive, money-making people happy. Count me in.

1 Like

I can see how people like physical keyboards, I can also see how that at present, in some sense they are superior. However this is going to be a disaster. It is not ā€˜The way of the future’, it is not the direction technology is heading in, irrespective of personal preferences or not.

All of the issues with screen keyboards will be ironed out, that I’m willing to bet on. At the end of the day solid state devices are going to dominate.

1 Like

While I much prefer the BB10 user interface - AFTER getting to know it - it is certainly less intuitive than its competitors.

But as the saying goes, ā€œThe only 100% intuitive user interface is the nipple. Everything else is learned.ā€

A phone with a 100% intuitive user interface would be… disturbing.

1 Like
3 Likes

I’m currently in the market for my first smartphone (go ahead and laugh, everyone else does). If I could get an Android with a keyboard, I would be one happy camper.

You know that is very true. Now if they can get a handle on their internal corporate culture they might be able to survive. Ha, here’s a thought - maybe they should follow Zappos example!

Haptic touchscreen keyboard. Once that whole electrically-controlled membrane screen that can create ā€œkeysā€ you can press takes off, then the separate physical keyboard is done.

What’s next, buggy whips?

Since adopting Swype on my GS4, I’m never going back to typing. Soooo fast, very interpretive, just fun.

2 Likes

I did a fair amount of research into this technology at my last job; we had developed a haptic system for training dentists. It is a LONG way off from a really strong implementation. What we created was better than trying to inject a classmate for your first try with the Novocaine needle but not in any way like giving an actual shot. There is some cool stuff cooking but there are a lot of hurdles to overcome. Tech to watch, though, for sure.

You can always dictate your text, of course. Like I did right now. And I’m not even a native speaker.

2 Likes

On-Screen keyboards take up valuable screen real-estate on already-limited devices.

Emacs with a virtual keyboard is a nightmare.

OTOH, if the physical keyboard lacks Meta Alt and Super keys it’s pointless.

OTOOH, virtual keyboards allow for so many variations that are hard to do with physical keyboards. Leaving the ergonomics of typing on glass aside, you can have ergo shape-forms, bizarre key-chord scenarios, dvorak layouts, etc etc etc. it’s virtual, man!

1 Like