Death of the Mobile Keypad?

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49285216,00.htm' target='_blank'>http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49285216,00.htm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"If you're not familiar with the sentences 'The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human', then you obviously haven't tried to break the Guinness World Record for the shortest time required to type a 160-character SMS message."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Jerry-nokeypad.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />No matter what they come up with, I will always need keyboard entry. This article mentions two different replacements. Voice and new key layout. I'm always willing to try a new key layout but would never go to a voice only data input system. There are just too many times when speaking would be too distracting. Silently keying in a message is always a great option to have. While not the focus of this article let's do a quick survey.

[zilla31]

Super emphatic "no never" here. If you guys knew how often i'm sitting somewhere typing SMS, IMs, Notes, etc. in a place where speaking aloud would be wholly inappropriate (waiting rooms, meetings, conferences, hallways, planes, queues at stores, yada yada). Hard to imagine this is even a debate... I'd shoot myself if everywhere i went people were screaming into their PDAs (as if those damn push-to-talk phones aren't bad enough!!!)

[Mike Temporale]

Super emphatic "no never" here. If you guys knew how often i'm sitting somewhere typing SMS, IMs, Notes, etc. in a place where speaking aloud would be wholly inappropriate (waiting rooms, meetings, conferences, hallways, planes, queues at stores, yada yada). Hard to imagine this is even a debate... I'd shoot myself if everywhere i went people were screaming into their PDAs (as if those damn push-to-talk phones aren't bad enough!!!)

I agree! There's always a need for non-verbal input. I would like the option for voice, but there are times - a lot of them, where I just couldn't use voice.

[dh]

Voice input would be great for answering emails while in the car and when working at home. but a mechanical input method is essential as well.

I remember years ago using those little dictation machines for recording letters that would then by typed by some unfortunate secretary. I always felt really sorry for them having to listen to me and try to make some sense out of my ramblings :D

David

[Sven Johannsen]

I think options one and three are pretty much the same. While 1 indicates you would never give up your keyboard, it doesn't preclude using speech when appropriate. That's about like 3 which allows both. Not sure that those that picked 1 were indicating they would never opt for a voice input.

In any case I agree with the silence is golden sentiment. Even though the speech input capability of desktop pcs is pretty good these days, I am happy it is not catching on. It's annoying enough in cubical city to listen to all the phone conversations. Can't imagine having to listen to everyone dictate to their PCs and PDAs.

[Jerry Raia]

It could be fun though, you could walk by someone you don't like and yell out "Hard Reset". Think of the possibilities! :lol:

[stevew]

It's annoying enough hearing people using push to talk Nextels in restaurants and everywhere else. I don't want to listen to someone writing an email or sms message.