New phone for wifey?

[HOTHEAD]

The wife is on my back pretty hard core that she wants a new phone for Christmas. I have the D1 and she has seen how cool your phone can be. This will be her first smartphone, and her only real stipulation is, it must have the physical keyboard.
I've tried telling her that right after the turn of the year there will probably be a better selection of phones being released, but she's not having it.
So, what to get her? She's just going to surf the net, a little email, maybe some quick FB shots, nothing big. I was leaning towards the D2, but now I see the pro is being pushed. She has no use for a "world phone" but is this my only real option for a solid phone?

So braintrust, what say you

Regards
HOTHEAD

 

[Papadroid]

My wife wants a physical keyboard as well. The phone I'm looking at for her is the HTC Merge which is rumored to come out this month on the 17th. The keyboard looks much more functional than the Droid 2.

 

[Thornfullessrose]

Does she like the feel of the DROID keyboard? If so, she will most surely like the DROID2 keyboard since it has been improved from the DROID. I can tell you I like it very much! I type sooo quick with it!

 

[Turdbogls]

i also agree on the merge. it doesn't look as nice as the D2 IMO, but the keyboard really does look a lot better.

 

[RandolphNY]

I would suggest that she reconsider the keyboard issue. I also wanted a real keyboard and I don't even use it on my droid after 10 months. As the phones almost change on a monthly basis, just look at the features, speed and yes the look.

The style of phone I really want with my next purchase is the camara facing for face to face calling.

Good Luck

 

[Clementine_3]

I would be really annoyed, OK, flat out pissed, if anyone told me to rethink my keyboard, I love it and use it all the time. My next phone will have one too.
If she wants a keyboard she wants a keyboard...so she should have a keyboard.

 

[Thornfullessrose]

I would be really annoyed, OK, flat out pissed, if anyone told me to rethink my keyboard, I love it and use it all the time. My next phone will have one too.
If she wants a keyboard she wants a keyboard...so she should have a keyboard.

Who gave you permission to take those words outta my mouth?

 

[RandolphNY]

who gave you permission to take those words outta my mouth?

la de da!

 

[CegAbq]

I would also chime in as someone who got the D1 because I absolutely insisted on having a physical keyboard. I got mine at the end of February. Since about 2 months after getting it, I now use the physical keyboard maybe once every 3-4 weeks. I have definitely become accustomed to the touch screen & with some alternate touch keyboards have become very comfortable with just a touchscreen. I think my next phone will not have a physical keyboard because I would love to have a slightly slimmer phone. Just my perspective, of course.

 

[grainysand]

I would be really annoyed, OK, flat out pissed, if anyone told me to rethink my keyboard, I love it and use it all the time. My next phone will have one too.
If she wants a keyboard she wants a keyboard...so she should have a keyboard.

I used to think a physical keyboard was essential. Then I used Swype and never looked back.

 

[Clementine_3]

It doesn't matter if there are alternatives to a keyboard or not, the woman wants a keyboard. It doesn't matter if Swype is great or 8pen rocks or voice entry kicks ass, the woman wants a keyboard.
My point was simple enough, some people just WANT things and will never, ever be happy with something that doesn't have what they want. She may never use the keyboard but it will be there because she wanted it, she will be happy. If the keyboard is not there she will not be happy, ever.
Oh, I don't know her but I know how I would be...and it would not be pretty, at least not until I got what I WANTED. Doesn't matter if what I want is better or not, it's what I want.
Something for all you husbands and guys to keep in mind:
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

 

[CegAbq]

It doesn't matter if there are alternatives to a keyboard or not, the woman wants a keyboard.

That is so true. I think the reason others of us are posting about no longer 'needing' a physical keyboard is just to let the OP share with his wife that some of us started that way and then realized that with the newer phones it became not so much of an issue, in case she was having any further thoughts about the touch keyboard phones.

 

[Thornfullessrose]

Swype isnt good for frickin everything! sucks for urls, entering emails, passwords, usernames and etc. i only use it for texting, then barely even texting. everything else i always open up my keyboard bcuz its a REAL keyboard and more reliable than virtual where your more prone to making mistakes if you rest a thumb between typing just to think or something like that. then your hitting another letter and have to backspace then you accidentally hit P or L or enter trying to back space. So all in all.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE real physical keyboard!

 

[HOTHEAD]

Something for all you husbands and guys to keep in mind:
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

I take it you are married also.

 

[shadowdude777]

Swype isnt good for frickin everything! sucks for urls, entering emails, passwords, usernames and etc. i only use it for texting, then barely even texting. everything else i always open up my keyboard bcuz its a REAL keyboard and more reliable than virtual where your more prone to making mistakes if you rest a thumb between typing just to think or something like that. then your hitting another letter and have to backspace then you accidentally hit P or L or enter trying to back space. So all in all.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE real physical keyboard!

Ditto. I refuse to use a virtual keyboard. Even Swype, which is miles ahead of regular (tapping) virtual keyboards, is clunky in comparison to the Droid keyboard. Hell, I had to get my bubbly keyboard Droid replaced, which is always said to be easier to type on, and I like the flat feel of the new Droid keyboard better! I can type much faster on it. So don't knock the keyboard because there are many (sensible, in my mind) users out there that still want one.

What's the point in a nice big 4.3" screen if half or all of it is covered in what should be UNDER the screen, not on it?

