Here at Clove we hear a variety of requests and provide advice daily to many people whether they are buying now or simply looking at the market to get an idea of what they might want to buy soon. One question we used to receive almost every day and still do, although admittedly not as often as we used to, is if we stock any Android devices with a physical keyboard. Once I could have pointed you towards the likes of the HTC Touch Pro 2 or Desire Z, now those Android sliders seem a distant memory
To some tech savvy consumers (who also happen to be a fair majority of the Clove team and our customers) the initial response might be along the lines of “A physical keyboard?? Why on earth would you want one of those on a new phone??” However when you stop and think for a minute the question really isn’t that strange. What does seem strange is why, when a year or two ago it was easy enough to pick at least one device from most major manufacturers to suit, there are suddenly no handsets, at least in the Android camp, that spring to mind.
Smartphones are the hottest toys in the technology world right now but they’re not the newest: the huge industry smartphone boom which arguably started with the original iPhone began a good few years ago now and the split between those with a smartphone and those using ‘dumb’ phones grows bigger every day. So surely this should mean manufacturers make devices which are accessible to all? Whilst “accessible to all” may sound like a sound bite from a company PR handbook, it is important and one factor that can actually hinder or stop a purchase for people.
Casting my own mind back to my first foray into a touch only environment I recall it being an alien and altogether unhelpful world. Of course I eventually “got to grips” with it and now wouldn’t be without a full touch device, however for many it is not so easy – recently trying to teach a family member how to use a new phone elicited many cries of “Oh I wish it just had some buttons!!”
It’s undeniable that physical keyboards add a level of tactile feedback to a handset that no amount of haptic feedback (vibrations) can rival. For those that are coming from many years of dumb phone use, probably with a standard numeric keypad layout, this can make the transition to new technology much smoother. For both text entry and device navigation the response provided from a ‘real’ button is an assurance that a) it was definitely pressed and b) something should have happened. They also massively improve the productivity of those that do a large amount of text input such as heavy SMS users or people that send a lot of emails and work well as work or business devices. So where did the keyboards go?
Putting a full keyboard on a device obviously adds a fair amount of weight and thickness. In a market where selling points tend to hinge on being sleek, slim, lightweight and all the rest, maybe a bulky phone just isn’t ‘sexy’ enough to compete. That may seem seem somewhat superficial but I would attribute it to being part of the reason for the decline.
After that also comes general popularity and a snowball effect. Keyboards were already a niche for Android devices and a risk. It can take many months and millions of dollars to design, develop, test, market and launch a new device across multiple territories. If a company is unsure it can break even then it is unlikely to be get past the initial stages and as less people bought keyboard laden devices the less incentive there was to make them. Eventually it is likely that the major manufacturers no longer saw them as financially viable projects and so they have almost dried up all together.
The Android keyboard isn’t completely dead, the Motorola Photon Q (left), based on the Droid 4 is a new dual core device currently available in the States, although it is part of a dying breed. There is a market for the Android experience combined with the productivity boost of a keyboard but very few manufacturers are willing to take the risk right now. It seems that for the time being at least, the sturdy old BlackBerry may still rule the roost here.
What about you? Do you own or used to own an Android device with a keyboard? Are you perhaps a BlackBerry that would maybe like to move to Android if they didn’t have to lose their beloved keyboard? Post your thoughts and comments below
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Hi,
have a s3 samsung , great phone but my hans are a little shaky and find it hard to hit right keys somtimes , would think a keyboard could be made to plug into the socket on the phone like a dock does to allow it to be used as well as the touch screen !!
