Do you want a keyboard-less webOS phone? [poll] 100
by Derek Kessler
Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:28 am EDT
Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:28 am EDT 
We’ve been mulling the photo of the keyboard-less webOS phone for a while now. The device, which we believe to be the one operating under the Stingray codename, looks to be thinner and possibly bigger-screened than the upcoming Pre 3 with its sliding portrait keyboard. Frankly, we’re torn. Being webOS fans, we’re almost by definition forced to be physical keyboard fans, but the allure of a big thin webOS slab smartphone is almost too much to resist. So we’ll ask you instead: do you want a keyboard-less webOS phone?
100 Comments
I prefer a keyboard, but having a slab will definitely attract a lot of people. Some people will probably confuse it as a droid and might buy it on accident and love it.
Naw, it wouldn't be confused for a Droid. Everyone would confuse it for an iphone and then Apple will have to file suit against HP. :)
Apple is so sue happy I really wouldn't doubt that at all.
Anyway, all OSs have their weaknesses. iOS-too closed, customization sucks, no hardware choice(when it come to form-factor), it's Apple; webOS- few apps, current hardware isn't up to par with other smartphones; Android- battery life, 3D gaming sucks, laggy.
My favorite UI is webOS by far, then Android and then iOS. After HP releases these new phones the only thing that will be holding webOS back is app selection. Hopefully companies and developers will start taking an interest in webOS after they see the new hardware and if the new phones sell well.
Time will tell. Oh yeah, one more thing. SPRINT! please bring new webOS devices to your network!
What android phone were you using that you call the OS laggy? I'm running vanilla on a G2 and laggy is not a word I would use to describe android at all.
All I can say is that webOS will be on slab form factors. Just look at the changes on webOS. You don't need a keyboard to start Just Type. All you do is tap the top bar and start typing. They wouldn't put that there for no reason.
I am in the early access program and not only can run a virtual 3.0 webOS version for the TouchPad but you can also run a virtual 3.0 version with a screen size for phones. And guess what that has? I won't say but you can find out if you join the early access program.
It would need a much bigger screen though.
I'm all for physical keyboards but I know slabs in webOS will here "in the coming months"
I prefer a keyboard, but if early adopters gave overwhelmingly good reviews of webOS slabs and their on-screen keyboards I would re-consider.
hey if its on sprint, im willing to give it a try, especially it has higher build quality than the pre- refurbs. it'll be running 2.x so i can use my bt keyboard anyways
it occurs to me this picture looks a lot like this phone:
http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-s-4g-review
interesting, eh?
I prefer a virtual keyboard myself and would love to see this phone released!
I just want a new fricken' webOS phone already!
After having gone from my Pre- to a HTC Hero a keyboardless webOS phone would be fun. BUT it would have to be 4G for me to buy it...
I wish HP would come out with a 4G WebOS phone soon... like this summer soon...
Slabs sell.
It doesn't matter what the results of this poll, that is a fact.
Also, while it's great that Precentral users want something, if WebOS is going to grow at all, it has to provide beyond what Precentral users want.
End of story.
Sigh.
Several popular Android phones have keyboards.
Overall Android phones outsell IPhone.
RIMs Blackberry phones are almost exclusively keyboard devices.
We don't know how successful a keyboard IPhone would be vs a slab IPhone because Apple doesn't offer that choice. And many people get the IPhone for the Apps and other features. Some of whom would have preferred a keyboard device but settled for the Slab to get an IOS device.
Overall a large percentage of Smartphones do have a keyboard and get sold.
These are all facts.
Obviously the best way to cover most of the market is to offer a platform on a variety of form factors - including both keyboard and slab devices.
Android is already doing that - and winning atm.
The way you present those facts almost seems like you're trying to correlate androids higher sales over the iphone to suggest that keyboards are still more popular.
Slabs are selling more than keyboard phones, that's the direction the market is heading and it's not what HP is delivering. I agree with your last point that we need more choice, but again, that's not what HP decided to deliver.
You make more sense, in fewer words, than most Precentral readers.
Oh, heck no. Call me a dinosaur, but I like having the physical keyboard.
The reasons I prefer a physical keyboard are: tactile feel for the key/button locations, frees up screen for what's being displayed, and doesn't require me to change the orientation (portrait/landscape) of the phone in order to perform the typing.
amen to that
I cannot stand VK
As long as Palm/HP follow this mentality WebOS will continue to be nothing.
