How about Windows phone version of this beautiful phone?

[Paul Verizzo]

Well, OP, you opened the floodgate.

I had a Nokia 6xxx, a TDMA on AT&T basic phone ca. 2000. With a new job and needing decent calendaring and other functions, I discovered the Nokia 9000il, the first of the Communicator series. Nokia's own version of Motorola's brick. Coworkers were amazed, email, everything. It develeoped a charging problem, so I bought a 9290. See Nokia 9000 Communicator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for both phones. Bottom line, the 9290 is still my favorite phone I've ever owned, acknowledging its now tech limitations. Very easy and intuitive Symbian 80 OS, a keyboard that I've actually typed out long documents during a boring lecture. Rock solid operation. Never a fart or a reboot. Granted, they did fail after time, I must have owned four, finding replacements as needed.

Time to move on: the AT&T Nokia 9300, an unlocked and updated version of the 9290. Never acknowledge as a Communicator, but it did the walk and the talk. It died one day, thank you Square Trade. Never owned a 9500. Went on to the E90 and Symbian 60. What a horribly unintuitive system, and the KB keys were too close together and no feedback, but at least they were there and it worked. Last of the clamshell flip phones, I think.

Detour to Android with a four line slide out KB, hardly worth the effort. Came back to the last Symbian, touch screen ^3 OS on a TM Nokia C7. Also the last phone that could use all the features of the Nokia Ovi/Suite/Whatever programs. Text from a full size KB, etc.

Anyway, I've come to accept that physical KB's are now history except for those few Motorola Droids. One idea I had was one of those $10 mini BT keyboards on eBay. With a large enough belt case, it fit with my C7. Sadly, it never could completely connect to either the C7 or my WP 810. But it works fine on two relative's Andoid. If it works, it's a good solution for that real KB craving.

Will we ever see a real KB Nokia again? I doubt it, but I'd be happy to be wrong. Too many consumers think smaller form factors are the Holy Grail. I had a little Samsung (never again) that I could hardly hold in my large male hand. I'm happy with a clunker like the 9290.

Ah, memories.

 

[krox1105]

The N950
A developer device but looks so classy!
The best feature about such hardware qwerty devices is the slide tilt.

 

[krox1105]

The N950
A developer device but looks so classy!
The best feature about such hardware qwerty devices is the slide tilt.

 

[snowmutt]

I'm sure there is a reference to it out there somewhere. I'm not going to look it up. I'm just basing it off memory.

You remembered correctly.
Microsoft files patent for interchangeable-devices phone

And it is just one of the million of really great ideas that has yet to be done anything with.

 

[snowmutt]

I miss physical keyboards. Period. I bet a ton of people do. Know why I think QWERTY went away?

1) Phones got a little too clunky. I do not think big or heavy will keep users away, but overly chunky does. It has to be thin-ish to be comfy in the hand. Physical keyboard's just required too much girth at the end of their run.
2) Physical keyboard's became the "mid-range" option. Honest- go look. I think the last one to have a really high end feel to the device was the Photon Q on Sprint, but it recieved no love due to it's launch being buried by Sprints iPhone launch. Otherwise, to get a keyboard you had to settle for a little lesser screen, processor, and therefore performence. It was like they were aiming for feature phone converts and teenagers inlove with texting, but no one else.
3) In this day and age of gaming and multi-media, users NEED a bigger screen. If it isn't 4.5" or better with high def, users do not feel they get the same experience with their videos, streaming media, or Angry Birds addiction. Physical keyboard's just never came with a good sized screen (Again, the exception was the Photon Q with a 4.3", high def screen.)

I absolutely think a Physical keyboard device could rock the mobile world again. Devices are thin enough now there would be no real trade off in girth. High definition, larger screens are common place enough to fit one with a keyboard could be done. And let's face it: Everything old is new again. A Physical keyboard would be unique in every circle but BlackBerry's crowd. And doesn't Nokia and MS want those disenchanted BB users anyways???

I still miss my keyboard. I truly do. It has been 2 years, and I still miss it. I would not move to a device I didn't like just for one, but I would sure take a couple trade offs to get one. Give me a 4.3" inch, higher res device like N97 and I am forking some cash Nokia's way.....

 

[waazzupppp]

I think something like the N71 would be a good seller with a portrait QWERTY if the OS wasn't as 'touched based' as it is. The biggest problem with "live tiles" is that they need real estate to show them off. Most of the portrait QWERTY phones have a 3"x3" max area for a screen. That would be insane for running anything but mini tiles.

Moving to something like the "Touch Pro" series, this makes more sense (throw the N95/950 in this batch too) for something like Windows Phone. Even the Motorola Droid (OG) thin slider would be a good move here. Of course, sales history shows that these don't move well - or at least the Arrive didn't move well on Sprint. That said, the previous version of the Arrive - the Touch Pro 2 sold like gangbusters. So to say that the keyboard is dead isn't really that accurate...