And yes, if she REALLY wants a phone right now with a keyboard, the Merge should be coming out pre-holiday season. I'm still waiting for something with a keyboard and a 4.3" screen. It's the best of both worlds and no manufacturer has thought to put those two together yet.

 

[grainysand]

The thing, though, is that if you find yourself needing a physical keyboard you can always pair up a BT keyboard and move on--a BT keyboard's even nicer than your average slider phone keyboard, being larger and generally more tactile. But if you find you don't want that physical keyboard on the Droid or Epic 4G, that all it does is adding unnecessary bulk/weight to the device--and believe me the bulk and weight matter to wrist fatigue; try reading ebooks for a long time to see what I mean--you're stuck. You can't detach the keyboard. You can't rip it off. All you can do is get a different, keyboardless phone.

 

[shadowdude777]

The thing, though, is that if you find yourself needing a physical keyboard you can always pair up a BT keyboard and move on--a BT keyboard's even nicer than your average slider phone keyboard, being larger and generally more tactile. But if you find you don't want that physical keyboard on the Droid or Epic 4G, that all it does is adding unnecessary bulk/weight to the device--and believe me the bulk and weight matter to wrist fatigue; try reading ebooks for a long time to see what I mean--you're stuck. You can't detach the keyboard. You can't rip it off. All you can do is get a different, keyboardless phone.

You're assuming everyone is going to find out that they don't want a physical keyboard. I do. And I don't fancy the idea of carrying around a bag and having to whip out a full-size or even a half-size BT keyboard every time I want to send an SMS, so that is completely out of the question. It's worked for the entirety of the decade and some time before that. There's no reason to trade tactility and the ability to actually read things on the screen while typing to remove a few inches of thickness and a few grams of weight. The virtual keyboard is probably the most counterintuitive invention I've ever had to put up with.

Can you walk down the street and text with a Bluetooth keyboard? No. Can you walk down the street and text on a virtual keyboard? You'll probably bump into people. Can you walk down the street and touch type on a real hardware slider keyboard? You bet. And yes, I can do this on the "terrible" Droid keyboard. I think people need to familiarize themselves with the concept of learning curves and give the keyboard a chance for a month.

 

[Thornfullessrose]

The thing, though, is that if you find yourself needing a physical keyboard you can always pair up a BT keyboard and move on--a BT keyboard's even nicer than your average slider phone keyboard, being larger and generally more tactile. But if you find you don't want that physical keyboard on the Droid or Epic 4G, that all it does is adding unnecessary bulk/weight to the device--and believe me the bulk and weight matter to wrist fatigue; try reading ebooks for a long time to see what I mean--you're stuck. You can't detach the keyboard. You can't rip it off. All you can do is get a different, keyboardless phone.

wow wrist fatigue? You are way over exaggeration right now and you don't make sense. They don't even add that much weight to the phone. The DROID is actually pretty slim and light for a keyboard phone. Lol "wrist fatigue" you've gotta be kidding me. Like I said before virtual keyboards are not real keyboards and are less reliable, especially swype.

 

[grainysand]

You two are very touchy about keyboards. Unclench your sphincters.

You're assuming everyone is going to find out that they don't want a physical keyboard.

No? I said "if." Reading is very hard, I understand. I'll try to use smaller words. Maybe spell it out one letter at a time.

 

[Thornfullessrose]

You two are very touchy about keyboards. Unclench your sphincters.

"Wrist fatigue" lol can't believe you went there, like these keyboard phones are cement blocks.

 

[grainysand]

No, but better-built phones usually have some metal in them. If you're using Galaxy S phones with their all-plastic bodies, then sure, the phone's light. Ever tried holding up a mostly-metal phone for a long flight to read? My N1's surprisingly heavy for a phone with only 3.7'' screen; a HTC phone, with similar build quality plus keyboard, would be much less pleasant. Can't speak for a Moto phone as I've never handled those extensively.

 

[Thornfullessrose]

You must have something wrong with your wrist, or you are a little weak. I've held my phone for hours on train, bus and car rides to watch movies, read article, or w/e and never had wrist pain. If you never really handled a moto droid 1/2 for a long time you can't say we should have trouble with them bcuz of the weight the keyboard adds. Like I said before, these droids are pretty light to even have a keyboard on them. Also surprisingly slim. I mean look at other keyboard phones.

 

[shadowdude777]

You two are very touchy about keyboards. Unclench your sphincters.



No? I said "if." Reading is very hard, I understand. I'll try to use smaller words. Maybe spell it out one letter at a time.

Oh, sorry, didn't realize I should buy something assuming that I don't need a feature and that if I want that feature later I'll add it on in a half-assed manner, as opposed to just buying a phone with said feature and not using it if I don't want to.

When I buy a car, I'll remember to buy it without an engine and then buy a horse if I want to move the car.

 

[shadowdude777]

No, but better-built phones usually have some metal in them. If you're using Galaxy S phones with their all-plastic bodies, then sure, the phone's light. Ever tried holding up a mostly-metal phone for a long flight to read? My N1's surprisingly heavy for a phone with only 3.7'' screen; a HTC phone, with similar build quality plus keyboard, would be much less pleasant. Can't speak for a Moto phone as I've never handled those extensively.

Oh wow, I just realized you're an N1 owner, not a Droid owner. So... basically you're assuming that you'd get wrist fatigue from holding up a Droid for a few hours and going based on that assumption, you resolve never to buy a phone with a physical keyboard?