Are slider qwerty physical keyboards disappearing? Will there be any left in a few years?

[cdl]

Hi all,

is it just my impression or are smartphones with slide out qwerty physical keyboards (like the Motorola Droids / Milestones) disappearing altogether?
A virtual keyboard, especially on a >= 4'' screen and enhanced by software like swift key x, is great to type sms messages and short emails. But if I type an email of more than 6-7 lines I am way faster with a good old physical keyboard.

I use my smartphone to read and reply to emails more than to call, so this point is really important to me.

However, it seems to me that all manufacturers are ditching physical keyboards. Do you think there is still a market for smartphones with physical keyboards or will they disappear soon?


I also noticed that smartphones with physical keyboards seem more popular in the US than in Europe (Motorola did not release the Milestone 3 in the UK, for example) but I wonder which is the cause and which is the effect: are they less popular because they have not been marketed aggresively or have they not been marketed because companies thought it wouldn't have been worth the cost? For example, the Milestones were almost impossible to find in European stores, no carrier sold them, and they were effectively relegated to a more geeky user base who knows about them and buys them on online stores.

What's your $ 0.02?

 

[dunjamon]

I hope not...I've had both the Milestones and have been amazed at how much I use the physical KB compared to the on-screen one. I was really looking forward to getting a Milestone 3, but have to look elsewhere now. Even Samsung have not launched the Epic 4G in the UK.

 

[cdl]

I hope not...I've had both the Milestones and have been amazed at how much I use the physical KB compared to the on-screen one. I was really looking forward to getting a Milestone 3, but have to look elsewhere now. Even Samsung have not launched the Epic 4G in the UK.

If you really want the Milestone 3, I posted here
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-3/426681-help-importing-droid-3-uk.html

that negri electronics sells the Canadian, unlocked version and also ships to Europe. I have never tried this seller, but if you do buy from them, please do post about your experience on the forum - I am sure many European users, including myself, would be grateful.

I got my Milestone 2 less than a year ago so it's too early for me to upgrade. I'd rather wait a bit more, especially to see which phones will come out with Android 4.0 (icecream sandwich). It would be great to have a Milestone 4 with a 4.3'' screen, or a Samsung Galaxy SII with a slideout keyboard. I think 4.3'' -4.5'' is the ideal compromise between being able to surf the web and watch videos but not having a brick that doesn't fit in a pocket or that makes you look stupid if you place it near your ear.

 

[dunjamon]

I got mine on the day it was release in the UK, but I'm a bit bored of it now. Plus we've been using the SII at work and love it!

(apart from no KB)

 

[cdl]

I got mine on the day it was release in the UK, but I'm a bit bored of it now. Plus we've been using the SII at work and love it!

(apart from no KB)

How much do you type? Have you used the SII to type longish emails? What was your impression?

 

[dunjamon]

I type a fair bit; constantly sending out texts, surfing and I use it for my work emails too. The SII has an amazing screen and the on-screen KB doesn't take up the full screen, but i find it way too big and I don't like typing on-screen I like to feel as I type. That said...it has an amazing screen and is really thin and light.

 

[cdl]

I type a fair bit; constantly sending out texts, surfing and I use it for my work emails too. The SII has an amazing screen and the on-screen KB doesn't take up the full screen, but i find it way too big and I don't like typing on-screen I like to feel as I type. That said...it has an amazing screen and is really thin and light.

So, if price were not an issue, would you keep the Milestone 2 / get the 3 or go for the SII, keeping in mind the requirement to type (relatively) a lot?

 

[ardchoille]

My first cell phones were the old Sidekick family of devices purchased before Microsoft bought Danger, Inc. These devices had a nice physical keyboard and I highly enjoyed them. When I switched to the htc Dream/g1 I was in heaven again due to the physical keyboard. Then I started seeing software keyboards and assumed they weren't as usable as the hardware keyboards.

After drooling over the Samsung Vibrant o release day I bought one thinking the keyboard would be a pain. But, you know, that keyboard wasn't as much of a pain as I thought it would be. I quickly became accustomed to it and now feel that software keyboards are an attractive feature on android devices.

I feel that, as long as you get a phone with a large enough screen, software keyboards are rather nice to use. I'm now on the htc Evo 4G and I wouldn't trade this phone for anything.. except the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Just my $0.02

 

[jedifarfy]

I'm hoping they don't go away, but I'm betting they're definitely reducing the number designed. People seem to go for the touch screen keyboards. I have no problem if needed, but I prefer the balance and weight of the physical keyboard.

