Thoughts on Smartphone Keyboards

S

saku

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Messages
316
I will be picking up the Samsung Epic 4G on Sprint and it looks like it will be the only version of the Galaxy S that will feature a slideout keyboard.

Initially, I was a bit disappointed that the Sprint version will have a kb because I've gotten used to having a touchscreen with no keyboard... and I think Swype will eventually become a much faster method for me to type. Here are some pros and cons:

kb pros:
added screen real estate (sans digital kb interface)
fun to type on
kb shortcuts
better gaming experience
looks cool

kb cons:
added width
added weight
added moving parts

What's your opinion on smartphone keyboards?
 
swype is better than any physical keyboard i have ever used.
 
Agreed, Swpye functionality is revolutionary. I haven't actually tried it, just saw some videos. I was like damn I should of thought of that! Can't wait to try it out. I been using touchpal with just my thumb and have gotten pretty fast with that, but Swype is a game changer.

Is it safe to say that physical kb's are considered irrelevant by most smartphone power users?
 
yea pretty much they just add more weight and bulk to a phone.
 
In the case of my moto Q9c, it's nice to have the keyboard, but right now, after all the hell its been through, it'd be nice to have a touchscreen as a backup.

though right now given my phone's current condition, a touchscreen would mean dick all right now.

I have a nice big black sunspot in the middle of it where the lcd stuff has come out. It used to be two smaller spots, but they somehow merged to form one big one. I can now only see half of what anyone texts to me.

That said, if the Epic has both touchscreen and keyboard, its not really all that big a deal.
 
I have the Tmobile G1, and it has an amazing on board keyboard. I hated using touch screen keyboards, fat fingers ftl, haha.

But with swype I hardly use my keyboard anymore, and because of this I've dropped a hardware keyboard from my requirements for my new device and going with the Tmobile Galaxy S (Vibrant). I will miss it when trying to type long emails.. but will continue to improve my swype skills and hopefully lose my need for it (HW Keyboard) all together.
 
I need me some buttons. My priorities are not like those of most consumers, apparently; I just picked up a Nokia E73 on eBay. Haven't got it yet but I used to have an iPhone and I really prefer buttons to pixels and apps. Having played extensively with E71s in the past, I was hesitant to switch because of the camera and 2.5mm jack...the newer versions solve them problems and I am (to be) a happy camper. The QWERTY candybar form factor is not one that lends itself to touchscreens and I am content to give up the fingerframe for physical buttons and no moving parts.

That said, I would like a touchscreen, mostly to scroll and zoom webpages. I am disappointed that there aren't more Android phones with the combo; there was the G1, the Droid, the Cliq, and some other random units (almost bought an LG GW620 but decided against), but nothing standout and GSM besides the Mytouch 3G Slide.
 
Have to say I love the keyboard on my Blackberry but I'm eager to try swype when I get my Captivate.
 
I'm a big physical keyboard fan. I used to have a treo and the keyboard was amazing. Now I have a droid and the keyboard is a little too flat for my liking. I think palm really did a great job on the treo, I miss its keyboard
 
I didn't like swype to much at first but now that I've spent some time with it, I grown to like it.

I
 
I was going to switch from T-mobile and buy Sprint's Galaxy S on release day until I saw that it has a physical keyboard. Yes it's better for gaming but that's about it. The added size and weight isn't worth it when touch screen kb's are easier to type on anyway. Now I'm debating whether I should wait it out and see if Sprint gets a keyboardless version in the future (not likely), get an Evo, wait for the next gen phones, or simply stay with T-mobile. They really dropped the ball with the Epic IMO.
 
after a couple weeks with my Vibrant I realize I don't need a keyboard
 
GregP24 said:
I didn't like swype to much at first but now that I've spent some time with it, I grown to like it.

I
Click to expand...

I felt the same way. Swype defiantly has a learning curve, but alot of that is in learning to trust the software. It really is very good at figuring out what letters you want based on the 'patterns' of words. My thumb covers 5 letters at a time in portrait mode and even if im off-center on every letter, it knows what i mean 98% of the time.

I thought I would always prefer a physical kb too, but I strongly suggest to people to give swype an honest try (like 7-10 days) and i think you might think differently. Swype has reinvented mobile data input (screw T9, i never liked that shit) and I feel it is here to stay.
 
/moan

I want my damn X... and swype!! was hoping for a delivery yesterday..but no love yet... grrr

I carry a 2 yo iPhone now, and a BB from work. I m way faster on a soft kb, than the BB...I"m sure Ill dig Swype!

now..for the frickin thing to come in
 
Blown 89 said:
They really dropped the ball with the Epic IMO.
Click to expand...
That statement is really laughable.
The Epic is the only Galaxy S phone in the U.S. which has more features than even the original international Galaxy S. It's also the only U.S. galaxy S with a front facing camera.
The Epic is virtually the same size as the Evo (including the width with the Epic being only .06 in thicker) while it's also lighter.
This negates your size and weight statement.
 