Matty, here is a cookie, go watch Spongebob and let the adults talk about phones.
And for you there will be a Pre 3. It doesn't have to be an either/or choice.
You and me both. Bring on that Phanerozoic Era-ending comet, baby!
Except I always have to turn my pre back to portrait to type something in when I am web browsing in landscape, or pause a game to search for something. Its a double edged sword with phys keyboard. VK's that orient themselves to YOUR position are less frustrating in this way.
For me, I like the physical keyboard, but more choices equals better.
You said it exactly. I personally like the physical kb but think giving people choice is a good thing. This poll needs another option.
"Choice is good!"
They should release it with and without a keyboard. How hard can it be to strap a landscape keyboard to the back of it and bam, you've got two models.
I voted for the slab, but am A keyboard man. HP/Palm needs other choice for the buyers.
Whilst I personally prefer a keyboard, I a all for HP/Palm having a slab phone as an alternative for the mass market
I like a keyboard but I want thin even more.
Considering that Palm has been a keyboard phone for eternity, and the slab is dominating this poll, just goes to show how huge the slab market is.
Huge design goof that they came out with the Veer instead of a slab to match the Pre3. While the Veer is *cute* it won't help them much or at all with increasing market share.
I've been bringing this up since I heard about the existence of the Veer.
Personally I would like to have a choice. Maybe this year I like the keyboard and then next year I want a webos device without a keyboard. The best thing would be to have a choice. I hate not having a choice. Like on Sprint all you can choose now is Android, WP7, and Blackberry. Hello I want webos.
If the phone has Swype, I prefer the virtual keyboard. Swype speeds my typing up a lot. Lacking Swype or a similar technology, I'll take a physical keyboard over a virtual one.
I have mixed success with Swype. In general I like it, but it doesn't always automatically use the correct appostrophe (i.e they're always comes up as theyre for me) and the word "ghats" show up rather than 'that's' and it will not allow me to delete it from the dictionary.
Yep, webOS + swype would be awesome. No swype and i go pre3.
A vkb might keep my wife as a webOS user. She wants a "prettier" phone.
Hmm...if it has a bigger screen than the Pre3 then yes. Either way, they ought to make it.
I answered "I don't know". There are pros and cons either way.
Virtual Keyboard Pros:
- potentially faster input since you don't have to overcome keyboard resistance to register a keystroke.
- avoides many mechanical pitfalls related to hardware (e.g. the Pre's oreo effect)
- keyboard mapping matched to language via software
- ability to develop alternative keyboards (e.g. swype)
Virtual Keyboard Cons:
- requires screen realestate - reducing the effective resolution of the screen when typing
- poor tactile feedback, increasing typing errors, increasing learning curve
I guess in terms of raw counts, I should have voted in favor of virtual keyboard. But if I put weights on each of the pros/cons, I think they come out about even. So... I still don't know.
The mechanical pitfalls related to hardware only apply to keyboard sliders. For phones like the Pixi, you get the keyboard without the hassle. Who knows, there might be a Pixi 2 coming down the line.
The learning curve is debateable. I've used virtual, portrait and landscape keyboards and my speed has always been faster on a virtual, while my accuracy has been better on hardware keyboards. It really relies on the autocorrect software to be on point. When it is and you learn to trust the phone there is no comparison.
with keyboard- i can sit in class and take notes on my phone... highly doubt that would be possible with on screen keyboard. i watched someone try to take notes on an ipad, and no joke...roughly every 10 letters he typed, he was hitting backspace 3-4 times- not ftw.
keyboard= accuracy, efficiency
palm pre 3 for sprint ftw
He should get a bluetooth keyboard for the iPad. I know I'm getting a bluetooth keyboard when I get the Touchpad.
Then he sucks as a typist. Also, its much easier to use only your thumbs when typing on a virtual keyboard vs all five fingers that you have to hover over the screen.
i want a pixi on steroids running webos 3.0
+1
my next phone will be keyboardless. I had a lot of problems with the keyboard on my pre minus just not responding or repeating keys. still do.
funny too cause a physical keyboard was a big reason i got a pre. I just don't want one anymore. And after using keyboardless phones i've found i can happily live with it.
Pre 2 has a vastly improved keyboard, and the Pixi still has the best keyboard of any phone I've had, better than Blackberrys I've used.
