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Android Smartphones With Physical Keyboards Aren’t Dead Yet

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It seems that Android users looking for a device with a QWERTY physical keyboard may have one more reason to savor their next phone upgrade. Rumors indicate that Verizon users could see the LG Enact as soon as this week.

Mobile industry insider @EvLeaks shared some rumored details about the device on the social network Twitter last night, saying that users could expect the LG Enact to feature a 4-inch WVGA display and a 5 megapixel camera.

While neither one of those specifications are enough to garner the attention of high-end smartphone users, the picture provided with those details depicts a phone with a landscape keyboard that slides out from the rest of the phone’s body. With the rise of the iPhone — and devices made specifically to resemble it — smartphones with physical keyboards have mostly died off, particularly on Android.

The LG Enact is coming to Verizon soon, according to reports.

The LG Enact is coming to Verizon soon, according to reports.

EVLeaks’ post didn’t include any information on pricing, however it did hint that the device could be “days away”. As the picture of the device indicates, when it does surface, it will be available to users on Verizon.

Android started out as the operating system of choice for powerhouses like the original Motorola Droid and Motorola Droid 2. Both devices were hugely popular with Verizon users, mostly because it allowed users who weren’t ready or didn’t prefer a touch keyboard, to still make the most of Android. Motorola tried to continue the tradition with the Motorola Droid Pro, a candy-bar shaped device that borrowed its form factor from the business oriented devices of BlackBerry. That experiment proved to be somewhat of a failure and since then, the amount of Android devices with keyboards has slowed to a trickle.

This isn’t a problem that’s unique to Android, there are no smartphones with QWERTY keyboards that run Windows Phone 8, even though the operating system supports them. Even BlackBerry has moved further and further away from flagship devices with physical keyboards. Although the company did release the BlackBerry Q10, it did so six month after it debuted it’s new BlackBerry OS operating system on the BlackBerry Z10, a device that used an on-screen keyboard just like Apple’s iPhone.

This year, there has been relatively little talk of fully powered mid-range or high-end Android devices with QWERTY keyboards at all.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Charles Goin

    08/21/2013 at 9:58 am

    I know I am still waiting a Dell Venue Pro style Windows 8 phone.. If the Dell Venue Pro could be ported to Windows 8 instead of 7.8 I wouldn’t have gotten a new phone. I think there are more of us out there that most think. I think if HTC created a DVP style portrait QWERTY slide, and got it on all four major networks, A LOT of people would be shocked at how well it sells.

  2. Jerry Stuckle

    08/21/2013 at 11:39 am

    @Charles, I agree. I think HTC is missing out on a good opportunity here (although I wouldn’t take a Windows phone if you gave it to me!).

    I do a lot of typing on my Droid 2, and am much faster on the keyboard then when using the touch screen. I can touch type on the keyboard – but have to watch the screen. And with my fat fingers, I’m constantly hitting the wrong key (or two keys simultaneously) on the touch screen, but have no problem with the keyboard.

    Sure, my Droid 2 is a bit thicker and heavier than non-querty phones, but I wouldn’t trade it for a touch-screen only keyboard for anything. It’s the main reason I’ve stayed with the Droid 2, even though my contract is up and I could easily upgrade. Plus, it’s still working great.

    When I do upgrade, I’ll definitely check out the Enact. It looks very promising.

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