Lack of qwerty. A dealbreaker?

[audiofx2]

I'm in the market for a new phone and once I seen the specs of the Evo, I immediately thought this was the phone for me.

However, all of my previous devices (Sidekick, Dash, Blackberry) have had qwerty keyboards which I love. I text/email/chat ALOT from my phones.

I do have an iPod Touch which I do not care to type on. I am wondering if I should go with the Evo or wait for the next Android qwerty to come out.

I'm currently on T-Mobile with no 3G in my area. Sprint would be my best choice. I am not sure if I want Verizon.

I guess my decision will be made when the Evo is in stock at the Sprint store so I can try it out. I'd hate to jump on the Evo, then a few months later a similar spec'd qwerty version comes out.

Is anyone else deciding against the Evo because of no physical keyboard?

 

[cabbie]

swype is the truth.

 

[nx25]

I'm in the market for a new phone and once I seen the specs of the Evo, I immediately thought this was the phone for me.

However, all of my previous devices (Sidekick, Dash, Blackberry) have had qwerty keyboards which I love. I text/email/chat ALOT from my phones.

I do have an iPod Touch which I do not care to type on. I am wondering if I should go with the Evo or wait for the next Android qwerty to come out.

I'm currently on T-Mobile with no 3G in my area. Sprint would be my best choice. I am not sure if I want Verizon.

I guess my decision will be made when the Evo is in stock at the Sprint store so I can try it out. I'd hate to jump on the Evo, then a few months later a similar spec'd qwerty version comes out.

Is anyone else deciding against the Evo because of no physical keyboard?

I'm not into phones with keyboards. I've used the Pre, I've used the Touch Pro, on both of those devices I felt like the keyboard was flimsy and highly breakable. What if I drop it while the keyboard is out? What if I get moisture on the keyboard or what if finger grease gets in the keys and gunks it up.. I'm not going to lie, the Droid's keyboard feels nice, but even then, it seems fragile.

I've used a co-workers myTouch on T-Mobile with Android, and he has the Swipe app, where you just drag your finger over letters to type and it's AWESOME. He can type stuff so fast, it's incredible. I assume anyone who texts a lot will pick it up immediately. The programs they put in for automatic word completion are great too. Typing on the touch screen has come a long way since the days of PDAs.

Best bet is to go into the Sprint store and try it out for yourself. But don't get discouraged when it's not second nature to type right away. You will definitely get the hang of it quickly and it's totally worth it.

 

[Aridon]

After getting used to swype I doubt I will need a qwerty again.

 

[Eguy]

I was upset at first, but I don't mind anymore. Go try out an Incredible in a VZW store and you will see it is pretty easy, and the EVO's keyboard is even bigger. I'm not worried at all anymore.

 

[tranceFusion]

+1 for swype.. it will save on repetitive motion injury of your thumbs pressing those real keys, too

 

[Android 17]

I don't quite get the big deal about Swype, but I am honestly interested in trying it. It seems like one of those things you just have to try yourself to believe.

 

[IOWA]

I tried swype, and do use it quite often. But it's still faster to use a hardware qwerty when hammering out long emails and rapid fire texts. My premier upgrade isn't until November =( but the upside is a qwerty eVo "pro" may hit the shelves by then, and it's just in time for black friday. (which is when I bought my moment =D)

 

[Jadien]

I tried swype, and do use it quite often. But it's still faster to use a hardware qwerty when hammering out long emails and rapid fire texts. My premier upgrade isn't until November =( but the upside is a qwerty eVo "pro" may hit the shelves by then, and it's just in time for black friday. (which is when I bought my moment =D)

One can only hope.....

 

[jeffdlb]

I've been a hardware keyboard user (Treo, Centro) but am taking the plunge into virtual keyboards with the Evo. I think the old typewriter keyboard is obsolete and I hope that alternative input methods are the way of the future -- on-screen keyboards, customizable key arrangements (Dvorak, Fitaly, AZERTY (French), mathematical), Swype, voice, etc.

 

[audiofx2]

I'll have to give Swype a shot. Like jeffdlb, maybe it's just time for me to move on.

