Can you imagine a BlackBerry with a standard numeric keypad like the one pictured above?
Me neither…
I can, however, picture a BlackBerry with a standard numeric keypad and a a full QWERTY keyboard that swivels out.
As a matter fact, I think that they already have a name for it… The Siemens SK65
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That Siemens phone is pretty sweet. If only it were a BlackBerry.
That is exactly the kind of BlackBerry I want. I like the slim European form factor but wouldn’t have to settle for that crappy suretype that the BlackBerry Pearl has.
Any idea when this might come out?
It’s already out, and it’s called the Siemens SK65 with BlackBerry Build-In: http://www.blackberry.com/ap/products/builtin/siemens.shtml
I cannot imagine using such a phone…that QWERTY keyboard doesn’t seem so easy to use with the screen/numeric keypad stuck right in the center of that keyboard. I would imagine such a phone would only be good for limited text writing.
One point for all to keep in mind: just because a company files a patent for any given idea, does not in any way mean that they will ever bring the idea to market. Large companies routinely file patents on any and every idea they come up with just in case.
Thought,
I have never held a Siemens SK65, however, if it feels anything like the Nokia e70, it actually isn’t that bad. The e70 doesn’t have a swivel out keyboard, however, the screen sits in the middle of the right and left sides like the SK65 does when you fold it open.
Being 6’4″ and having pretty big hands, the keyboard on the e70, at least, was pretty comfortable from what I remember. It looks weird but my guess is that most folks would get used to it pretty quickly.
B.
It looks like the SK65 has been available in Austrailia and South Africa for some time, however, it is not clear when, if ever, it will be available in the U.S.