There are some new patent drawings out for a possible HTC handheld that takes turns the concept of sliding keyboards a bit sideways. Of course this continues the quest for the Holy Grail of finding just the right keyboard. And in reality that is such a personal choice because what works for me may not work for you for so many reason. Intriguingly, in the article about the patents the author says dialing on a touch screen isn’t much fun. Maybe for some. Maybe not for others. In my case on the HTC Mogul, touch screen dialing is pretty much a no brainer and the keyboad is mostly for text entry. But that’s just me.

At least with handhelds, as with the iPhone, users can get into a retail outlet and try things out for themselves before buying. And that certainly helps when making a very personal purchasing decision. I’ll be curious to see if that happens when the MIDs finally make a debut later this year.