[General Questions and Answers] LWBIIPLLC:
"Hard" vrs. "Soft" Keyboards & Choice of Device

I DON'T

disagree

with Orb in contending hard keyboards are "preferred" to soft keyboards in so far as this agrees with the USER'S customary use. I simply stated that hard keyboards are not the be-all-end-all and should not be the SOLE and DETERMINING factor when one chooses his or her device.

Clearly each pose difficulties. This is why we see so many of us installing a number of keyboard software applications on our devices. As within even the micro-analysis of software, we often find one modality to work better given the pressures of the task at hand. (eg. while the Touch Full Keyboard is outstanding in its large virtual keys, and so too are others such as TouchPal, Spb's Keyboard, etc. these don't allow for easy cut and past and copying; much less selective highlighting using the Ctrl key). Hence, as I do this kind of task a lot in my line of work, I end up using what I originally thought was THE most useless keyboard on my Touch Pro. Similarly, if you are a person who enters numbers quite a bit, I doubt you want to constantly want to select a specific number pad that then disappears upon entry of each number. Additionally, the applications you use are a large factor that effect how you enter information on your device. How many of us with full hard QWERTY keyboards choose to slide rather than to hit our front panel and dial by screen when dialing a number not in our contacts? But Orb is right . . . when texting and writing anything of any substance, you will quickly get frustrated with a software based keyboard. But expanding on Orb's astute observations, if it is indeed the case that you must frequently do a lot of data entry or pros writing, and you've assessed your "usage trends" accurately, then I agree and FURTHER recommend an extended keyboard via bluetooth, such as a Stowaway BT keyboarde or iTech Laser VKB/Celluon CL850 VKB, or a REDFLY Mobile Companion terminal. That said, none of this discussion even tinkers with the notion of use of a "transcriber" for handwritten text entry. Finally, one has to consider frankly, in the event such text entry is such a predominant task, whether one should be performing a task of that kind on a "phone" versus a more text-friendly device. Remember when we all got excited when it was alleged that we can work up PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets on our phones? And then they gave us a tiny virtual keyboard to do it. Did the prospect of performing such tasks get substancially more attractive WITH a hardware keyboard? Admitedly . . . yes. But did we have a measure of "let-down" when the task did not prove effortless even with the hardware QWERTY? I still contend I and others did get let down a bit. So now, the name of the game is: Adaptation.

In the world of technology, I contend Darwinianism does not apply. It is not a question of survival of the fittest. It is a quesiton of who and what devices can "adapt" to the changing needs of the consumer; indeed the specific needs of a specific user as a specific situation may so require. Or are there still those who would contend otherwise: that it is nevertheless feasible to bring an Elephant Gun to an Easter Egg Hunt? Unless the eggs are Dinosaur eggs. ; ) LWBIIPLLC