Apps and Keyboard choice

[Curlyjim]

Hey all. I'm going to be moving to a smartphone soon. I'm new to all this and am really glad to have found this site as I know precious little about these wondrous gadgets. I am leaning back and forth between a Droid Inc and a Droid 2 (I'm on Verizon). One of the apps I want to use is project management. In looking at AndroidZoom, I came across an app called Mobile Project Manager. The screen shots look like it might be an app I can use, but the screens look as if they will need a lot of screen real estate.

The Droid 2 has the physical keyboard, but the device looks less than ideal in some ways (from reviews I've read). This would give max room on the screen for the app screens.

The virtual keyboard on the Droid Inc will take up a lot of screen space. I have no idea if this app (or apps in general) can 'adjust' for a virtual keyboard or how much that might distort (or shrink) the app screens.

So, I would be grateful for some feedback on this particular issue and also about apps and keyboard types in general (If that's possible).

Comments on this particular app or suggestions for other project management apps would also be welcome.

Many thanks.

Curlyjim

 

[MikeBinOK]

I know nothing of the apps you're speaking of, but I do use a mind mapping app called Thinking Space on my Sprint EVO, and I think it has similar needs to show off graphics. My advice is to go for the biggest screen you can, if you want to use one of these graphics-heavy apps. The 4.3 inch screen on my EVO could use some size increase.

I have a suspicion you'll lean heavily on your keyboard. Physical keyboards are great, but you might also look at some of the alternatives such as swype (if you can get it) or Swiftkey for heavy typing. I come from a past with Palm Treo and a brief sidetrip into Palm Pre, and I was nervous about giving up a physical keyboard, but it isn't bad. When typing "regular English" with Swype (i.e. not a bunch of URLs or things that aren't in the dictionary) I am faster with Swype than I ever was on my keyboard.

 

[takeshi]

What issue? A virtual keyboard will take up screen space. There's no way around that. If you want a physical keyboard to preserve the screen for your app then get one.

 

[Zorro1]

I use spreadsheets, and have finally given up using the physical keyboard. SmartKeyboard is so great, even has a cursor/num pad screen built by request! Yes, it takes screen space, but whether you can still use it well you can't know without trying it, sad to say. Maybe ask the folks at the software's site to send some screenshots using the screen keypad.

 

[Curlyjim]

Thanks much everybody. Zorro1, took your advice and contacted the developer...and...the direct approach works the best. He said MPM will work with any keyboard, but recommended a hardware one. Onward...

Curlyjim