I don't have any interest in the Pre line of products as they are currently. i don't like the form factor. And until webos gets significant apps that i want it's not really an option. for me. The pre 2 has never appealed to me. I'm in the states anyways and they basically aren't for sale. I've barely seen an original pre in public let alone a pre 2.
But i don't have any interest in a phone with a keyboard. And honestly i've never like they keyboards on the pres or pixis. Not nearly enough travel. Plus if i got a phone with a keyboard i prefer a horizontal slider not a vertical one cause you get much more space for your fingers. But again i have zero interest in a physical keyboard on a phone so it makes no difference what changes they do or don't make to a keyboard or how good a keyboard is. I just don't want one, even the best out there.
Are you saying you want a physical keyboard? Couldn't tell from your post. =)
well sort of. ;)
but like rsanchez1 seemed to be trying to convince me that i don't want a software keyboard cause Pre 2 keyboard is "better" so i was trying to make it clear that that doesn't matter to me. people should get what they want. i have nothing against people that want a physical keyboard. i just don't anymore. get what suits your needs i say. :)
Something new on sprint. I don't care what kind of keyboard it has. I prefer physical keyboard, but @ this point I just want WebOS 2.x on a new phone. Not my Pre-!... Although I do like 2.1 on my Pre it's nice :)
I really don't care one way or the other if at least something comes to Sprint. Soon!
I'm on the fence. I've got used to the vkb on my Nook so it'll really depend on the layout, phone size/shape and how comfortable it is.
I looove one-hand thumb typing of a keyboard but the slider mechanism and volume of a keyboard are something I could live without.
Photo of a keyboard-less webOS phone? Let me remind everyone that we have yet to see that thing even running webOS. Put it next to a Pre and what, now it runs webOS? Please report it as it is, not as you want it to be.
I like the physical keyboard, the Pre has the perfect form factor for me. The larger Pre 3 will probably be the perfect size. But I would like to see a slab style WebOS phone, it seems a lot of people would like that style and would help push the platform.
But I can't text @ drive with a virtual keyboard...
that's a good thing.
I agree with you; I was being sarcastic.
Oh I know. I was really talking about other people who actually would not be joking when they say that. in fact what you say is humorous simply because there really are others that do that. **** i do it. it's just a bad idea.
Wow. I thought the slab vs. keyboard would be opposite (lots for both, but, I figured KB would still be higher).
I agree with the earlier comments: Palm should offer both options & let the consumer be able to have WebOS in either flavour.
Personally -- every time I use my Wife's iPhone, I want to fling it across the room when the slider keyboard fails to exist (can't stand the on-screen keyboard). Not to mention the lack of gestures, etc......
But: just because I hate it, doesn't mean others will (evidence: Apple sold a couple of iPhones recently).
I like a physical keyboard, no Pre3 on Sprint by June and I'm going to AT&T for the Blackberry Torch.
Simple things I want to do:
1. Set phone flat on table.
2. Turn on phone and search for something without picking it up.
3. Check a message notification and shoot back a quick "brt" or "lol" without using two hands.
This could be achieved with either a virtual option on a keyboarded phone, or a slab with virtual keyboard only. If the software is good enough, I think I could finally go without the physical buttons.
Sounds like voice commands to me. maybe i'm not fully understanding your point. Though my next phone is unlikely to be an Android phone i really have to admit when i got to use an EVO for a month the voice commands were very impressive. You could just say. "navigate to madison square garden" and it launched the navigation app and plotted the route. It was enlightening to see how useful that could be. My brother also sent all his "merry xmas" text by voice. I'd never seen that before. This may be coming to the pre 3 but honestly i don't remember.
if you want to attract the most webos users you want a variety of formats so the answer should probably be "yes."
more form factors means you appeal to a wider range of people. That means more customers, which means more people for developers to get revenue from which would hopefully mean more apps, and accessories, profits, that get pumped back into innovation.
I think it's fine to personally prefer one form factor over another. That's personal choice. But i think big picture you want consumers to have options so that a personal choice doesn't mean you're needlessly excluding people from being potential customers.
I don't use slab phones but HP should make one to diversify the webos portfolio.
I REALLY want a slab webOS phone. My first smartphone was the iphone, and I have no problem with typing on a virtual keyboard. I also just dont type that much, so having more screen and less body gives me way more utility.
