On-screen keyboard vs. hardware QWERTY keyboards

I've had the opportunity to use a variety of different smartphones. Some have physical QWERTY keyboard buttons. Others are slates that only have an on-screen keyboard. As I've compared different QWERTY keyboards, I've found that some smartphones (like the Palm Pre) have tiny buttons that are literally impossible to push unless you have small hands. Others (like the Motorola Droid) do not provide enough tactile responsiveness. This has been changed in the Droid 2 - which has a much better keyboard compared to the original Droid.

My favorite QWERTY keyboard was the one found on the HTC Touch Pro2.

Now that I'm mainly using the Motorola Droid X which lacks a physical QWERTY keyboard, I'm finding that the large 4.3" screen provides plenty of room for a great on-screen keyboard that is very easy to use when I hold the device horizontally and type using two thumbs. The Droid X also provides the option to use Swype so that you don't have to lift your fingers or thumbs off the screen as you enter text. Which input method do you prefer?

Slider vs. Slate?

If you've had several different smartphones over the years, perhaps you've owned a slider (slide-out QWERTY keyboard) and a thin slate that only offers an on-screen keyboard. We're seeing fewer candybar designs like the Palm Treo or BlackBerry that includes a smaller screen combined with a small QWERTY keyboard on the bottom.

So, slider vs. slate? If you're a Verizon customer and you're thinking about getting an Android smartphone, that decision could boil down to:

Slider: Droid 2
Slate: Droid X or Droid Incredible

If you do a significant amount of typing on your device, then it's imperative that you test the keyboard on each of the devices and physically try them out. Before I picked up the Droid 2, I thought I'd be relatively happy with the QWERTY keyboard. After playing with it for 5 minutes, I realized that I'd probably end up using the on-screen keyboard over the physical QWERTY buttons. So, if that's going to be the case, then why should I get a slider?

The large on-screen buttons on the Droid X are easy to use because the screen is so large. The Droid X is larger (wider and taller) than the Droid 2, but it's actually lighter.  5.47 ounces for the Droid X vs. 5.96 ounces for the Droid 2.

The Droid 2 is coming

Although Motorola has announced the new Droid X, there are rumors of an updated version of the Motorola Droid. This new "Droid 2" will be very similar to the current Droid, but it will have a larger, friendlier keyboard. So, if you want a slider that includes a usable QWERTY keyboard, the Droid 2 could be the device for you.

All the other major Android smartphones are being designed without a physical keyboard. If you can't stand the on-screen keyboard, then the Droid (or the Droid 2) could be your device. Current rumors seem to suggest that the Droid 2 will be released in August on Verizon Wireless. It should come loaded with Android 2.2 (also known as Froyo). 

Images of the BlackBerry "slider" smartphone

It looks like BlackBerry is finally coming out with a slider. This one slides vertically (like the Palm Pre) and features a full QWERTY keyboard. Imagine taking the BlackBerry Storm 2 and adding a hardware QWERTY keyboard that slides out. That's what this new device looks like. At one time, Samsung also made a few Windows Mobile smartphones that featured this type of form factor.

Why make a vertical slider instead of a horizontal slider? If you're going to browse a web page, you probably want your smartphone to be in a horizontal position so that you can effectively view web pages. However, if you tend to use your smartphone using one hand, then it really helps to have a vertical slider so that you can access the keyboard buttons with a single hand.  The problem with a horizontal slider is that it's difficult to type on those buttons using a single hand.

Image from Gadgetell.

My HTC Touch Pro2 feels HUGE compared the the HTC Droid Eris

Wow, my current HTC Touch Pro2 feels HUGE compared to the slim HTC Droid Eris. The HTC Droid Eris has a slightly smaller screen and lacks a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but it's still a great size for a smartphone. In fact, I think that if I were buying a new smartphone today, I'd get the HTC Droid Eris.

On that point, I just ordered an HTC Droid Eris for a family member. It's sad to see that Verizon really hasn't been promoting the Eris very aggressively. The Motorola Droid is a nice phone, but I personally think the HTC Droid Eris is a better phone for my needs. In the past, I used to prefer having a device that included a hardware keyboard. However, as I get more accustomed to touch-screen typing, I'm realizing that I don't need buttons to type.

Although I like my current HTC Touch Pro2, I don't think I'll buy another smartphone that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard in the future unless the device is really small and thin. A device like the HTC Droid Eris is probably the "optimal" size for an average business smartphone user. My prediction is that over the next year or two, we'll see such a wide variety of smartphone sizes. Some will be quite large with 5" screens and others will have a nice 3.2" screen.

