Is there a future for a BlackBerry device with a physical QWERTY keyboard

52. sid07desai posted on 07 Feb 2013, 03:45 2 0

"It's not about the keyboard. It's about sending a message".

11. Nathan_ingx posted on 06 Feb 2013, 09:52 5 3

I don't think it is...or it will, as long as the hardware within is top-notch.
However, i think there should be one more option for us like:
"Yes, qwerty will exist at a rate".
I didn't vote cause i'm "none of the above".

18. PhoneArenaUser posted on 06 Feb 2013, 10:47 2 1

I don't have anything against people who loves physical keyboards, I just state my opinion and my opinion is that physical keyboards will die and we already can see that happening for a few years. Today physical keyboard is becoming even more and more rare case.

63. miles16852 posted on 08 Feb 2013, 15:41 0 1

its not rare, your just not looking! theres more then you think!

68. PhoneArenaUser posted on 11 Feb 2013, 08:08 0 0

I'm not blind!

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39. MC1123 posted on 06 Feb 2013, 18:39 1 1

oh no! a lot of people still is a typer not a tapper!

especially me! i hate misspelling on virtual keyboard and its really a bothersome! while on physical QWERTY, not a problem!

but i do like the swype on symbian (or android) though and that virtual keyboard of Z10 is just amazing!

62. miles16852 posted on 08 Feb 2013, 15:40 0 0

YOUR THINKING IS DEAD! its far from dead, you would be surprised,,,

8. wendygarett (limited) 2 days ago posted on 06 Feb 2013, 09:44 4 1

Btw, wanna full touch? No physical button allowed...
wanna physical button? Make it qwerty...

no more only one physical home button to me this year :(

16. NexusKoolaid posted on 06 Feb 2013, 10:07 5 2

Key point in what you said - "five years back". Five years ago soft keyboard solutions were still in their infancy. And five years back, phones with resistive touch screens were still common. FFwd to today, screens are capacitive, and soft keyboard solutions have become much more sophisticated. It's not a double standard - it's progress.

64. miles16852 posted on 08 Feb 2013, 15:44 0 0

Yep! more people being killed while texting,,wasnt a big problem like it is today, gee theres even a 'no texting while walking now' ill let you figure out what state thats in...people doing dumber things while texting, etc, etc, YEP! thats progress all right!

20. N.Reynolds posted on 06 Feb 2013, 10:54 4 0

Well now that Android phones have grown in screen size I don't see a need for a physical keyboard. With my OG Droid I loved my keyboard but when I moved up to a larger screen I didn't mind not having it. With the lovely 3.5 inch or even the 4 inch screen on iPhones I would still want a physical keyboard but with a 4.5"+ screen the need isn't there.

35. nnaatthhaannx2 posted on 06 Feb 2013, 15:56 3 0

Because SwiftKey didn't exist then :D

37. OptimusOne posted on 06 Feb 2013, 17:11 5 1

Not to be offensive in any way... but

Its like you(wendy) have some sort of "multiple personality dissorder". One day, you might be perfectly rational, reasonable, and considering(ie. now), and some days, well you turn into "apple-slave-mode" (remember how 1080p screens cause eye cancer? lol )

36. saiki4116 posted on 06 Feb 2013, 16:20 2 0

portrait qwerty slide out saves space as well as one hand typing and no compromise in screen real estate..A Dell Venue pro type with dual core and android is always I wanted...

7. wendygarett (limited) 2 days ago posted on 06 Feb 2013, 09:41 7 1

Ray S love to make a flamebait poll :)

13. Nathan_ingx posted on 06 Feb 2013, 09:58 2 2

Hahaha...good one mister Wendy :D

15. snowgator posted on 06 Feb 2013, 10:05 2 0

At some point, I will start looking at authors and just not pay any attention to what Ray S writes. I have a lot of respect with the other authors here, and they actually write fun/thought provoking articles that remind me why I come back. Ray S? Seems to hate most everything. (Find a positive Windows Phone article from him. Dare ya.)

And a portrait slider for WP, or any other OS for that matter??? Count me in. Love that form factor.

27. cdgoin posted on 06 Feb 2013, 13:38 1 1

Possibly Niche, but if you go to LGs site you will see a large number of Landscape sliders. I mainly see landscapes being used by teens though.

