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Smartphone Showdown: Touch Screen vs. Physical Keyboard
By Jason Gilman
Probably the single most important characteristic of a smartphone is its user interface and how it handles text input in particular. The strength of a smart phone is its communications flexibility, but to truly take advantage of its functionality you need a keyboard that you're comfortable with. Picking a smartphone that has a keyboard input system that's going to work for you is key. Platforms Lets breakdown the three major smartphone platforms by keyboard interface now. Blackberry - Predominantly physical keyboards on all models except for the Storm and Storm2 (which are also the only touchscreen models). iPhone - Touchscreen only and the best implementation of a completely touch interface and keyboard. Android - A good mix of phones with slider keyboards (Motorola Droid, HTC Dream) and full touchscreen only models (Google Nexus One, HTC Hero). My Experience Although my my wife and I have both had cell phones for most of the last decade, we didn't use text messaging much until we upgraded our phones to Samsung Gravity messaging phones about a year ago. While not true smartphones, their full slideout keyboards were a huge improvement over a conventional cellphone's numeric keypad. Suddenly texting was a pleasant and handy way to send quick messages to each other when we didn't have the time for a full call. Several months after happily using the Gravity and its keyboard I was assigned an iPhone 3G at work. I was happy to get it, but I had firm reservations about the built in touch keyboard. It was great to check my email and calendar, but I rarely used it to send text messages or type anything more than the shortest of email replies because of the touchscreen keyboard. I had grown accustomed to the physical keyboard of my Gravity and I liked it. A few months passed and I continued to happily use both phones at home or work depending on my circumstance. Then a funny thing started to happen. Slowly, but surely as I used the iPhone to surf the web, read my work email and keep up on the people I follow on Twitter my reservations about the interface began to disappear. I was becoming accustomed to the iPhone's keyboard and actually liking it. The iPhone keyboard did have a few advantages over the mechanical one on my other phone. It was usually much easier to find unusual punctuation and characters if I needed them and there was even a ".com" shortcut key when browsing the web. Furthermore the iPhone's built in text correction was really good on the fairly regular occasions that hit the wrong letter early on. On my other phone, when I made a mistake I always had to go back and fix it myself. Finding What Works For You Ultimately there's a learning curve for touch screen keyboards. If you've already had a phone with a physical keyboard, you're probably going to prefer one for your next smartphone has one as well. As I discovered it's certainly possible to switch to a touchscreen keyboard, but it will take a little more work than simply moving to another phone with a mechanical keyboard. If you're willing to put in the time to practice on a touchscreen you can make the switch, but if you're not interested in learning a new skill, stick to a Blackberry or Android model with a slider keyboard. On the other hand, if you've never had a smartphone before, going straight to a touchscreen model is probably the way to go. There are no physical habits to unlearn and the learning curve is not that steep. There are apps on both Android and iPhone platforms for practicing your typing as well. One last thing to consider is that touch screen keyboards can be used pretty easily with one hand, while most physical keyboards are easier to use with two. If you're a busy parent trying to keep a handle on your kids that could be a factor as well. In the end, my recommendation is to keep an open mind and try out a few different models that you're interested in to see just how well their keyboard interface works for you. There's no right or wrong answer, but there probably is a keyboard type that works best for you and only you can determine which one that will be. |
 
Practicing touch screen typing with The Thumb.
A quick note on the iPhone.
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 |  | onlineMD liked this intel. Apr 7, 2012 |  | | noline liked this intel. Apr 8, 2012 |
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Thanks for the info Jason. I guess someday I'll have to make that decision. Right now though, I don't text at all and have to need for fancy-shmancy extra stuff. Plus, you know... I think I have this fear of touch-screen tech of accidentally pressing something by accident. But I guess sooner or later I shall have to succumb to the inevitable. When that happens, having read your intel will help.
Regards,
Jim
Great and informative intel. I don't have much need for text messaging, personally. I find it cumbersome to do on a numeric keypad. My new phone has a small keyboard, which makes it easier. I suppose once you get used to a touch screen, it would be easier again. I tend to get in a rut and want to stick with what I know. I realize that's not necessarily a good way to be so I'm trying to be more open to new ways.
Great informative intel, Jason.
Thank you for keeping it in layman terms and showing the comparisons.
Best wishes.
Frederick
Jason,
Good information, it is interesting how phones have changed in the past few years.
Ruth
I am so used to yelling "DON'T TOUCH THE SCREEN! DON'T TOUCH THE SCREEN!" whenever someone starts pointing at something on my laptop's screen. Using the phone's screen to type is complete anathema to me. I just can't wrap my head around it.
 | | nick Jan 21, 2010 11:41 | |
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This intel was contributed by Jason G
Jason G
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May, 2012
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