Are QWERTY Keyboards the Right Match for Mobile Devices?

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=148' target='_blank'>http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=148</a><br /><br /></div><i>"While 2006 looks to be the year of the QWERTY keyboard on mobile devices, I wonder if QWERTY really is the most efficient keyboard layout for a mobile device or if there is something better that manufacturers could offer by thinking a bit outside the box. The QWERTY keyboard was designed by C. L. Sholes and patented back in 1878 so I think it is high time we took a look at why this layout keeps appearing on mobile devices."</i><br /><br />That's a good question; Is the QWERTY keyboard the best option for mobile devices? I'm inclined to say no. However, it's something that everyone is familiar with and that makes it an easier choice for new consumers. Most people have seen and used a QWERTY keyboard and therefor, they know what to expect when they see it on a mobile device. We've seen a number of different options over the years, but they never seem to make it to market. In the end, I think it's just too big a gamble for the device makers to go with an unknown text input method. FastTap did make it to market, but it's adoption has been limited, as has the reviews. What are your thoughts?

[PantherShade]

Consider this: The QWERTY layout originated to slow down typists. In the days of manual typewriters (I had one!), typing too fast would cause the keys to collide and magle.

A decade or two ago, with the proliferation of electric devices and memory, some designers came up with the DVORAK layout, which was designed to speed up typists.

Unfortunately, that layout didn't make much headway, due to users being unwilling to train themselves (or others) on a new layout.

I'd love to see cellphones adopt this layout, which could then spead into the PC world, but I think it'll end up as a case of "same old, same old". :(