Software Testing Blog

If you’re in the market for a new mobile device (and these days, who isn’t?) one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is whether to choose the physical keypad or the touchscreen.

As we learned from our most recent What Do uThink poll, most mobile users actually want both of them. In fact, 70% of respondents said they would prefer a device like the Motorola Droid or the Blackberry Torch, as opposed to the 20% who said they preferred the physical keypad only (e.g. Blackberry Curve, Blackberry Bold) and 10% for the virtual touchscreen (e.g. the iPad, iPhone, etc).

So, 70% of mobile users can”t be wrong, can they? Let’s take a look a few of the arguments (from the uTest Forums thread) in favor of each, then decide for yourself.

Physical Keypad
“I go with Physical keypad. The reason is I have experienced problems while using touchscreen keys. I love Physical keypad which allows me to type the message fast and call the number much quicker than a touchscreen. Also, my LG Android had gone for service because the touch screen was malfunctioning. For instance, when I pressed 3, it used to display 6.”

Hybrid
“I prefer a hybrid model as it gives me independence to use the phone as per my convenience. Also, it makes things much easier for me. If I have to chat or SMS I can use the keyboard feature, but if I have to punch in a phone number or username/password I can do it from touchscreen. Plus, different situations demand things differently so a hybrid model is a perfect one for me.”

Virtual Touchscreen:
Pros:

1. Does not take physical dimensions & weight, thus devices can be lighter & thiner, or can be larger with larger screens & additional physical buttons in return to that acclaimed space & weight.
2. Some physical keyboards can be used only on one orientation. Virtual keyboard will mostly work on both.
3. Easy keyboard layout navigation & usage – E.g. Input switch, Special chars (rather than hitting an Alt/Shift/Sym+Char), Smileys and other special inputs.
4. Languages support – As opposed to physical keyboard which can support 2 languages max, TouchScreen keyboards can support and unlimited amount of languages, so everyone can enjoy the languages keyboard of their choice.
5. Used device’s brightness setting thus can be visible at dimmed or low-light environments with no problems, as opposed to physical keyboards’ limited lighting.
6. Clarity & efficiency – Most touch keys use all sorts of key highlighting pressed button such as – Coloring, Magnify glass (e.g. iPhone), Vibration (E.g. Android)

So where you come down on this debate? Which type of device will you be leaning towards for your next purchase. In other words, What Do uThink? The comment section is all yours.