One positive development of the past three years is the increasing frequency of touchscreen-only devices. Instead of featuring a physical keyboard somewhere on the device, these models feature a virtual keyboard. The advantage comes in size, as manufacturers can make the phone less bulky and therefore more attractive to consumers. The downside, of course, is the loss of such a familiar feature. Some people — and I used to and in some ways still do rank among them — want that physical QWERTY keyboard for composing messages. So where’s the balance?
The question of balance is the first thing that came to mind when I read Android Guys over the weekend and saw pictures of a new Verizon Android device. There are plenty of other pictures on AG, so make sure to check it out. I chose this one because I love comparison shots. The new Verizon HTC device, complete with slide-out keyboard, sits next to the HTC EVO 4G. They look similar in size, but the difference, obviously, is the big honkin’ keyboard that the Verizon device features.
The device itself looks like it will make some waves when it hits stores in 2011. The 1.2 GHz processor and 4-inch screen make this look like a winner months before it will get an official announcement. Yet I’m sure there will be some polarized opinions, the physical keyboard fans vs. those who think it’s a bulky nuisance. Thankfully, there will be plenty of options for both sides of the argument.
The key here is the 2011 launch date. There will be plenty of devices launched between now and then, on Verizon and elsewhere. Some of them will have keyboards, some will not. Some will have 1 GHz processors, some could actually go higher. The point is that we’re seeing so many Android releases in so many varieties that one single model doesn’t really matter. If you don’t like this device because the keyboard makes it too big for your tastes, well, you’re in luck. There will be another similar device that will meet your needs.
A device is a device. Having a platform that can cover many devices solves a lot of issues. This was at one point an issue for Android — developers had to work with many different OS builds and device specs — but as we move along in the evolution of the platform we’ll see those issues start to dissipate. So whether you want the sliding keyboard — I’m sure we’ll even see a portrait slider at some point — or a completely touchscreen device, you’ll have options. Plenty of them, it sounds, by the time this device hits Verizon.
Also, this brings up an interesting idea unrelated to the touchscreen/slider issue. The device is a world phone, containing both CDMA and GSM radios. In the comments of the Android Guys post, media maven Jeff Jarvis asked if it would be LTE. Chances are it is not, as we probably would have heard if it were. But since LTE is an evolution of GSM, it’s a possibility. Verizon, after all, plans to release an LTE Android device early on.
