Keyboards are a niche thing for smart phone users, but one has to admit, there are plenty of people who want them. Ranging from the front facing portrait oriented keyboards to the sleeker slide out landscape ones, many phone users can instantly see the appeal and convenience of having a physical keyboard.
Touch screen smart phones come packed with a touch screen based virtual keyboard for typing messages. It works well for making the usual quick messages and replies, but when making long emails and posts, nothing beats being able to tap out your message on a physical keyboard. Here is a quick list of some smart phones with physical keyboards that we would want to see.
First on the list is the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro. With the X10 Mini already out in the market, it is only a matter of time before the Mini Pro is available too. The device combines its small size, the Android operating system and of course, a slide out keyboard to make one of the most interesting mid range devices on the market.
Speaking of Sony Ericsson, there was a leaked image of a prototype Android device that has a 5 inch capacitive touch screen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard which also swiveled –the handset can also be used as a mini netbook. If this device goes past being a concept design and turns into an actual device, it will certainly be worth looking forward to.
Of course, no talk about QWERTY keyboards is complete without mention of a BlackBerry, and the upcoming Slider 9800 device is still one of the most impressive looking portrait oriented keyboards available. It has been rumored that the device would be available by the first half of the year, but with June coming to a close in a few weeks, it seems that this handset has been delayed for a bit.
Tags: BlackBerry, Blackberry-Slider-9800, QWERTY-Keyboard, Sony-Ericsson, Sony-Ericsson-Xperia-X10-Mini-Pro