The portrait slider, I know it seems counter intuitive, even though it has small keys. Is easier to use for those with big hands. My thumb is so big I often hit the wrong character on screen. But with a portrait slider I feel the buttons, and they quickly slide under my thumb and quickly I may add.

I find it 2x as fast and easier to use than a landscape slider, and 5x faster than on the screen keyboard.

It maybe a niche, but its a big one.. Why WP8 doesnt have one yet is beyond me.. they want the business class, and business users are used too and in some cases (like me) prefer the portrait keyboard.

65. miles16852 posted on 08 Feb 2013, 15:53 0 0

It wont die, just like a manual transmission, even tho most car buyers tend to go for automatic transmissions, there are still those who will always want a manual transmission, same for the physical keyboard,

26. PhoneArenaUser posted on 06 Feb 2013, 13:24 1 0

No one wants to kill QWERTY's, QWERTY's dies because of natural evolution, because today majority prefers Touch Screens. And that's mean manufacturers don't feel a need to manufacture smartphones with a Physical QWERTY Keyboards, it doesn't worth from business perspective.

28. cdgoin posted on 06 Feb 2013, 13:43 3 0

No many don't.. touch screens for people with small hands is great. My fingers are the size of small sausages.. and the screen needs to be a LOT larger to accommodate my fingers, or at least more accurate as to what I touch. With a portrait slider, I can type without looking at the keys or the screen.

Sooner or later a rectangle will nto work for everyone anymore and manufacturers will do something to make their phones different.

I want the HTC Trophy that was leaked before the Verizon one. It had a 4.5" case, slightly smaller touch screen with a portrait Qwerty setup underneath it.

That is what I am waiting on.

32. PhoneArenaUser posted on 06 Feb 2013, 14:07 0 0

I understand, in your case typing with physical QWERTY keyboard would be more comfortable.

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43. jroc74 posted on 06 Feb 2013, 19:00 1 1

My hands, fingers are called fat by a few ppl. I dont see it...lol.

I dont think a virtual keyboard is great for ppl with small hands...I think its like you said....a physical keyboard is great for ppl with fat fingers, hands.

I think a virtual keyboard is great for ppl with normal size hands.

You said it....lol. Just not directly.

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34. KingKurogiii posted on 06 Feb 2013, 15:54 3 1

you just contradicted yourself pal. OEM's are killing off QWERTY's because they don't feel that it's worth it. i think a lot of people would beg to differ. QWERTY phones haven't been given much of a chance lately. i'd take a Droid 5 with a 4.5" display and i'd even step down from the Razr MAXX HD's battery longevity to have a good keyboard again.

44. PhoneArenaUser posted on 06 Feb 2013, 19:10 0 1

"you just contradicted yourself pal."

No, you just contradicted yourself.

"OEM's are killing off QWERTY's because they don't feel that it's worth it."

And why they don't feel that it's worth it?
Because majority people sticked with Touch Screen Keyboards!

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46. KingKurogiii posted on 06 Feb 2013, 22:05 2 1

um no, you actually did. you just defended your contradiction.

"No one wants to kill QWERTY's" and "OEM's are killing off QWERTY's because they don't feel that it's worth it. And why they don't feel that it's worth it?
Because majority people sticked with Touch Screen Keyboards!" are clear contradictory statements.

only because there are no real high-end QWERTY phones anymore. there has been no real attempt since the Droid 5 to preserve high-end QWERTY keyboard phones.

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51. KingKurogiii posted on 07 Feb 2013, 03:28 1 1

*Droid 4

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54. snowgator posted on 07 Feb 2013, 05:40 1 1

You know I am with you, King. I am so ready for a keyboard again. I am not misreable without one, I would just be way freaking happier with one.

Motorola is the only Manufacturer keeping the dream alive. The Photon Q and Droid 4 are both decent devices. All other keyboards are entry level smartphones.

Mobil Bummer.

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59. KingKurogiii posted on 07 Feb 2013, 15:22 0 1

yeah, you said it. x.x

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56. PhoneArenaUser posted on 07 Feb 2013, 08:34 0 1

"No one wants to kill QWERTY's..."

