Smart Phones & Stuff

peckinpahhombre · Jan 5, 2014

I love Apple products. I have a Macbook and an iPad and think they are both fantastic devices. However, for a mobile phone, I have always used a Blackberry because I need a physical keyboard. I am constantly sending e-mails when I travel or am at meetings, and I just can't get used to a touch screen keyboard. I test drove an iphone recently, and loved the thing, but just couldn't live without a physical keyboard.
At the CES in Vegas, which starts this week, a new product is debuting: http://typokeyboards.com
On the link above, check out the video on how the thing works - pretty cool.
For me, I think this will be a game changer, since it will allow me to get an iPhone and still have an integrated physical keyboard.
Now, Blackberry isn't at all happy about this development: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/blackberry-suing-ryan-seacrest-backed-typo-in-dispute-over-keyboard-design/
Tonight I pre-ordered the new Typo keyboard and also ordered a new iPhone. I want to get my paws on the keyboard as soon as possible, in case Blackberry gets an injunction to prevent their sale, as I suspect they might try to do.
Just thought I would share this in case there are any other techie geeks out there.

ghost · Jan 5, 2014

Thanks for the link Peck! I switched to iPhone last year, and the keyboard is the only thing I miss from Blackberry. I bought a Bluetooth keyboard/phone case for the iPhone before, and returned it within a day. It was way too heavy. This looks like a smart design.

peckinpahhombre · Jan 5, 2014

Yeah Ghost, there are a few bluetooth keyboards available for the iPhone, but the reviews on them are universally horrific.
I believe this keyboard is not blue tooth - it is a hard connection through the base port. Pretty cool, I have to say.

woodsroad · Jan 5, 2014

@$99 I'll await reviews, but this looks good.

peckinpahhombre · Jan 5, 2014

Now I'm not sure - it may be bluetooth after all. I can't figure it out based on what is there. Will have to wait and see.

flmason · Jan 5, 2014

Peck:
When in a convenient environment you could dictate emails using the SIRI feature of the IPhone. Obviously you would need to type if in a meeting. This feature might be helpful when you are in your office at your desk.
A good company case-mate. I bought a carbon fiber case for mine that works great. Cost about $40.00

brdavidson · Jan 5, 2014

I'm the same Peck, always had a BB but I just couldn't handle the crappy apps and that I constantly had to pull the battery to reboot. However I despise everything Apple and decided to go with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and I love it. The screen is large enough that I often don't use my tablet anymore and the added function of the pen is great. I got used to the keyboard on the screen pretty quick. I'm a big guy too so the puny iCrap screen is just too small to be of any use to me.

love2smoke · Jan 5, 2014

Love my Z10. Next update coming any day now will allow full support of Android apps. That keyboard that Ryan Seacrest funded is a blatant copy of the Q10 keyboard and hopefully is stopped in its tracks.

brian64 · Jan 5, 2014

I would hate to use a miniature keyboard, but this thing looks pretty cool if it really works. Of course you’d have to be sitting at a desk or table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0qARDGJj1w

blueeyedogre · Jan 5, 2014

I always liked blackberry but never had any luck with them. In 2 yrs I went through 5 blackberries, 3 different models, and they all got sent back to RIM with programming and mechanical issues and they were replaced each time. iPhone has worked without issue for me.

philobeddoe · Jan 5, 2014

I love my iPhone 5 and used to be on it constantly, but it sits in pocket more often than not since I got my iPad mini. Having constant access to the internet, an eReader etc. has become invaluable to me.

rmbittner · Jan 6, 2014

My first smartphone was the first Motorola Droid, because I thought I had to have a physical keyboard. Never used it.
After I got the first iPad in 2010, Apple utterly hooked me. My next new phone was the iPhone 4S, and I'm now on the 5. Yes, the onscreen keyboard can be a little frustrating at times, especially if you're trying to go fast, but I can certainly live with it. If you're trying to type with both thumbs, it definitely helps to turn the phone and get the landscape keyboard. (And on the iPads, you can split the keyboard for even easier thumb typing.) Don't forget that you can actually avoid the keyboard entirely in many instances by turning on dictation; the speech-recognition is fantastic, in my experience.
BTW, once I got the iPhone, I became a committed Apple fanboy. I'd been using my iPod Classic since they released the 160Gb version. But I've since added a MacBook Air, 27" iMac desktop, Apple TV, and iPad2 upgrades for me and my wife. (We're still rocking the 2, even as I look longingly at the new iPad Air. But the 2s still do what we need...) And this was after 25+ years in the MS-DOS/Windows world.
Bob

shortyeastcoast · Jan 6, 2014

Every Android user should install SwiftKey.
It will blow your mind with its text predictions. You can often type entire sentences with just a few taps. It gets better over time as it learns how/what you type.

ghost · Jan 6, 2014

I'm definitely heading towards where Bob is, I'm getting hooked on Apple. I have an iPad and iPhone that I use for work, and they are so intuitive and easy to use. I still have a non-Apple laptop (typing on it right now) but my next laptop will be a Mac.
I still have a desktop PC mind you, that I use strictly for music. I was going to switch to Apple, but that would have involved switching over all my music programs, DAW, and VSTs. My brother in-law builds PCs so he made me a killer desktop for my home studio, incredibly fast so I'm good for a few years for that...

peckinpahhombre · Jan 6, 2014

Ghost, my stereo system runs on Amarra: http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/amarra_player
I love this set up
All my music consists of high def Flac files

rmbittner · Jan 6, 2014

Not to hijack the thread, but. . .
ghost wrote:
"I still have a desktop PC mind you, that I use strictly for music. I was going to switch to Apple, but that would have involved switching over all my music programs, DAW, and VSTs."
Me too! Unfortunately, mine's a 2005 Sweetwater-built Windows XP machine (running Pro Tools) that is definitely on its last legs. I'd love to switch to an Apple machine -- either an iMac or the new Mac Pro -- but that would require a huge investment. First, there's the machine itself. Then I'd need to upgrade Pro Tools. I'm running two UAD cards, so I'd need to either add external card storage or switch to the UAD Apollo interface. Never mind upgrading all of my plug-ins (Waves, McDSP) for a new, Mac-based system. All told, I'd be looking at a starting cost of around $10,000. And since music is only my avocation, it just can't be justified at this point.
Still. . . I dream. . .
Bob

namuna · Jan 6, 2014

+1 on the SwiftKey. If you can't/won't get the hardware keyboard, SwiftKey is a damned good choice for a software keyboard.

rmbittner · Jan 6, 2014

namuna:
SwiftKey is Android-only. No third-party software keyboards can replace the default Apple keyboard. (Some apps do include their own specialized or enhanced keyboards, but those keyboards aren't accessible outside of those host apps.)
Bob

brian64 · Jan 6, 2014

I happened to come across this today. I don’t have an iphone, but if I did I think I’d probably want one of these:
TREWGrip Mobile QWERTY

http://www.trewgrip.com/

shortyeastcoast · Jan 8, 2014

I'm an Apple hater.

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