Posted on June 27, 2007, at 7:40 am .
With the “iMminent” release of that little device from Apple, the debate has already begun as to which is preferable: a touchscreen with a virtual keyboard or a true keyboard. To me the question misses the main point, which is to ask yourself why you have a mobile smart phone in the first place. It isn’t that one is “better” than another; it is that each interface has its advantages depending on your intended purpose.
For those who need to type a lot of text, the true keyboard is most likely the superior choice. (I say “most likely” in that I have not yet tested the virtual keypad on the iPhone, and so cannot definitively give an opinion as to which I find easier to use.) So if you are like most BlackBerry users the mechanical keyboard will make the most sense.
Continue reading ‘ThoughtPiece: Touchscreen vs. Keyboard: Which is Better?’
Posted on June 25, 2007, at 9:51 am .
Thanks to some commentary from an iPhone tester, Engadget’s got great info on the touchscreen and virtual keypad. In short, the keypad sucks. You have to press pretty hard, and if you use your thumbs, it registers contact across multiple keys. So unless you enjoy typing like your grandmother who’s seen a keyboard for the first time and is looking for the darned ‘Q’ button, most consumers interested in text input will skip the iPhone. Straight from the tester’s mouth: “It won’t replace a BlackBerry. It’s not good for text input. It’s just not a business product.”
Posted on June 22, 2007, at 9:36 am .
Russ posted a patent app last week for a reconfigurable keypad that I didn’t think too much of, but now that it’s been getting a lot of attention, I’m kinda kicking myself. (BlackBerry Beat has outstanding patent coverage, for the record.) This new patent would let you slide the keypad on your BlackBerry down to reveal more screen area for watching movies, viewing pictures or whathaveyou. The top buttons would remain visible so you’ve still have some functions available. A pretty cool idea; even if it’s not one they implement any time soon, it’s good to tuck it away for a rainy day.