Hi Jim
The full touch on screen keyboard can be a little fiddly, you might find the “swype” continuous input easier to use. Swype just lets you slide your finger across the keys, stopping briefly on each one so it intelligently works out the word you are trying to type. You can enable it in the S3 text settings – here’s a link to explain
http://www.phonearena.com/news/How-to-turn-on-Swype-text-input-method-on-your-Samsung-Galaxy-S-III_id31220
There isn’t an official dock for S3 but there are some universal bluetooth keyboards that work well. Just search for “freedom” on the main Clove site to have a look
thanks,
jim
While I’d take issue that the iPhone was the first smartphone, Windows Mobile was around before that, although not as finger friendly, I’ve had a series of devices with keyboards since around 2005 (I think):
- O2 XDA Exec
- HTC Touch Pro
- Motorola Milestone 2
- Motorola XT860 (imported from Canada)
Motorola seem to find a market, in the US at least, for their devices with keyboards, such as the Droid 4 and now the Photon Q, but it’s encouraging to see Samsung enter the frey with their Galaxy S Relay 4G. It would be really nice to see a UK release of one of these premium QWERTY phones so I don’t have to resort to importing a foreign model for my next upgrade.
The keyboard is very useful if you are typing names, and symbols, etc as they don’t work too well with on-screen keyboards that are very keen to auto-correct, plus there are some applications, e.g. remote desktop, where not having the keyboard take up real-estate on the screen is very useful – this is the problem with the Blackberry QWERTY format; the screens are simply too small.
I just hope we will get a decent slider QWERTY release in the UK soon.
Of course iPhone wasn’t the first smartphone, the point in the post was more that it kickstarted a boom in the industry that has made them so prevalent today.
Nice list, Motorola do seem to find the niche you’re right which is why I put the Photon Q at the end of the article and I remember using the Milestone you mention and thinking it to be a solid, well rounded device.
It’s a shame so few make it to UK market as there is demand, unfortunately it would seem just not enough for many of the manufacturers to ‘risk’ the expenditure of localising and distributing stock here
I guess you are right – I never considered the iPhone to be a revolutionary piece of kit, as I, and most of my colleagues, had already been using WinMo phones for some time prior to it’s release, but I guess it made Smartphones more accessible to the masses, so I can’t really argue with that.
I also think we are in agreement that we think the UK is left out with regard to the lack of slider qwerty phones. I remember the disappointment when reading your revelation that the Milestone 3 wouldn’t make it to the UK. The thing that makes little sense to me is that I don’t understand why. If there was a necessity to localise the devices then I’d understand more – the Milestone 2 keyboard was different to the Droid 2, for example, however, I can’t see any reason why the XT860 couldn’t have enjoyed a UK release. It’s not as though the symbols on the keys really match any “standard” keyboard layout, so the only localisation necessary is the inclusion of the en-gb locale, and a UK dictionary (both of which I’ve managed to achieve with apps from the marketplace, and a new version of Swype). Hardware-wise, there’s no connectivity issue (certainly with my carrier).
I think the biggest problem for Motorola’s QWERTY efforts is that they haven’t really been successful in getting a carrier to push their phones as part of the contract process. There are those consumers, like me, that are happy to go the extra mile to get the handset they really want, and consider the phone contract as something separate, but I think lots of people just don’t want the hassle, and simply want to turn up to their local Orange/O2/T-Mobile/Three shop, and pick a phone and contract, and be done with it.
Keep up the good work, and be sure to let us know if Moto or Samsung hint they may be considering a UK release of their slider qwerty offerings, and let them know that there are a few of us that would really appreciate a top spec Android phone with a proper keyboard.
Oh I think we might also agree that the iPhone wasn’t revolutionary in terms of what it could ‘do’. What it did have was slick marketing and an interface which was designed from the ground up to be as intuitive as possible – I might not like or use iPhones for many reasons but I can spot a quality UI design and appreciate the tactics employed to get the product ingrained in the consumer psyche.
The localisation is perhaps not the most important part of the process, it does cost some money but not a massive amount. The key is in the distribution which links into your comment about carriers. If a company wants to launch the device in the UK they will have a target either purely monetary or in device units that they need to achieve for the venture to be considered a success. Motorola could have, plucking a number out of the air, 50,000 units ready to give to the UK but before someone in the company gives the operation the ‘green light’ the purchase orders or letters of intent from the various retailers and resellers that are taking them need to have been received.
