More than a year ago, I wrote an article titled “Let’s Get Physical”, talking about how there is still a place for Physical Keyboards on a smartphone. More than a year has passed, and virtual keyboard technology has improved by leaps and bounds. BlackBerry 10 is now in the hands of consumers, and the first BlackBerry 10 device with a physical QWERTY keyboard will soon be release in Singapore. So, I thought this would a good time to revisit that topic. Is having a physical keyboard still worth sacrificing the screen size?
Let’s talk about its counterpart first, Virtual Keyboards. In the past few years, prediction engine for Virtual Keyboards has gotten a whole lot smarter at guessing what we are trying to type.
Take the BlackBerry Z10’s keyboard for example. The keyboard uses smart mapping to detect where you would normally hit when typing, and adjusts accordingly. If the keyboard detects that you often tap the “w” key when you want to hit the “q” key, the software adjusts the touch area ever so slightly to move the “q” button to the right so that you hit the right button. The keyboard can also learn from they way you have been typing, from twitter, Facebook, emails, SMS, etc. So it can better predict what you want to type. The way to select predicted words is brilliant too, and instead of moving your thumbs above the keyboard to select the words you want, the predictions show up on the frets on the keyboard and you just flick up the next word. This saves loads of time especially when trying to type in long and complicated words.
Then there are gestures. Swipe down to get to symbols, swipe back with one finger to delete a previous word, two fingers to delete two words, and three fingers to delete 3 words. Honestly, I believe BlackBerry 10 to have the best virtual keyboard today, even when compared to SwiftKey or Swype.
I am no stranger to touch screen keyboards as I was on iOS for a couple of years prior to switching to a BlackBerry. Eventually I had a couple of devices from other platforms as well. A couple of Nokia Lumia devices, and a couple of Android devices as well. To say I am faster on a virtual keyboard compared to a physical keyboard would probably be an understatement. Especially on the Z10’s awesome virtual keyboard, which I can absolutely fly.
So then why am I even talking about Physical Keyboards if virtual keyboard these days are so good? Why the hell would I consider sacrificing the bigger screen on the Z10 and switch to the Q10?
Here are a few reasons for me:
1. Accuracy - Physical keyboards are still more accurate. Period. Predictive input might be fantastic these days, but without a key that you can actually feel, you need to look before you can tap on the letter you want. With a physical button, you build muscle memory over time. Long time BlackBerry users will know this, that our thumbs seems to intuitively know where to go to find the letter we want.
There are still many instances where predictive input doesn’t play that important a role. Such as website addresses, passwords, and universal search. This is where a physical keyboard really helps. With the new 10.1 OS, there is a new Instant Action feature, which basically extends universal search to allow actions. If you want to post a quick tweet using the “tw” action, keep in mind that predictive input does not work for search, so having an accurate keyboard comes into play again.
2. Keyboard Shortcuts - No matter what, I think no one can argue that pressing the “T” key to go to the top of a webpage is much easier than continuously scrolling up. Especially on an extremely long page, or perhaps a better example would be an email inbox when you receive a lot of emails daily. Then there is the space bar which you can use to scroll down a page, which is definitely easier then a swiping action. If I am reading a long article, I can keep my thumb on the space bar, then just keep scrolling without ever needing to move my thumb a millimeter.
Also for heavy communicators with tons of notifications daily, its easier to use the “U” key to go the the next unread message, or simply pressing the “del” key to delete an item. And there are plenty of keys for developers to utilize and create shortcuts to make app navigation a lot easier.
3. Tactility - Well, this is a highly personal preference, but somehow there is a gratifying feeling typing on a physical keyboard that is not there on virtual keyboards for me. Typing becomes an actual enjoyable experience rather than a necessity. Though I may not be able to type as fast, I find that with a physical keyboard, the enjoyable typing experience actually makes me want to type longer.
All in all, I shall wait until I have at least used it for a week or two before deciding which is the better device for me. But I have a feeling that it is going to be the Q10. There are of course other things to consider, such as form factor and size as well, which I like on the Q10.
So… anyone else can’t wait for the Q10 to be released in Singapore?
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