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The Phone-Makers Bringing Buttons Back

posted by Fnord666 on Thursday February 28 2019, @10:18AM   
from the pushing-your-buttons dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

BBC:

An Android phone that slides open to reveal a physical qwerty keyboard inside has launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The F(x)tec Pro1 phone also has a bespoke shutter button on the side to click when taking photos.

The London start-up behind it said it wanted to "return the keyboard" to consumers.

Other handsets with keyboards built in, from brands such as BlackBerry Mobile and Swiss firm Punkt, were also on show.

"A lot of consumer tech still has buttons even though the tech is there to get rid of them," said Adrian Li Mow Ching, founder of F(x)tec.

"Haptic feedback never gives the same satisfaction as pressing a physical button.”

Hosannah!

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Original Submission

• Thank the maker Thank the maker (Score: 3, Insightful) by braddollar on Thursday February 28 2019, @10:33AM (1 child)

  by braddollar (5445) on Thursday February 28 2019, @10:33AM (#808047)

  Thank the fucking maker.

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• Re:Thank the maker (Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday February 28 2019, @05:27PM

  by DannyB (5839) on Thursday February 28 2019, @05:27PM (#808202) Journal

  Yes!

  My phone before my first Android phone was a Palm Centro. I loved that teeny tiny keyboard. Even though I would look to press keys, the FEEL of the keys is TREMENDOUSLY helpful in accuracy.

  Later, I got a Captivate Glide which slid apart, like the phone in the article, apparently does, to have a physical keyboard. I really liked that. But I ended up not using it as much, because I had gotten used to "swipe" gestures to key in whole words.

  Now I use the voice keyboard a lot to simply dictate short messages, and the accuracy is pretty amazing.

  So now I wonder if I would want to go back.

  Oh, yes. A physical keyboard is still a bit useful if you have a Linux or possibly Termux app installed. But now that I use a Pixelbook with Crouton, I have little reason to put a Linux on my phone, even though my current phone has more specs than I would have dreamed possible ten years ago.

  If I wanted a keyboard for Linux, or other terminal use, I would probably use a small bluetooth keyboard to the phone. (Yes, I have done that before!)

  Fond memories of how I hated to part with physical keyboard. How awkward Android was at first without a keyboard. But now? I wonder if I would use it?

  --
  The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.

  Parent