Have you asked about the Droid Pro? If you're wanting to stick with VZW and can wait a few weeks it does actually have a BB style keyboard on it.
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Droid 2 due to the physical keyboard. No brainer.
I suppose the only thing to do is go to the store and play with them for a bit.
I was told that the samsung fascinate is also an option. I am going to stop at my local verizon store after work today and check them all out. I may regret asking, but does anyone have an opinion on the fascinate?
Okay...so with the keyboard argument being beat to death...I'm going to join in
If you buy a phone without a hardware keyboard option...and then figure out that you HATE the software keyboards completely you are out of options. I use the software keyboards for texting or short responses (there are many options out there so between Android, Swype, Better Keyboard, SlideIt, Big Buttons, etc...you are bound to find a favorite). Many times in emails or when on webpages, I find myself using the hardware keyboard because when you use the software keyboard you can't see which field you are typing into...making forms online hard to fill out with your phone. The hardware keyboard makes things like that much easier cause you still see 100% of the screen. It's NOT just about text entry and which one is easier or more comfortable. Often times it is about function over form. Selecting text to copy & paste is made easier by having the physical keyboard and the up, down, left, right navigation capabilities. None of the phones you mentioned even have a trackball...the keyboard may come in very handy for navigating.
And if all else fails...use voice recognition
This is a really good point that I did not think about....
That ugly, misplaced directional pad on the original Droid's keyboard has been very valuable. You can see the whole screen, you can easily move your cursor, etc.
I wish that more phones without virtual keyboards put a optical trackpad or something there. The Droid Iincredible is a very smart design for that reason and I'd like to see more phones adapt those when they ditch the hardware keyboard. Just makes life easier at times.
Good luck, I hope you like whatever phone you decide to get. Welcome to the forums!
Unfortunately the droid 2 does not have that optical pad you are talking about. I didn't realize the incredible did either? The track pad on my BB is probably one thing I will miss the most.
Well I went to the verizon store at lunch and discovered a few things.
1 I don't like the physical keyboard on the droid 2. It seems like the keys are smaller than on my BB.
2 Swype is awesome! I played around with it on the fascinate and I really liked it.
3 the screen on the fascinate is by far the nicest of all the phones I looked at.
4 The HTC incredible is ALMOST too small. I found myself making the most mistakes when typing and selecting icons.
So, I think I have narrowed it down to the fascinate and the droid x. I may take one more look at the incredible, but the droid 2 is out.
For the fascinate, can it be upgraded to android 2.2 when it becomes available? And what is froyo?
This is a really good point that I did not think about....
You know how you see a spelling error after typing a few sentences on your BB? Imagine having to take your finger (fat finger in my case) and pressing on the screen to get your cursor to the EXACT spot where you want it to be to make your edits. It can be aggravating! It is at times like that when if I'm not already using the hardware keyboard, I slide it out so I can navigate around more easily.
Selecting text...same problem. If using the touch screen you may not highlight EVERY word or letter that you are trying to. Trackpads and navigational direction pads help!
I have a work phone and a personal phone. If I needed to upgrade today this is what I would choose based on my preferences.
Work phone - Droid2
Personal phone - DroidX
You use the phones differently depending on what you are using it for A 4.3" screen would be worth giving up the physical keyboard for my personal phone...but not for my work phone.
Just trying to throw stuff out there to you. You will probably be "stuck" with your choice for 1-2 years...hopefully you can look back and say you made the best choice. My choices shouldn't be your choices...but everyone in this thread is trying to share their personal preferences so you can judge what's important.
Can you use the 30 days to play with the phone you think you want to see if it will work for you?
I had the option of a company phone and a personal phone, but I got really tired of carrying both all the time. So the company offered to reimburse me monthly for using my personal phone. That's why I'm having such a hard time making a decision, because it has to be good for.....everything....lol
The 30 day trial is a great idea, I might just pull the trigger and play for a few weeks on each one.
I suppose the only thing to do is go to the store and play with them for a bit.
Unless I'm reading his post wrong (which is possible), I don't think I have the same issues as he does. When typing in forms and such, the screen on my Fascinate moves to where I'm typing. Oh every once in a while it gets iffy but a quick swipe of the finger will get me centered again. I don't think it's a big issue. But I will agree, there's no harm in having the physical keyboard, but personally I know I'd never use it.
URBlocked mentioned the d-pad on his old Droid, Motorola had one of the better ideas (IMHO) with their fine placement zoom too. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to place a cursor in a very specific position (usually after noticing a mis-Swyped word). On my phone it's trial and error until you get it just right (which can take a while), with the Droid X and Droid 2 you just click on a word in the text entry field and then scroll around. It zooms in and lets you place the cursor with great accuracy. "Supposedly" the Fascinate will get something similar with Froyo (I've heard of people using it in the hacked versions of Froyo) but don't quote me on that.
Dunno how/if it works with selecting text, I've never tried (only played around with the phones in-store).
I had the option of a company phone and a personal phone, but I got really tired of carrying both all the time. So the company offered to reimburse me monthly for using my personal phone. That's why I'm having such a hard time making a decision, because it has to be good for.....everything....lol
The 30 day trial is a great idea, I might just pull the trigger and play for a few weeks on each one.
Keep one thing in mind regarding the 30 day trial, Verizon charges a restocking fee when you return a phone. When you go to return a phone, try to talk to the store manager. They can usually override the restocking fee...
Say you are registering for a website on your phone. You have the First Name, Last Name, Address, etc. fields to fill out. With a hardware keyboard you can see the whole form and navigate to the different fields by pressing on the field you want to jump to next. When using virtual keyboards, you have to hit "next" but then I don't remember what field I'm in...so I have to drop the keyboard and then jump to the next field which brings my virtual keyboard back up. I'm not saying it's a big deal...but by the end of the form I'm a little tired with screwing with it.
I can't speak for some of the ways the new phones have addressed these issues cause I haven't spent much time with them hands-on. What you are saying sounds like a better system than what is in place. I wish the virtual keyboards had some sort of navigation built into them (arrow keys) if the phone doesn't have a trackpad of some sort. Maybe some of them do (My HTC TP2 does).
One little thing that might just make a difference. With a virtual keyboard, part of the screen end up being used for the keyboard itself, so less screen space is available for viewing what you wrote. With a physical keyboard this doesn't happen. If you are writing a very long email, this ends up being quite an important factor.
Damn. No one likes my "try the Droid Pro" suggestion for the migrating BB user. **runs off an cries**
For users under a corporate contract, this usually isn't a problem. I manage my company's cell phone contracts and I have noticed that Verizon's customer service is better for businesses than it is for personal plans. Not to say they are bad when it comes to individuals...just not as good.
I suppose I just navigate said forms differently. I choose each field by clicking in it. When I see the cursor, I know I'm in the right place. I suppose having a tab button would be pretty handy though.
Doesn't your on screen keyboard take up all of the screen so you can't see what the next field is? You have to drop the keyboard, click on the next field you want to enter, and then the keyboard pops up right? What I'm saying is that with a hardware keyboard, the screen doesn't change when you are entering text. This is one of those things that would be easier to "show" than describe
I'll take your word on that! The last corporate telephone contract I managed was under Nextel! Oy what a mess that was...
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