Qwerty Bar vs Touch Slab

Of course, there is much anticipation for the Samsung Captivate on AT&T, but also a bittersweet feeling in leaving the hardware qwerty again. Using this BlackBerry Bold 9000 keypad really helps me to realize just how much I have missed the qwerty bar form factor. Thumbs speeding away at the speed of light whenever I want to express an opinion in written form has been an amazing privilege. Considering how easy it is for me to get lost in this kind of activity for hours, one would think that a hardware qwerty is the epitome of mobile contentment for me. Sitting here and writing right now with such tactile comfort as music plays from connected headphones feels absolutely great from a blogging perspective.

However, from a functionality perspective, the qwerty bar form factor is not conducive to an efficient smartphone experience for my own daily routine. Being with the Nexus One and the iPod Touch has revolutionized the way I prefer to gather, create, and share content on a mobile device. Using fingertips to easily swipe one command and tap another seems to have been imprinted to the very nature of my being. A touch screen practically feels organic in comparison to a non-touch screen, and I wonder if I miss that sense more than the hardware qwerty feature itself. Even taking the Bold to use in a brief moment to check emails or Twitter feels like hard labor with the physical buttons and smaller display. With the added ease of touch can come speed, and I've learned this the hard way in learning the BlackBerry OS. While I understand that speed will eventually come from being familiar with this Bold, I am certain it will not be comparable to a touch OS. I can sit here and complain about how certain applications are not available or how some features are not present on the 9000, but it all comes down to OS performance and preference. Even if I had the Nokia E71, there is a likelihood I would be coming to this same realization.

I prefer the Android touch OS and its performance, there is no other way to declare it. This Google-blessed software along with included cloud data management has been an absolute godsend for optimum mobile proficiency. Being able to have PIM data synced without a hard wire computer connection has been such a freeing and enlightening experience after dealing with Missing Sync and .mac in past years. Adding to this priceless benefit is a growing marketplace, smooth graphics, and a huge variety of hardware and software conduits. While the latter benefit can be hampered with what is known as fragmentation, I believe it is better to have choice than to not. Quite frankly, Android touch OS grants a harmonious blend of iPhone-like touch performance and Maemo/Symbian-like functionality.

I would not be honest with myself if I did not acknowledge that hardware variety in the Android market needs refreshing with more tactile qwerty models. True, a majority of the masses may not be in the market for a physical qwerty paired with a large touch screen, but I am. A most recent phone has been the only one to manifest this desire: the Samsung Galaxy S Pro (aka Epic 4G on Sprint). To hold on to the perks of a touch screen and have the added pros of hardware qwerty buttons, the slider build pattern seems to be the sensible choice. There is a dominance of touch tablet form factors, and I am faced with hardly no choice but to accept that for now. Being financially limited to only units locked to AT&T for personal usage makes things worse, for I would even have to wait for upgrade eligibility once I get the Captivate.

While it will not be the best Android model available, this Samsung is the best that AT&T has to give at this point. Yes, I can be turned off by the prevalence of cheap plastic and lack of LED flash on the camera, but as my mother used to say, "beggars cannot be choosy". Moving back to AT&T as a new subscriber has happened just in time for me to take advantage of the subsidized pricing for this Captivate, and I can only be thankful. Despite initial complaints that may come with using it, I am aware that the full retail Nexus One option simply is not available. With that being said, there can surely be a number of potential good points. I can have a bigger 4inch screen with touch feedback comparable to (if not better than) the Nexus One, HD capable video recording, 16GB internal storage, and UI minimally mutilated by AT&T or TouchWiz. In this moment, I am reminded of a lyric from a Sheryl Crow song called "Soak Up the Sun": It's not getting want you want, it's wanting what you've got. In the situation of adopting the Captivate as my main Android device, I am hopeful for initial cons to be outnumbered by pros. Until more than the Epic 4G on Sprint is available to the public, I can only continue to wait with an Android tablet phone and be content with all that Google has created.

Yes, the likelihood of missing these buttons on this Bold 9000 will be extremely high as I walk out of the AT&T store after exchanging it for the Samsung, but that is life: compromise. My usage preferences have changed over time and may continue to change as time continues, and this occurs in a constant quest for balance. Weighing good and bad points and attempting to make them equal have brought me to bidding farewell to the qwerty bar form factor. Writing my words in durations of prolonged sessions may be a tempting prospect on such devices, but not enough to override my desire for the Android touch interface. Who knows, maybe the bigger screen on the Captivate will make for a more pleasant experience...or maybe I should cling more to my Mac keyboard if I want to write.

TRENT
Sent via BlackBerry Bold 9000