Mook1e said:
That statement is really laughable.
The Epic is the only Galaxy S phone in the U.S. which has more features than even the original international Galaxy S. It's also the only U.S. galaxy S with a front facing camera.
The Epic is virtually the same size as the Evo (including the width with the Epic being only .06 in thicker) while it's also lighter.
This negates your size and weight statement.
Click to expand...
The Epic is 1.5 mm thicker and is longer. They dropped the ball because they could have eliminated the keyboard, kept the other features, and had a sexy/slim phone to compete with the iPhone. Sprint already has a big ass phone, why on Earth would I buy that over an Evo? They should have kept their original 9.9mm dimensions. I stand by my statement, they dropped the ball.
 
Blown 89 said:
The Epic is 1.5 mm thicker and is longer.
Click to expand...
Exactly, virtually the same size.

They dropped the ball because they could have eliminated the keyboard, kept the other features, and had a sexy/slim phone to compete with the iPhone. Sprint already has a big ass phone, why on Earth would I buy that over an Evo? They should have kept their original 9.9mm dimensions. I stand by my statement, they dropped the ball.
Click to expand...
I've used an Evo, and unless you're a midget, it's size is fine. The Epic will be the same. Now Sprint has two great phones, one with hard keyboard, one without, and they both have practically the same footprint and capabilities.
Either way, I respect your opinion about keyboards. You don't like them. :)
You can probably tell, I do. I'm still holding on to an 8525 on AT&T until the Epic comes out to replace it.
 
Last edited:
Mook1e said:
Exactly, virtually the same size.
Click to expand...
I hav ea feeling that 1.5mm will make a big difference over that large of an area. I would have preferred the 9.9mm size they rolled out with the Vibrant. One of the reasons the iPhone sells so well is that it's very sleek and sexy and that plays a big role in people's decisions hence my comment about dropping the ball.


I've used an Evo, and unless you're a midget, it's size is fine. The Epic will be the same. Now Sprint has two great phones, one with hard keyboard, one without, and they both have practically the same footprint and capabilities.
Either way, I respect your opinion about keyboards. You don't like them. :)
You can probably tell, I do. I'm still holding on to an 8525 on AT&T until the Epic comes out to replace it.
Click to expand...
I've used the Evo too and was shocked that the size wasn't an issue, still, I felt the Vibrant was much nice to handle because it was significantly slimmer. There are a lot of nice phones with all of the carriers but when I look at the features Sprint is clearly better than the other major three and I hoped for a slim Vibrant version with them. We'll see when the Epic comes out but right now I wish they saved space and ditched the keyboard.
 
Nothing beats swype...I wouldn't have even tried it if it didn't come as default on the Vibrant...seemed stupid to me, but I tried it and I'm now hooked.
 
Anyone seen renders of the new Galaxy Q? 3 inch touchscreen,Android Froyo,Swype and a hardware keyboard! Waiting for it as a perfect upgrade from my E71.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
TechHead said:
Anyone seen renders of the new Galaxy Q? 3 inch touchscreen,Android Froyo,Swype and a hardware keyboard! Waiting for it as a perfect upgrade from my E71.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
Click to expand...
Yeah, i had an htc dash and liked it. The Galaxy Q looks interesting.
 
Swype is faster, way faster than I ever believed possible on a touchscreen, however physical keyboards like on a blackberry still have a certain assurance from the tactile feedback that not even Swype can make up for.

You could be trapped under a burning building, underwater, half asleep, half drunk, upside-down, one-handed, and partially blinded (all at the same time) and still be certain of where your fingers are on the keyboard and what you're typing when on the blackberry's keyboard. On my Captivate I completely hamfist and error everything just when I wake up and I'm still lying in bed. Certain things are very clunky or plain not possible, like typing in passwords with letters, uppercase, and numbers (typing in passwords in general on a touchscreen is a little shaky).

I still like Swype and I use it as my primary phone input, but a blackberry's keyboard just has a little something about it that makes it feel reliable and consistent, even though it's slow.
 
Mook1e said:
Exactly, virtually the same size.
Click to expand...
I got to play with the Evo again today and noticed that the sides are curved giving it a slimmer feel. The Epic doesn't have that. I have a feeling that will add a lot to the size of it and it will feel a heck of a lot bigger.
 
As far as hard QWERTY keyboards on cell phones are concerned, I still maintain that the HTC Ozone has the greatest keyboard ever put on a cell phone. Aside from only being a four-row keyboard, it's damn-near perfect.
 
The HTC Touch Pro 2 has the best keyboard ever put on a cell phone. I still miss it dearly, but moving to Android was worth losing it.
 
The stock keyboard on my DroidX is the best keyboard I've ever used. I actually type faster on it than a physical keyboard. (pushing down hard on the buttons doesn't slow me down)
 
The two cons to the evo for me:

1. evo tax
2. no real keyboard

(...and I can get 4g in every house/office but mine...)

I would dump it in a second for a physical keyboard (...and search ebay daily for a ***killer*** deal on a TP2). If HTC came out with an evo pro, I think the OG evo would be the new Hero on ebay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top