Slider lovers, come dream with me or tell me I'm crazy

[oldpueblo]

Not to turn this thread specifically towards Sense, but Sense is far more than just a look. It's a deep integration that does stuff that I haven't seen imitated anywhere else, and it's stuff that I severely miss on non-HTC phones. I never realized how many things about Android I loved were specific to Sense until I used the Droid 1 and lost those abilities. Even if you change the launcher, you still get many benefits from Sense hooked throughout the device.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kax24GN1458

As for the Droid3, it's nice that it has that number row finally but the keys look the same. After using HTC keyboards that are the perfect balance between the light touch onscreen and the hard touch Motorola's, it's hard to use either. I'm almost tempted to get the HTC Arrive WP7 phone just to have it's keyboard, and then do all my Android stuff on a 7" tablet.

 

[darkmatter]

Here's a question though, if you have a phone as big as the Samsung Hercules (4.5 in screen), do you even need a hard keyboard, or at that size is a soft keyboard no longer a drawback?

That's what I used to think until I got a nook color. Even with a much bigger screen, I can't stand a virtual keyboard.

 

[geo108]

Wow, this didn't help at all! Looking to ditch my BB in favor of my first Droid.... but I really REALLY think I'd be a mess without the physical QWERTY. I'm holding out for the Merge... because I like the Sense UI, and think its keyboard is much better than the Moto D2.

Now starting to wonder if I'd be ok with the Thunderbolt, and its virtual keyboard.... plus Big Red sent me a $50 coupon today, which would bring the Bolt down to $200.

I guess I'm not really asking a question, just thinking out loud here....

 

[oldpueblo]

Two things make me hate virtual keyboards. How they obscure the screen while using them (sometimes you can't even see what you are typing), and the pressure feedback. Even on a large screen where there's plenty of room you still can't perfectly mimic a real keystroke which throws off my typing flow. Even with auto correct I find myself correcting stuff all the time, including the auto correct. I mean I can live with it as I'm doing so now with the Droid Incredible, but it's a constant annoyance that I can't be as fast and accurate as I was with the TP2 even six months later.

 

[srkmagnus]

Wow, this didn't help at all! Looking to ditch my BB in favor of my first Droid.... but I really REALLY think I'd be a mess without the physical QWERTY. I'm holding out for the Merge... because I like the Sense UI, and think its keyboard is much better than the Moto D2.

Now starting to wonder if I'd be ok with the Thunderbolt, and its virtual keyboard.... plus Big Red sent me a $50 coupon today, which would bring the Bolt down to $200.

I guess I'm not really asking a question, just thinking out loud here....

It's a tough questions since they keyboard is all about personal preference. Remember, the keyboards offered for Android are not like the Blackberry (except for the Droid Pro on Verizon and Samsung Device on Sprint).

Keyboards in most cases require two hands to still text, whereas the Blackberry can be done with one if you are good at it. I guess the same can be done with any Android device, but it may be a bit more awkward. I would suggest visiting the local Verizon store and playing with the devices. It doesn't hurt to do so now and become familiar with the devices being offered.