Also, its not a zero sum game. You can give people both options!
>> I also just dont type that much, so having more screen and less body gives me way more utility. > Also, its not a zero sum game. You can give people both options!
A slab WebOS phone was a great idea... a year ago.
Sorry, it's just too late. It'll take over a year before we'd see one.
There should have been a poll option for Both a WebOS Keyboard phone AND a slab. In other words, two different devices. I'd want both. The more satisfied the masses are, the better.
The poll didn't ask what you think is best for the market - but what you would prefer for yourself.
Imagine that! A webOS world, in which you could choose a slider, a VK, or a candybar!!! You cannot convince me that this is not possible, nor that it isn't wise. You would put EVERY SINGLE POTENTIAL SMARTPHONE CUSTOMER into the mix. There can be no "I like the OS, but..." This MUST happen if webOS is going to gain any kind of a foothold.
Yes yes yes give me a slab
Not for me, but don't mind HP widening the audience.
The two forms I'd like to see are the Pixi and the Stingray. I'd love a physical keyboard but the slider just doesn't work well for me - too fragile - and the Pixi form factor requires a small screen to keep the size reasonable. The Veer takes the Pixi disadvantage of a small screen and adds the disadvantage of the slider keyboard.
1,2 GHz dual core, 1Gb RAM, 5" slab for me please!! (or 4.3", but anything less)
"1,2 GHz dual core, 1Gb RAM, 5" slab for me please!! (or 4.3", but anything less) "
That already exists, comes with a fold-out keyboad and is known as a Netbook.
:-)
I personally want the pre3. Plus I`am used to using the physical keyboard.But I still want them to provide options.So I still would like for them to release this phone.O and I hope this phone is`nt just for sprint and the pre 3 won`t be. I want the pre 3 to come to sprint.He P|C
Maybe you should put another option to the poll like I want the pre 3 or physical keyboard but I would`nt mind them releasing this phone either.
Make it so number one
I don't want one, but I would like for there to be one (as well as a landscape slider) to build more support for the platform, which I love.
That said, what I really want is as a WebOS device with updated hardware in the Pixi form factor. If that doesn't manifest soon (and it doesn't look like it will), I'm going to have to leave my 8+ years of Palm smartphones behind (I had a Treo 300 3 days before release). :(
The Dell Smoke is looking nice, if it ever actually condenses from the vapor...
I would LOVE to have GRAFFITI back .
I cannot imagine why on earth a Tablet wouldn't have graffiti as an input choice
I'm tired of the Palm Pre form factor, its boring, the Veer and Pre 3 are same'ol same ol, form factor: a big snore!
I seriously doubt they are gonna make much traction - Palm is barely, what??, 4 percent of the market?
Don't get me wrong, webOS rules. I'm on my second Pre. Bigger screen to play with is always cool!!!
Just my 1.5 cents worth.
I vote keyboard *ONLY* if it's as responsive as an iPhone. If it's going to have that terrible lag and pause effect, then NO! Then again, it's going to be very hard for me to stay with hpalm nevertheless. Too many overlooked problems and not delivering products fast enough/on time.
i think the prē3 might serve as a good middle ground for now. It has a screen size that is in the same class as the iphone. But we'll see if the back on that bad boy is flat enough for "table use". But really, a slab is inevitable. With the way webOS utilizes gestures they can differentiate themselves from the other slab/slates. But the VKB, along with word prediction and auto correction needs to be top notch. I also would like new and better options for moving the cursor and moving between fields. Hell, I would not scoff at some kind of trackball or dpad. Whatever it is, it needs to work well. Let's have every form factor! webOS will shine on any of them.
Please give us a Slab!!! It would mean better hardware due to less moving parts. Wouldn't it be funny if they release a Slab and it sell better than all the their current phones with keyboards and make makes WebOS more popular.
The only reason I don't have a pre is cause it doesn't have a VK!!!!!
Just look at how popular the iPhone is with it's horrible OS, just imagine how great the iPhone would be if it was running WEBOS.... so there fore a slab phone from HP/PALM is far overdue.
I've been using the evo for awhile and have fallen in love with the shape....but not android....everyone that uses android swears I've come up in phones can't tell me why my WiFi at home drops out when I'm on the phone and won't reconnect...So I would kill for this keyboardless phone !!