Of course, I've always been the odd one. When flip phones were hot, I had to have a candy bar style. Now touchscreen's are in and I want a keyboard. I'm hunting for a new phone to replace my 3G slide (update killed it, twas good while it lasted), and there's not much to see.

 

[daveybaby]

Since version 3.1, android has had USB host support for peripherals. This means you can plug a USB keyboard (and/or mouse) into an android tablet running honeycomb, and it will work.

In the future this means that USB mice, keyboards, and game controllers will also work on phones once they get Ice Cream Sandwich (as long as their USB ports support host mode).

I'm betting that, once ICS hits, we will start to see clip-on USB keyboards (or integrated case/keyboard) for many of the big selling android phones - either from the manufacturers themselves (which would be nice) or from 3rd parties. Best of both worlds?

 

[cdl]

[...]
I'm betting that, once ICS hits, we will start to see clip-on USB keyboards (or integrated case/keyboard) for many of the big selling android phones - either from the manufacturers themselves (which would be nice) or from 3rd parties. Best of both worlds?

This would be great for, say, typing long emails on a flight or during a train journey. But there are too many situations where I wouldn't carry or take out a USB keyboard...

By the way, would the keyboard need to have a micro-usb port, or do you think we'll see Androids with a standard usb port?
As of now, are bluetooth keyboards the only ones which would work with Android 2.2, or not even those?

 

[Rico ANDROID]

My first cell phones were the old Sidekick family of devices purchased before Microsoft bought Danger, Inc. These devices had a nice physical keyboard and I highly enjoyed them. When I switched to the htc Dream/g1 I was in heaven again due to the physical keyboard. Then I started seeing software keyboards and assumed they weren't as usable as the hardware keyboards.

After drooling over the Samsung Vibrant o release day I bought one thinking the keyboard would be a pain. But, you know, that keyboard wasn't as much of a pain as I thought it would be. I quickly became accustomed to it and now feel that software keyboards are an attractive feature on android devices.

I feel that, as long as you get a phone with a large enough screen, software keyboards are rather nice to use. I'm now on the htc Evo 4G and I wouldn't trade this phone for anything.. except the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Just my $0.02

I'm a former Sidekicker too! my last being the Sidekicklx (with keyboard).
Then i moved to the ATT Tilt and HTC Tilt2 (worst phone ive ever owned)

But i never thought id ever even consider a phone without a qwerty keypad. Till I got the Dell Streak 5. .that thing has the nicest on-screen keypad ever.

"BUT" i did invest in me a bluetooth keypad also, its small enough to fit in one palm, very thin and good pick-up range. I use it occassionally when i like to sit the phone down and type from the pad (for old times sake).

​

 

[daveybaby]

This would be great for, say, typing long emails on a flight or during a train journey. But there are too many situations where I wouldn't carry or take out a USB keyboard...

I was thinking more of something like a flip out or slide out keyboard that clips onto the phone, or is integrated into a case for the phone. Maybe it clips on by replacing the battery cover, or maybe it hooks on via some kind of weird contraption.

So you buy, say, a bog standard SGSII, and a clip on keyboard for it that turns the SGSII into a slider keyboard phone. It's gonna be thicker than the phone on its own, and probably a bit bulkier than a dedicated keyboard phone, but it'll do the job.

I may be wrong, and it may not work out like that. But if keyboard phones do disappear i'll be amazed if someone somewhere doesnt try to plug the gap in the market with something like that.

 

[cdl]

[...]
So you buy, say, a bog standard SGSII, and a clip on keyboard for it that turns the SGSII into a slider keyboard phone. It's gonna be thicker than the phone on its own, and probably a bit bulkier than a dedicated keyboard phone, but it'll do the job.

[...]QUOTE]

I see your point. My favourite form factor would be something like the Motorola Droid 3: with a slide out keyboard but with a screen of 4.3-4.5''.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of users seems to prefer thinner, keyboardless smartphones...

 

[dunjamon]

Does anyone know if the Samsung Stratosphere is going to be launched in the UK? I like the look of that.

 

[jerofld]

I kinda miss a slide-out keyboard. But I think the RAZR is going to administer a mortal wound to keyboard phones. That thing is ridiculously thin. Makes me wonder how bad heat problems are going to be, though.

 

[danaj]

I'm hoping they don't go away, but I'm betting they're definitely reducing the number designed. People seem to go for the touch screen keyboards. I have no problem if needed, but I prefer the balance and weight of the physical keyboard.

Of course, I've always been the odd one. When flip phones were hot, I had to have a candy bar style. Now touchscreen's are in and I want a keyboard. I'm hunting for a new phone to replace my 3G slide (update killed it, twas good while it lasted), and there's not much to see.

