Comments on: The iPhone’s potential downfall: Lack of mechanical keyboard http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/ News About Tech, Money and Innovation Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:47:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: BlackBerry opts not to sit around and wait for the iPhone to kill it » VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-806715 BlackBerry opts not to sit around and wait for the iPhone to kill it » VentureBeat Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:13:12 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-806715 [...] iPhone, one of the last bastions of hope for the BlackBerry may be its physical keyboard. Though initial concerns about the iPhone’s virtual keyboard crippling the device were unfounded, it’s still a [...] [...] iPhone, one of the last bastions of hope for the BlackBerry may be its physical keyboard. Though initial concerns about the iPhone’s virtual keyboard crippling the device were unfounded, it’s still a [...]

]]> By: Gregg http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-341826 Gregg Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:05:21 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-341826 Spb's Full Screen KB works great on my HTC Touch Spb’s Full Screen KB works great on my HTC Touch

]]> By: Rumor: Apple Coming Out With Phone! « correlate http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-311558 Rumor: Apple Coming Out With Phone! « correlate Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:24:29 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-311558 [...] The iPhone’s potential downfall:  Lack of mechanical keyboard - VentureBeat [...] [...] The iPhone’s potential downfall:  Lack of mechanical keyboard – VentureBeat [...]

]]> By: Aymerik http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-310298 Aymerik Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:28:33 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-310298 Must be a slow tech news day at the NYTimes. It's articles like that that make me want to take up blogging. Seriously, 6 months after its announcement they realize that "That iPhone Has a Keyboard, but It’s Not Mechanical?" Not entirely clear why Helio was considered relevant for a quote, either. “There has never been a massively successful consumer device based solely on a touch screen." That's totally missing the point. Good products integrate technologies to create something that's better than the sum of parts, let alone just one part. The iPhone isn't based solely on a touch screen. The experience is about a lot more than that. Even RIM's regular BlackBerry line is about a lot more than having a full keyboard. And incidentally, there has never been a massively successful MVNO, either, but that doesn't seem to have stopped the backers of Helio from trying. Markoff taking a quote from Dayton on texting is bizarre as well, considering that other than Helio users (which are few and far between relative to the general cellular user base), the vast majority of folks doing SMS are typing on regular mobile phone handset with 12 typically tiny keys, not full keyboards. Nokia and others do quite well selling phones which aren't centered around texting. Must be a slow tech news day at the NYTimes. It’s articles like that that make me want to take up blogging.

Seriously, 6 months after its announcement they realize that “That iPhone Has a Keyboard, but It’s Not Mechanical?”

Not entirely clear why Helio was considered relevant for a quote, either. “There has never been a massively successful consumer device based solely on a touch screen.” That’s totally missing the point. Good products integrate technologies to create something that’s better than the sum of parts, let alone just one part. The iPhone isn’t based solely on a touch screen. The experience is about a lot more than that. Even RIM’s regular BlackBerry line is about a lot more than having a full keyboard.

And incidentally, there has never been a massively successful MVNO, either, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped the backers of Helio from trying.

Markoff taking a quote from Dayton on texting is bizarre as well, considering that other than Helio users (which are few and far between relative to the general cellular user base), the vast majority of folks doing SMS are typing on regular mobile phone handset with 12 typically tiny keys, not full keyboards. Nokia and others do quite well selling phones which aren’t centered around texting.

]]> By: Mark Wendman http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-309962 Mark Wendman Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:12:43 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-309962 I am guessing that a quick fix to typability / speed of same is to use a removable transparent gelpack adhered plastic film to serve as a mechanical mask to permit faster typing in the touchscreen - by limiting stray key signals from overlap. That might be the ticket for a simple fix for usability. I am guessing that a quick fix to typability / speed of same is to use a removable transparent gelpack adhered plastic film to serve as a mechanical mask to permit faster typing in the touchscreen – by limiting stray key signals from overlap.

That might be the ticket for a simple fix for usability.

]]> By: Yuri Ammosov http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-309906 Yuri Ammosov Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:58:39 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-309906 Another and a much better substantiated report here states that TouchFlo works alright. http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/htc-elf-en.shtml and here's a video showing how TouchFlo actually works (attn: 22 Mb avi) http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/image/htc/touch/video-review/scroll-in-programm.avi Another and a much better substantiated report here states that TouchFlo works alright.
http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/htc-elf-en.shtml

and here’s a video showing how TouchFlo actually works (attn: 22 Mb avi)
http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/image/htc/touch/video-review/scroll-in-programm.avi

]]> By: Brad Bowers http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-309668 Brad Bowers Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:19:30 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-309668 This is the exact problem I alos identified with the iPhone. As a business user who regularly uses my phone (Cingular 8525) for email, the on-screen keyboard simply won't fly. For consumers, and the youth audience, I agree that this could also be an issue. However, the younger set seems a bit more flexible to try and adopt new things. Overall the device looks great, but the lack of keyboard makes it difficult to see how this would work well for any business user who uses their phone heavily for email. This is the exact problem I alos identified with the iPhone. As a business user who regularly uses my phone (Cingular 8525) for email, the on-screen keyboard simply won’t fly.

For consumers, and the youth audience, I agree that this could also be an issue. However, the younger set seems a bit more flexible to try and adopt new things.

Overall the device looks great, but the lack of keyboard makes it difficult to see how this would work well for any business user who uses their phone heavily for email.

]]> By: Preston http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-309248 Preston Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:57:48 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2007/06/14/the-iphones-potential-downfall-lack-of-mechanical-keyboard/#comment-309248 I honestly can't imagine this keyboard working as well as most consumers are accustomed. That being said, I applaud apple for taking such a large risk on a technology that if received well will forever change the way most of us interface with our PDA's/phones.... I honestly can’t imagine this keyboard working as well as most consumers are accustomed.

That being said, I applaud apple for taking such a large risk on a technology that if received well will forever change the way most of us interface with our PDA’s/phones….

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