Having never seen a webOS device in the flesh, I am looking forward to the Pre3 since most Pre owners say the keyboard is really great.
However as a former iPhone 3G owner and current HTC Wildfire owner, I am used to slab phones and like their slim profile. Even the iPhone seemed a bit bulky after a while, and it was rally thin.
I'm worried the Pre3 may be too massive to fit into jeans pocket.
As such the slab device above does interest me, but the design is totally boring and frankly very ugly.
If HP plan on designing such FUGLY phones for webOS going forward, I think I'll get an iPhone 5 instead...
I love physical keyboards, but I'd sell one for Graffiti *1*. Shame I can use it on Android, but not on Palm... this d*** Xerox patent was ruled invalid like seven years ago...
It would be the first Phone out there without any buttons (exept volume and power naturally).
WebOS doesn't need any buttons, so how cool would that be.
Be the first in something...and for a long time.
Just a cool big screen and **** you button-dependent Androids/Iphonies!" advertised with a nice slogan like: "Who needs buttons anyway? Life moves fast, don't miss a thing."
*dreaming* ;)
i wouldnt mind a slab, if it a qwerty portrait keyboard, but also do like having the screen real estate with a physical keyboard
Options, options, options. This should be HP's chief thought in mind for new devices. Vertical slider, Horizontal slider, Slab, Candybar, Flip. New form factors we don't even have names for yet.
But please, get back to being first to market instead of late to the game. We've run gestures, multi-tasking, and cards into the ground, and it's time for something new.
I personally prefer to have a physical keyboard, but I love the idea of having a slab style option as well. I would love for HP to offer multiple options for their devices (different sizes, form factors, price ranges etc.). Everyone has different preferences for phones and I think more options will allow HP to do better in the mobile device market.
Before my pre, my previous 3 phones were blackberries... I NEEDED a keyboard. In fact I never considered the iPhone because a. it wasn't on sprint and b. it didn't have a keyboard. I thought that it was necessary to type without looking, but after recently switching to the Samsung EPIC, I find that the included swype keyboard is so good (even after a day) that I'm not popping open the keyboard as much as I thought I would be.
Conclusion... if the on screen keyboard is done well, a physical keyboard is not necessary. In my opinion, based on my experience.
Like others, I will ONLY take a slab if it has SWYPE. I have an iPhone 3G and the virtual keyboard SUCKS compared to the physical keyboard on my Pre. But I also have an Epic 4G and the SWYPE keyboard on that is better than having a physical keyboard. Also, a larger screen will require more battery power. So as long as they can get iPhone-like battery power on it (with SWYPE), I'm in!
You forgot the poll entry:
"Doesn't matter, just as long as it's WebOS!"
I want a keyboard, but I want HP to have this as an option for buyers. Just like I want a Pre-sized screen, but I want a big screen option for those who like that. (And also a Veer with a camera flash for those who want smaller.)
The survey doesn't let me answer that I want this device on the market, but I don't want to buy it personally.
I voted yes. I haven't had my Pre Plus for long, but I've gotten used to the keyboard pretty quickly. However, I'd trade the keyboard for a slimmer phone. If this phone doesn't happen then it's Pre 3 for me. A couple of weeks experience with Web OS is enough to get me hooked.
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I don't want a slab webOS smartphone for myself, but I want it to exist for those that do.
A physical keyboard is always best, but, for some, a virtual keyboard is good enough.
i think i will need to compare pre3 and stingray with each other first to know which i would take, because i dont like sliders (and never ever would buy a phone with a horizontal one).
the problem is, if they dont have something really amazing to offer next autumn, my next phone might be the iphone 5 just not to be left behind to whats state of the art.
Life moves fast, HP is trailing behind
A single slab device without modification can be sold in almost any country with only a software change to support the local input method.
A physical keyboard is (usually) limited to a single language while virtual keyboards can be switched between languages. This makes virtual keyboards more practical in regions with large bilingual populations. Asian languages, in particular, benefit from handwriting recognition (something Palm use to be a pioneer of) but when using a keyboard need switch the glyphs displayed on the keys (i.e. Zhuyin in Taiwan, Hiragana and Katakana in Japan).
Really, as a long time Palm user who could still probably write in Graffiti, I find it funny that Palm is the only major smart-phone maker that solely depends upon a physical keyboard for input. Palm proved long ago that a physical keyboard is not necessary.