ipod/iphone physical keyboard

[dewy666]

do you reckon with the new release of the 3.0 sdk and all the api's in-particular landscape keyboard in apps and device developement it will be possible to create a physical keyboard that is open source to be used for applications:confused:

for example emails, notes, word processing
possibly slide out combined to a case or connected to a gamepad

please give your views

if this is in the wrong the please move it

Thank you:)

[WellSpentYouth]

I think the cool thing about the iDevice is the touch screen. If seems silly to get a touch screen and then add on a physical keyboard.

[dewy666]

I think the cool thing about the iDevice is the touch screen. If seems silly to get a touch screen and then add on a physical keyboard.

but just for speed of typing i love the touchscreen keyboard but it gets frustrating at times

[HardcoreEricXXX]

Go get a blackberry

[dewy666]

Go get a blackberry

no iphone is great for games now try play bia or ttr on your precious blackberry

[HardcoreEricXXX]

no iphone is great for games now try play bia or ttr on your precious blackberry

Get an iPod touch

[dewy666]

Get an iPod touch

i have one but i meant for this thread to be a discussion about the idea of an external physical keyboard not just saying get this get that

[PixelthisMike]

I would never consider an external physical keyboard if one were available. I find the virtual keyboard in conjunction with the automatic spelling correction to be pretty efficient and I wouldn't want my device any larger by adding a bulky physical keyboard to it.

[crimson.]

We don't want one. That defeats the purpose of the touchscreen. I type faster on my iPhones touchscreen than any physical keyboard. You just have to use it a lot and get used to it.

[GaiaIllusion]

I'm totally used to using the virtual keyboard on my iPod now, it seems rather pointless to learn over how to use a small tiny keyboard attached to the device I'm trying to listen to music or play games on.
It's definitely possible, but why bother when the whole point is the touch screen?

[HardcoreEricXXX]

i have one but i meant for this thread to be a discussion about the idea of an external physical keyboard not just saying get this get that

Well if you wanted the funtionality (word processing, email) and physical keyboard on a mobile device, you should of got a Blackberry. Then supplement it with an iPod touch for gaming and entertainment. Why carry 3 electronics when you can carry 2.

[antonioj]

You guys don´t get it. This could be good for long sessions of text entry, for example on a plane trip. Right now, making really serious text editing on the iphone is impossible. Having external bluetooth keyboards support, would effectively alow to use iphone/ipod touch has a netbook replacement. All other smartphone alow that, because even the ones with physical qwerty keyboards attached are not good enough for this purpose.

Besides, this would alows to use the entire screen for text viewing/editing, instead of having the virtual keyboard occupying a big part of the screen

[GlennX]

You guys don´t get it. This could be good for long sessions of text entry, for example on a plane trip. Right now, making really serious text editing on the iphone is impossible. Having external bluetooth keyboards support, would effectively alow to use iphone/ipod touch has a netbook replacement. All other smartphone alow that, because even the ones with physical qwerty keyboards attached are not good enough for this purpose.

Besides, this would alows to use the entire screen for text viewing/editing, instead of having the virtual keyboard occupying a big part of the screen

I totally get what you are saying but know for sure that I would not be interested. I used to own a Psion 3 and a Psion 5. Two machines renowned for their keyboards but i'm sure i'm 90% as quick on my iPhone. it's the multitouch that does it, it puts it way beyond any other onscreen keyboard and is about twice as quick as any T9 text input I've used.

I'm sure one of those neat, folding bluetooth keyboards that were popular on Palms etc. a few years ago would have quite a market among those who think they need a keyboard and are buying Blackberrys or G1s but i'm not sure it would sell well amongst people who have actually got to know the onscreen keyboard.

[crimson.]

It seems like no one agrees with you.

[dewy666]

i think it would be a great idea i didnt mean it for texting saying
how are you, what you been up to
and so on
i meant for properly writing
like stories reviews long blogs
e.t.c
and with the extra space you could maybe have a color changer font size and the auto correction on words would work the same way

[daveak]

Can't say I want a physical keyboard, but I see no reason for one not existing, in fact I expect one to appear, similar to the game pads that are starting to crop up. Something similar to the extended batteries that act as a case and plug into the dock to give you a slide out keyboard.

[Kamazar]

There's really no point seeings as there's no app that provides complete and seamless integration with Microsoft Office. You'd basically be getting keyboard for emails and texts. Emails, lets face it, if this is really important, the microsoft suite probably is too, and you have a blackberry. Texts are suppose to be under 160 characters, so...

[dewy666]

but what is to stop devs from designing an app like this though

[PixelthisMike]

but what is to stop devs from designing an app like this though

Well nothing really. Unless Apple decide they won't allow competition with their virtual keyboard :P

[crimson.]

but what is to stop devs from designing an app like this though
But what is the point if no one wants one but you?

[Tipop]

What I would like to see is a nearly full-sized keyboard that is flexible or collapses or something like that. Put a dock connector at the top so that the iPhone attaches like a laptop screen and you could actually do some serious writing on it. Smaller than a laptop.

[crimson.]

You already can just get used to the virtual keyboard. I type paragraphs all the time with ease. It's really not that hard.

[Tipop]

You assume I'm new to the iPhone. I've bought my first iPhone on the first day of release, and I've been using the virtual keyboard ever since. I still can't approach 120 wpm on it like I can on a full-sized keyboard.

You talk about writing "whole paragraphs". I meant real writing, not jotting down a comment on a message board.

[crimson.]

I never assumed anything, I just said you have to get used to it. There's a difference in buying something and mastering it. You're the one making assumptions. You said you can't get 120 WPM which obviously means you haven't got as good on the virtual keyboard as on a regular one. I type all the time on my virtual keyboard and I can type just as fast on it as I can on my regular computer keyboard. I said paragraphs not comments on a forum. Anyone that has an IQ above fourth grade level can tell that there's a difference in the two.

[Tipop]

Please keep your insults to yourself.

You say you're as fast on the virtual keyboard as you are on a real one. How fast is that? If your normal typing speed is "hunt-and-peck" then matching that on the virtual keyboard is no great accomplishment.

All I am saying is that it's impossible to type 120 wpm on the virtual keyboard. A quick perusal with Google shows that the upper range for iPhone typing is around 50 wpm or so. I have used it nearly every day since I got the iPhone, and I'm quite fast with it, but I still prefer a real keyboard for serious writing.