World’s Thinnest QWERTY Slider

Which smartphone is the World’s Thinnest QWERTY Slider? The DROID by Motorola. I'm sure we'll see other QWERTY sliders that are thin and light in 2010. Will the Motorola Droid maintain the title in 2010?

The Droid has the following dimensions: 4.56" (H) x 2.36" (W) x 0.54" (D)
Wow, 0.54" thick for a slider is actually quite impressive. My HTC Touch Pro2 is 0.68" thick.

At 5.96 ounces, the Motorola Droid is also fairly light compared to my HTC Touch Pro2 which weighs 6.35 ounces. Of course, the HTC Droid Eris is really light at 4.23 ounces, but that's not a slider.

The Motorola Droid gets reviewed by Brighthand

Thinking about using a Google Android-powered smartphone? The Motorola Droid has been reviewed by the folks at Brighthand. It's a nice slim slider that reveals a QWERTY keyboard. Yes, it's so slim that you may not think it's a slider. This phone runs Google Android 2.0 which means that you'll get voice-guided turn-by-turn directions when you use the built-in GPS navigation feature on this smartphone.

Samsung Moment (Google Android) now at Sprint

The Samsung Moment is now available from Sprint. It's Sprint's second smartphone to run Google's Android smartphone operating system (the HTC Hero was the first). It's great to see a smartphone that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and an AM-OLED screen.

Although this device comes with Android 1.6, let's hope that it will soon get the upgrade to Android 2.0.

As we see more Android smartphones emerge, let's hope that all those medical application providers are quickly cranking out software that will be compatible for Android. At the end of the day, everything may turn into web-based software services and we may no longer need standalone apps that reside on a handheld. Once that becomes the norm, we won't worry about smartphone operating systems. You'll simply need a mobile web browser to access your medical references, calculators, etc. It will be cloud computing on a mini (or nano) scale: on your smartphone.

Samsung Moment on Sprint running Google Android

Sprint is about to get a Samsung smartphone running Google's Android operating system. The phone is called the Sprint Moment and it's a slider that has a full QWERTY keyboard. The device has a nice large 3.2" AMOLED screen (so it should be quite energy efficient).

One of the nice aspects of Android is that you gain easy access to Google's core services: Search, Maps, Gmail and YouTube. The major drawback for medical students, residents, physicians, and other healthcare professionals is the limited selection of medical apps for the Android operating system.

I have no doubts that Google's Android will be a successful smartphone OS. The major question is: where will it fall among Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and Palm's webOS?

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 looks like it's going to be a really nice smartphone running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5.

It's a slider with a full QWERTY keyboard. When's the last time you saw an 8.1 megapixel camera on a smartphone? HTC and Samsung are now facing some competition in the Windows Phone market as more manufacturers are creating smartphones that have similar capabilities. Will Windows Mobile 6.5 impress users? I'm currently using it, and I'm not that impressed. Hopefully, users will be more impressed by the hardware more than the operating system.

Palm Eos this fall?

The Palm Eos will be the next smartphone running webOS and it may get released this fall. This won't be a slider. Instead, it will roughly resemble the old Palm Treo candybar model. However, it looks like the screen will be larger and the keyboard won't be curved. I think of the Eos as a bigger, but thinner Palm Centro. I still think the Palm Pre will be more popular than the Eos, but maybe the Eos will appeal to those who want a really thin device.

Are Sliders the Way of the Future?

Don't you just love these simple terms? In my mind, smartphones come in 3 different designs:

• Smartphones that slide open a keyboard are known by some as "sliders." (not to be confused with the television show). They may slide open in a horizontal or vertical position. Some even open both ways. In some cases, the screen may rotate away to expose the keyboard (like the T-Mobile Sidekick).
  
• Phones that flip open are called "clamshells." (do they really look like clams?) Like sliders, they may open horizontally or vertically and some even open both ways.
  
• The standard phone that lacks any sliding or flipping parts is often called a "candybar." Plain and boring. No moving parts except for keyboard buttons. Care for Snickers anyone? The iPhone reminds me of a flat Hershey's chocolate bar.
  

One of my first phones was a Motorola StarTac (which was a clamshell). So, I used to have a Palm Treo 700wx that ran Windows Mobile. This was a rather thick candybar but I really enjoyed using this phone. I currently have an HTC slider that opens to reveal a keyboard. Sliders typically open either vertically or horizontally. Some even open in both directions. Newer clamshells also are being designed to open in both vertical and horizontal directions. Have you seen the Samsung Alias 2? That's a clamshell that opens in both directions.

So my original question was: are sliders the way of the future for healthcare professionals who need to use their phones for both professional and personal applications? Sliders offer a hardware keyboard plus a large screen. The major downside is that sliders are thick. However, the Palm Pre is a new slider that has a sleeker body and may set the standard that other manufacturers will try to emulate.