Carriers with stores like Vodafone, O2 etc, phone megastores like Carphone, and smaller retailers and resellers such as Clove all buy through a supply chain. We are at different levels in a pyramid but if our predicted sales and confirmed order numbers don’t all add up to whatever magic number the manufacturer at the top wants then the release is unlikely to happen. As you say the contracts are a huge part of this as if one or two carriers decided to take the plunge, set up contracts and market a slider on Motorola’s behalf then this would likely be enough of an intent to green light the release.
Of course with certain phones this isn’t the case – flagship devices and others that sit in a market space where they are expected to succeed are released without such a caveat. However if they fail, as some inevitably do, then the manufacturer is of course going to be unwilling to risk a repeat failure and hit to their profits with future devices. I think this may have been what happened to Android sliders in the UK – so many failed to meet projected targets and ended up as ‘failures’ in profit terms for the manufacturers involved that they are now very tentative when it comes to giving us more.
To your last comment – as always we have our contacts and if any information comes to light that we are able to share then the blog is usually the first place we make it available
Great response/insight. Thanks.
Oh can I add a HUGE *ME-TOO* to this. I’m still trying to upgrade froma Nokia 9300! Years ago I could remotely control computers and create dense spreadsheets, standing up on a train. Before that I installed the brains of fancy enterprise servers using a Psion 3 and a serial cable I pulled from my pocket.
Nowadays? I’m ****ed. Controlling a remote keyboard which needs lots of Control, Tab, Escape work? Entering formulas into spreadsheet cells a fraction the size of your fingertip? Utterly ****ed. Wireless keyboard? And what hand do I type with, with a device in each hand? Screen keyboard? Cool, now I can’t see myself work, at half speed. Blackberry? Neither a screen *or* a keyboard. Windows? *sob*
The Desire Z made me cry. The wait for the UK Milestone has been torture.
The discovery the Photon Q can’t take a SIM? Heartbreaking.
If anyone has a straw to grasp at I’ll gladly flail at it. I’m even contemplating *making* a pocketable screen/keyboard device now… madness cannot be far away…
Any news on latest gen sliders in the UK would be great – thanks!
None on the horizon unfortunately Dave
If you import one are they covered under warranty in the UK? and are they tied to US carriers?
Do you mean if we were to import from the US? We don’t have the supply channel unfortunately and only have ready access to UK / EU stock.
Also as you say they would likely not be under warranty here and may be tied to US carriers unless specified as SIM free
Ok – it’s been a few days – any sliders avail yet?
Ha ha afraid not Dave. Closest we can offer at the moment is the GoNote!
http://www.clove.co.uk/ergo-electronics-gonote-gnt10
I had a Desire Z and it was the best phone I’ve ever owned. I’m the kind of person who buys a new top of the line phone every year but after the Desire Z I’ve had a lot of trouble finding one w/ a tactile keyboard that has the kind of specs I’m looking for. This mytouch 4g is absolutely awful. I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t sign up for contracts. You’d think carriers would be happy to see someone walk in and buy a new top of the line phone for full price every year and then pay 100/month as a prepay customer so that they don’t have to subsidize the cost of the phone but T-Mobile ended my prepay program and convinced me to move to contract. Now, they don’t have any premium phones w/ keyboards… I’m thinking of paying to break my contract as soon as I find another carrier w/ my kind of phone so I can actually have what I want again. If I do leave T-Mobile, I won’t be coming back. I did the same to Verizon five years ago and haven’t looked back. I can’t stand AT&T which leaves Sprint. Help me, Sprint, you’re my only hope!
For me and others I know Tactile feedback wont be replaced by haptic feedback while we still have fingers. As you mention the drive to touch-screen only is more a marketing thing. Its far cheaper to produce so market it as a better option, and you get max profit from less costs. Many have fallen for this marketing thanks mainly to Apple, so we now have less for our money but the masses seem happy.
