We recently published an article by Stephen Radochia that explores BlackBerry’s software and how BlackBerry Limited was ahead of the curve, with Android only just catching up to some of the better security features from the defunct company. did. Google still has a lot of work to do compared to what BlackBerry was doing over a decade ago, but what I miss most about BlackBerry is its hardware.
Yes, we’re talking about a physical keyboard, trackball, and square screen. So let’s reminisce as we explore what was so great about BlackBerry’s hardware and why these features need to be brought back in Android form instead of just adding the same features all the time.
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1 A physical keyboard makes a big difference
Tired of inaccurate touchscreen keyboards
No matter how good the predictive text on your software keyboard is (I often turn it off because it often feels like it’s getting worse as the years go on), you can turn your eyes off the screen if you want. You can’t let go. This is to check whether you have written it correctly. Blindly swiping and clicking can be a recipe for disaster, especially if what you’re trying to convey is important.
In fact, there was a time when you could type accurately even when you took your eyes off the device, but that all had to do with using a physical keyboard, and BlackBerry happened to offer the best features in the industry.
BlackBerry’s physical keyboard is not only fun to type on thanks to the great clicky feel of each key, but the shape of each key allows you to feel where your fingers are, and after a little use you can actually type accurately. I was able to. I’m looking away.
I miss those days. I miss my BlackBerry keyboard. Sure, Android has come out with some devices with physical keyboards over the past few years, but even those have become obsolete, and instead, most Android smartphones are rectangular glass, which for me doesn’t work quickly and accurately. is difficult to type. .
I’m very happy to see Android OEMs do away with full-screen devices and offer more phones with physical keyboards. Take a page out of BlackBerry’s book and brand it as a business device with all the security executives expect. That market didn’t disappear with the demise of BlackBerry. I’m sure I’m not the only one who misses the days when physical keyboards reigned supreme.
2 Who needs the inaccuracy of a touchscreen when a trackball exists?
Imagine not having to fight with the screen to place your cursor.
Have you ever tried to highlight and copy text on Android? Getting the cursor to the right position can often be a nightmare. Granted, Android does offer the ability to move the cursor when placed, but I found it to be too sensitive and overshoot frequently.
As someone who frequently cuts and pastes for work and play, I can’t stand how inaccurate cursor placement is on Android. Hearing this makes me feel nostalgic for the days when cell phones had trackballs built into them. BlackBerry was the very company that brought this design to the mainstream.
Precise positioning of the cursor was very easy to achieve using the trackball. The balls lit up with small movements, making tasks like cutting and pasting easy on BlackBerry devices. Sure, touchscreens are faster when selecting items on the screen, but the trade-off is greater precision.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have the best of both worlds without a ball and a touchscreen. My first Android smartphone, the HTC Hero, offered me exactly this. Cell phones from 15 years ago got this right, so why do modern cell phones do us a disservice by omitting mechanical input?
Android OEMs are allergic to adding moving parts to their phones. Look at the folding market, which recommends insurance, as the folding mechanism is expected to break. Why should manufacturers have to fight with inaccurate touchscreens to keep costs and repairs down? I said it’s time for OEMs to start looking for something different than full-screen devices. Not only am I bored to death with the design, but I’m also tired of its many limitations.
3 Square screens need to make a comeback
Not all screens need to be rectangular
Yes, we want phones back with smaller, squarer screens. The full-screen rectangle feels like it’s expanded, and if you want something more square, it leaves room to add something underneath, like a keyboard or perhaps physical game controls (I don’t want a Game Boy) (There’s no one there, right?) Telephone? ).
The point is that current form factors are boring and limiting, and OEMs need to mix them up. First on my list is bringing back a square screen that doesn’t take up the entire body, saving space for interesting hardware. Ah, I miss the early days of smartphones, when manufacturers were more willing to try new things.
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I think you could certainly make the argument that square screens are being made, but they just aren’t selling as well. But I would argue that the lack of choice in the current market has created a new situation in which there is little excitement, and as a result we buy mobile phones less often. Everything feels pretty much the same and my wallet is pretty much closed.
Maybe I’m an anomaly, but to be honest, I’m a power user and I just don’t feel satisfied anymore. I really hope that changes.
I really miss the exciting gear that Blackberry made.
Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic, or maybe my glasses are getting rose-tinted. But what I can say for sure is that modern cell phones are boring to death and that needs to change from the first thing on my list. The keyboard, trackball, and square screen returned to the smartphone design.
