Research in Motion co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis didn’t actually say that the iPhone keyboard sucks, however, he did say, “The iPhone has severe limitations when it comes to effortless typing.”
“Big Mike” does bring up a valid point, but, so would anyone who came back at him with, “What about the BlackBerry 8800?”, but I digress.
Lazaridis, did, however, tell European reporters that “Apple undeniably accelerated the drive to smart phones. It educated the consumer to the benefits of these types of phones. We saw our sales go up with AT&T after the iPhone came out.”
So, Lazaridis isn’t really impressed with the iPhone, however, he is grateful to Steve Jobs for hyping the thing up as much as he did.
[Source]
I agree. Having had an iPhone for two weeks I would say that the keyboard did suck. I could just never get the feel for it because, well, there is nothing to feel. I think it is unique though and I would probably still have my iPhone if the call clarity and coverage were better. For now I will just stick with my 8703 (though I’d sure like Verizon to have a curve).
I guess I’m one of the few who actually have no problem typing on an 8800 series keyboard. I have long, skinny fingers and the keyboard of my 8830 suits them perfectly. To each his/her own.
Brandy,
Most folks that I’ve heard complain about the 88XX model BlackBerrys, myself included, are big guys with big hands.
I am 6’5″ with incredibly pretty large hands and constantly double key stuff in when typing on a BlackBerry 8830 that I have at my disposal.
I totally understand how the keyboard of 88xx model BlackBerrys can be uncomfortable to type on for individuals with larger hands. And it really sucks because many people are missing out on an overall great BB (in my opinion), simply because they can’t properly type on the darn thing.
No doubt there. As far as function, the 88XX is a great device. The design, in my opinion, is something less than desirable.
The big question of the day…the week…the month…when will Robb get his 8130 and give us a review?
The virtual keyboard on the iPhone really does suck.It pains me to see my friends doing the “one-finger type” when they used to happily thumb away on their BB. I’ve always wondered why, in the absence of typing in landscape mode, the iPhone doesn’t use (or at least give the option of using) a SureType-style keyboard. It would make it a lot easier to type on. PS-I’m a BB 8830 owner. And I hate the keyboard on it, too. Waiting for a VZW Curve.
I owned and used almost every Blackberry model and am currently testing an Curve with GPS. I also own an iPhone but deon’t use if for emailing anymore. Once you are used to the Blackberry the iPhone is not an option anymore. Well, unless you use it to attract girls…
You know what, Mikeo, I’m about ready to kick your Blackberry Perl to the curb. I’ve spent more than 30 minutes entering in a darn password and login for the gmail application which keeps rejecting it. I find the keyboard harder to use than the iPhone or the iPod touch and Perl’s auto-complete gets in the way. Give me the iPhone keyboard any day. At least it is usable for me. I had my gmail working on the iPhone in 5 minutes flat.
What’s the deal with the 8800?
My 8800 was perfect.
I own an iPhone.
I got used to the keyboard after a few weeks.
I can rock on that keyboard.
Like most of the reviewers say, you just need to trust the predictive text.