However I still use the sony Xperia pro and not likely to update any time soon, suppose I just ‘think different’
I’m glad it’s not just me and there are some like minded folk out there who’re looking for a new phone but aren’t happy with the choice on the market. Currently I have a LG GW620. I love its 5 rows of keys and although it’s meant to have a full touchscreen mine stopped working a year after I bought it (3 years ago) and I don’t miss it one bit. I joke that it stopped working through neglect since I automatically would always use the physical keys for every task. I’m going to look out for the Photon Q now as when I started looking to replace my phone 6 months ago the Droid 4 would have been my first choice if only it was available in the UK.
To be honest it was a pretty nasty shock to find the lack of choice and the unhelpfulness of all the UK networks and suppliers. My experience has been most salesmen trying to convince me of the virtues of the iphone, when I’ve specifically asked for an android phone with a physical keyboard. Occasionally a more helpful one will suggest getting a 2nd hand phone from ebay.
Well I just hope that in the future they realize more choice is better, not less. there are many demographics and while we tend to all want to belong to something, we are still individuals who do like to make our own choices.
I’m not sure the Photon Q will be of much use – I think the SIM card is only for LTE in the states, and isn’t replaceable with a GSM one.
I bought a Droid 4 about 4 months ago, and with ICS it works out of the box on UK networks, it’s even slicker if you root it, and remove some of the Verizon stuff. The only issue would be if I wanted to take it to the States – it wouldn’t work over there with my UK SIM in it.
With the prices of new ones being very reasonable on eBay, I’d certainly recommend it. It should even get a Jelly Bean update too some time in 2013.
I love my keyboards on phones and hate the soft equivalents. I’ve been using an HTC Desire Z for about 18 months but it has started to malfunction and Vodafone are being incredibly unhelpful about it. Prior to that I had a Touch Pro 2, then an XDA mini before that and a Blackberry before that …. It’s a real shame that there is no current model available. While I really like Android, I may revert to my Touch Pro on Windows M6 if Vodafone can’t get their act together.
Sorry if this thread is long dead and buried, been trawling the internet and found my way here looking for a decent new phone with a slide out keyboard. Im currently still using a HTC desire z and can honestly say its the best phone i’ve ever had. Im perfectly able to use a touch screen but frankly I just dont like it. Ive seen the Photon motorola have out but, being uk based, no chance I having one of those. Is there anything worthwhile coming to uk markets? Are HTC likely to make an edition of their new range with a slideout keyboard? Thanks.
Hi Dominic, don’t worry about bringing up an old thread. Unfortunately, the answer is currently no. You mention the Motorola Photon but this, like the DROID devices, almost certainly wont be seeing a UK release. It is a shame and we do still get requests for handsets with a keyboard, but it really just does seem that the manufacturers aren’t willing to release them in the UK at this time. Even the new BlackBerry, set to be announced later this week will be a full touch device.
If you are in the market for a new phone then I would suggest trying out a few of the newest in store if you can. Also, if the size doesn’t put you off, try using the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. A combination of the included stylus and a keyboard like SwiftKey makes text entry really easy
If I were you, I’d seriously consider importing a Droid 4. The downside is the lack of useable warranty, and an inability to use the phone if you travel to the U.S. but it does have the benefit of being relatively inexpensive.
Thanks for the advice, I’l have a look at the droid but may just stick it out for a while and see if anything new comes out later on in the year, here’s to hoping!
Hiya
For some reason that Samsung 4g Galaxy Relay is only available in the US strangely…..It is a QWERTY android phone but only available to US customers
Maybe once more networks here in the UK adopt 4g maybe we will see it here?
The Samsung Relay has poor screen and camera specs compared to the Droid 4. It’s a shame, but Samsung do seem to occasionally release QWERTY phones, but only as mid-range devices, and not in the UK.
full touch screen smart phne is not for everyone. i, for one is hoping that a smartphone with a physical numeric keypad, not qwerty, with navigation button will be made, they could put the nav keys beside the numbers.
i will be happy with small screen. maybe about 3 inches, as long as i can type fast and i can see clearly whats on the screen.