Does anyone know if the touchscreen limits gaming/apps on the Android? I read some programs like rom emulators will not run on a touchscreen and require buttons or qwerty keyboards.

 

[Bek]

I'm a keyboard guy myself (multiple Treos, Touch Pro, and Palm Pre). Go over to a T-Mobile store and play with the HD2. The larger screen size makes the display keyboard much easier to use. Try for yourself.

 

[goku48532]

swype is the truth.

tru i used it on my girlfriends samsung moment very nice

 

[Rigmaster]

I'm in the market for a new phone and once I seen the specs of the Evo, I immediately thought this was the phone for me.

However, all of my previous devices (Sidekick, Dash, Blackberry) have had qwerty keyboards which I love. I text/email/chat ALOT from my phones.

I do have an iPod Touch which I do not care to type on. I am wondering if I should go with the Evo or wait for the next Android qwerty to come out.

I'm currently on T-Mobile with no 3G in my area. Sprint would be my best choice. I am not sure if I want Verizon.

I guess my decision will be made when the Evo is in stock at the Sprint store so I can try it out. I'd hate to jump on the Evo, then a few months later a similar spec'd qwerty version comes out.

Is anyone else deciding against the Evo because of no physical keyboard?

iPod/iPhone keyboards are no comparison due to the size of the Evo. You really do need to see how much the size makes a difference. As for Evo + keyboard, now that's a size I'm not willing to go to. It's thin w/o QWERTY so I would never consider it with. This thing would be unacceptably chunky w/QWERTY.

 

[Bigprimo]

I got bigass gorilla hands, i currently use the moment and love the keyboard, so I hope they get some display ones out to best buy so we can test drive em.

 

[mkampy]

I too had the Moment for a week of test drive, and I started on the physical keyboard, but ended up using the screen instead. Ends up being a matter of personal aptitude for change...

 

[Bek]

I got bigass gorilla hands, i currently use the moment and love the keyboard, so I hope they get some display ones out to best buy so we can test drive em.

Why wait? As I stated a few minutes ago, go try out the HD2. It has the same screen!

 

[Bigprimo]

Why wait? As I stated a few minutes ago, go try out the HD2. It has the same screen!

might have missed that post, I will do that thanks!

 

[adseguy]

It's really all up to the user, but the problem is you can't feel comfortable with a keyboard by just playing around with it for 5 minutes at a store. You really need a few days with it. I have an iPhone and I can challenge and normal person to a typing contest. I went to try the incredible at BB and I didn't like the keyboard. That's when I realized it just takes time. The many many MANY advantages of a soft keyboard vs the real deal are just too many. All you really loose is tactile feedback from a real button.

 

[Rigmaster]

It's really all up to the user, but the problem is you can't feel comfortable with a keyboard by just playing around with it for 5 minutes at a store. You really need a few days with it. I have an iPhone and I can challenge and normal person to a typing contest. I went to try the incredible at BB and I didn't like the keyboard. That's when I realized it just takes time. The many many MANY advantages of a soft keyboard vs the real deal are just too many. All you really loose is tactile feedback from a real button.

You also lose the actual keyboard and a lot of little parts. Keyboards attrack some type of dirt/stuff so I ditch them whenever I can now. Imagine putting the HD2 with a keyboard even if as thin as the MotoDroid's in your pocket and you're talking serious lumpage.

 

[adseguy]

you're talking serious lumpage.

Agreed and.......that's what she said

 

[IOWA]

Detachable bluetooth keyboard!

 

[rockman1117]

Does swipe translate to the EVO? The reason I ask is that the EVO has a bigger resolution, and screen. Does that mess up Swype at all? Do they need to make a new version?

 

[Caloy]

I think Swype would be best used with portrait mode. There is a little learning curve, but I'm willing to check it out. Swype comes with the HD2 and I was playing with it for a little while and I was impressed.

 

[audiofx2]

Does anyone think this device is too large for Swype? From the videos I've seen, you use Swype with a single hand and thumb. I'm wondering if the screen real estate is too large for your thumb to reach all of the characters. Also, the size of the phone can make it drop prone when using one hand.

But I could be wrong, I've never used Swype or an Android phone.