By saying that I was responding to your comment #25 and I was talking about the simple people not about manufacturers.

"only because there are no real high-end QWERTY phones anymore. there has been no real attempt since the Droid 5 to preserve high-end QWERTY keyboard phones."

QWERTY is dying not because manufacturers doesn't manufacture high-end QWERTY phones anymore, but because majority of people prefers Touch Screens instead of QWERTY's and only then as result manufacturers are not focusing on manufacturing high-end smartphones with a QWERTY keyboards because it doesn't worth from business perspective.
In simple words, no one kills or wants to kill QWERTY, QWERTY are dying because majority of people doesn't feel a need for it and manufacturers before manufacturing something always makes analisis about people's needs.

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58. cdgoin posted on 07 Feb 2013, 11:09 2 1

Again.. WRONG.. I can not count the number of people that want to buy my Dell Venue Pro.. but when I tell them the only place to buy it is eBay, they pass. Dell screwed up the sales and distribution so bad its not funny. at minimum they should have sold them at Best Buy after they were left at the alter by T-Mobile and AT&T.

Phones simply don't sell well in the US unless they are physically in the telcoms store.

BTW.. look at T-mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.. they all offer QWERTY phones, in candy bar and landscape slider. 33 of them according to PA.

So they apparently sale.. otherwise why have 33 varieties of them. For some reason you just want to prove yourself right.. that or have a hatred of QWERTY phones.. Either reason is stupid.

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69. PhoneArenaUser posted on 11 Feb 2013, 08:11 0 0

What U.S. carriers has to do with what I have said about QWERTY keyboards???

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60. KingKurogiii posted on 07 Feb 2013, 15:27 1 1

i wasn't just talking about the people originally. i was talking about anyone including OEM's that would have a hand in retiring QWERTY handsets.

how would you know that? sounds like a chicken or the egg situation to me. i'm sure there's plenty of people including me that would get a Q10 over a Z10 if they decided to get a Blackberry. even the statistic being done right here from this very article shows QWERTY devices still have a place in this world and someone needs to step up and provide a good, high-end QWERTY device.

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66. miles16852 posted on 08 Feb 2013, 15:54 0 1

your so called perspective needs an adjustment, because your wrong!

72. PhoneArenaUser posted on 11 Feb 2013, 08:25 0 0

Any arguments?

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42. jroc74 posted on 06 Feb 2013, 18:56 0 0

The thing about that...if one really wants and cares about a physical keyboard.....it not being a high end phone isnt gonna matter.

Ppl makes cchoices that dont necessarily have to cover all the bases. I stick by Moto....and their phones are considered not having high enough specs when they are released now. Think I care? Whats most important to me has lil to do with ram or gpu or screen. Even tho I said I want Moto to make the Moto X a phone I wanna buy at retail...I will probably still buy it just because Moto has never let me down.

Some ppl chose a high end all screen phone over a lower end physical keyboard phone....and are happy.

47. KingKurogiii posted on 06 Feb 2013, 22:07 0 1

there's no reason for there to not be high-end keyboard phones. there's no reason for the people to not have their cake and eat it too.

55. jroc74 posted on 07 Feb 2013, 06:47 0 1

That is true....

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57. PhoneArenaUser posted on 07 Feb 2013, 08:37 0 2

"there's no reason for there to not be high-end keyboard phones."

Yes, there is, majority of peoples ar not interested in QWERTY's.

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61. KingKurogiii posted on 07 Feb 2013, 15:28 0 1

says who? certainly not the study being done from this article.

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71. PhoneArenaUser posted on 11 Feb 2013, 08:25 0 1

"says who?"

Says manufacturers!
Do you ever think why today there is more Touch Screen phones than QWERTY's ?

Do you ever think why manufacturers are not focusing on QWERTY's ?

Answer: Because they know that QWERTY won't be popular! They always makes analisis about people's needs.before starting any big project or manufacturing something!

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73. KingKurogiii posted on 11 Feb 2013, 10:13 0 0

OEM's know strictly touch screen phones are more popular than QWERTY phone because of the success of devices like the iPhone and the Galaxy S series but that doesn't mean QWERTY phones are UN-popular, on the contrary there is apparently a lot of people hungry for a good one.

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