Why not get the 4g slide? has high end specs and a keyboard.

 

[cdl]

Why not get the 4g slide? has high end specs and a keyboard.

which one, exactly? 4g smartphones are not available in most European countries, unfortunately

 

[danaj]

which one, exactly? 4g smartphones are not available in most European countries, unfortunately

Ahh well I am talking about the Tmobile Mytouch 4g slide. I have no Idea if you can get it in Europe, but it is a world phone....
T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

 

[chanchan05]

I think the Xperia Pro has just been released. Seems good enough for regular day to day use.

Sony Ericsson Xperia pro - Full phone specifications

 

[JoePT]

I love a physical keyboard, but I hate the slide-out keyboard style. I loved my blackberry 9630 and wish an android phone would come out with a style similar but, alas....

 

[chanchan05]

I love a physical keyboard, but I hate the slide-out keyboard style. I loved my blackberry 9630 and wish an android phone would come out with a style similar but, alas....

There are such phones, like the HTC Chaha, the Samsung Galaxy Pro, but they are relegated to low end. I mean Android is primarily a touch screen OS, with a lot of the interface relying on just swiping on the screen and stuff, and would be better used with a larger screen.

 

[Stuntman]

Here's an article that lists the Android phones with slide out keyboards in the past year: The Best QWERTY Android Phones in 2011 Compared

Manufacturers are still coming out with phones like this. At this time, there is still enough demand for physical keyboards that it is worth making them.

As for the future, what I could see replacing the physical keyboard is speech recognition. Once speech reco becomes faster and more accurate, the need for typing will be significantly reduced. Typing is a skill that needs to be developed. It took me a few weeks to learn to type on a phone and another month or two to really feel comfortable doing it at a reasonable speed. Speech is something practically everyone already knows how to do.

If you want a phone with a keyboard, you will have to accept some compromises on the design. It will likely be thicker because the keyboard mechanism and slider will take up some physical space. I noticed that in order to make it not too bulky, manufacturers may cut back on screen size or other internals. A really good comparison would be the HTC Desire Z and HTC Desire HD. Both phones were announced at the exact same time. You can see they cut back on the screen size and processor speed for the Desire Z.

Physical keyboards will have a few advantages over touch screen phones (at least those that I feel are advantages). First of all, I like the tactile feel of being able to press on something. It makes typing a little more accurate for me. When I want to press a key, I can feel where I am applying pressure before I press down hard enough to register the key press. With a touch screen phone, you can't feel where you are touching the screen until you touch the screen. If you miss, you won't know until you see what character is entered.

The other advantage that I feel is a great benefit is that you can actually see where in the app or web page your text will be entered. With the onscreen keyboard, once you enter text mode (in landscape at least), the whole screen becomes the keyboard with a box on the top of the screen showing what you are typing. It does not show you where on the web page or app you will be entering the text until you exit the keyboard. If you accidentally tapped the wrong field, you won't know until you finished typing everything and remove the keyboard. I also like the fact that I can type some stuff, scroll up or down and scroll back and type more. Sometimes, I can scroll the app/page so that I can read something else on the screen and see what I am typing if both fields are close enough together.

The compromises I have to make is having a thicker phone that has a smaller screen and slower processor (comparing the Desire Z to the HD). These are compromises I choose to make because I value a physical keyboard higher.

I think that there will still be phones with physical keyboards in the near future. Perhaps in about 5 years, text entry will be more efficient with speech recognition. The only thing people have to get over is the perhaps reduced privacy with using speech. People near you know what you are entering using speech more easily than if you use a keyboard. This may not be such a big issue as I see (and hear) many people talking on the phone in public places within earshot of me and many others.

 

[dunjamon]

As mentioned earlier, they seem to more marketed towards the U.S consumers. I love the look and spec of the Samsung Captivate Glide, but can't seem to find any details of a UK release anywhere.

 

[EddieTheFish]

I've just ditched my BlackBerry Curve for the HTC Desire Z.

I liked having the QWERTY keypad, but was never impressed with the BB Apps or web-browsing.

The Desire Z has a slide-out keyboard and great sized touch screen, and the Android apps blow BlackBerry away. I think it's absolutely amazing for web-browsing, google reader, email etc...

I think the HTC ChaCha is quite like the BlackBerry Curve, and is probably the closest thing to a BB on Android.

I can't imagine what I'd do if they got rid of slide-out QWERTY phones. Hopefully HTC or Samsung will pull another one out of the bag when they've given up on the Desire Z.

http://androidphonewithkeyboard.co.uk/