I would think the best option to do an NFC/Bluetooth keyboard case (maybe a clip in) that folds open to use... I love the WP keyboard, but I really do miss that amazing keyboard on my old TP2... That said, maybe Nokia could come up with a way to update the 950 and release a device with a 41MP camera, physical keyboard, 4.5" HD display phone with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $299-$399 (or $799 off contract)...

 

[cj-m]

I think smartphones lost a lot of their uniqueness in terms of physical keyboards and other differentiating forms, such as clam shell, slider and identity when the relevant manufacturers started chasing the "golden standard", ie iPhone.

Say what you want about iPhone, but they have in many ways set or dictated what the user wants or the user experience, not the user dictating what they want (and this is shown in how everyone is still using the iPhone and ecosystem as a standard). This is why we ended up with slabs and slabs of look alike phones. In terms of form factor for example, I think the Lumia range is the only one slightly different from the iPhone and Sammy iPhone look alike range.

That is why I think we lost a lot when phones, like the N900, N950 and E7 disappeared. There is nothing wrong with a physical KB, and with screens in excess of 4" nowadays, using a physical KB will be justified. I am also fairly sure that there are plenty of developers and tech, both field and office, types who would really be happy with a physical kb.

But, at the end of the day, as has been mentioned before and beaten to death in Maemo Talk forums, kbs are a personal preference and the majority of people don't know about them and the minority who do and want, well...is that minority big enough to bring in profit?

 

[krox1105]

I think smartphones lost a lot of their uniqueness in terms of physical keyboards and other differentiating forms, such as clam shell, slider and identity when the relevant manufacturers started chasing the "golden standard", ie iPhone.

Say what you want about iPhone, but they have in many ways set or dictated what the user wants or the user experience, not the user dictating what they want (and this is shown in how everyone is still using the iPhone and ecosystem as a standard). This is why we ended up with slabs and slabs of look alike phones. In terms of form factor for example, I think the Lumia range is the only one slightly different from the iPhone and Sammy iPhone look alike range.
....

But, at the end of the day, as has been mentioned before and beaten to death in Maemo Talk forums, kbs are a personal preference and the majority of people don't know about them and the minority who do and want, well...is that minority big enough to bring in profit?

Apple's really good at that. It doesn't give people what they want, but tell people what they need. And people go crazy about that *new* feature which Apple introduces with a new iPhone or iPad. Siri is a great example. No one really needed a virtual assistant before it, but now they can't live without it.
iSheep have really polluted the tech world. Let apple include a hardware Kb in the next iPhone, and I can't personally guarantee you that not one phone from another manufacturer will come out without the hw kb. Its a shame.


About that minority thing, you said that the majority doesn't know about them. Well how about a new Lumia with a HW qwerty and proper advertising? I think that would be effective because as mentioned earlier by some, they would love to see HW QWERTYs back.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

@snowmutt, I'll buy you a beer and we can cry in them. Some good observations.

Obviously, cost is a huge issue, as manufacturers try to keep costs down. Most touchscreen users now probably came from the old ten key front pads, pushing buttons, texting predictively. They have NEVER know the joy, speed, and accuracy of a real KB. The industry is giving consumer Soylent Green and telling them it's as good as it gets.

The other day I was trying to text someone my address. This is my WP. I live on Sylvan Drive, and it would NOT let me go there. Kept changing it to Dylan, I could not force feed it otherwise.

IIRC, before I bought my 810, I saw that the 97's were still selling for around $200. There's no telling about personal valuation. I've also seen my beloved ancient 9290's selling for almost $100.

Beauty is in the eye of the eBay buyer......

 

[WanderingTraveler]

I tried out the Q10 yesterday, and the E6 a week back. Here's what I have to say.

Bring it back! Granted, I'd like an E6-style device, or something along the lines of the N95 or E7, just one last hurrah.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

I tried out the Q10 yesterday, and the E6 a week back. Here's what I have to say.

Bring it back! Granted, I'd like an E6-style device, or something along the lines of the N95 or E7, just one last hurrah.

Well, that's a Nokia model I'd not run across, the E7. A later model of my "Blackberry" styled E73. The latter is Symbian 60 based, the E7, Symbian ^3. Actually, I thought the latter OS was touch screen based, like on my Nokia C7.

While my WP was in the shop, I used my E73. It wasn't a terrible experience, and the little KB was a better option that on screen WP or anything else. Just mi dos centavos. And the hardware based Wifi Calling was flawless.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Well, that's a Nokia model I'd not run across, the E7. A later model of my "Blackberry" styled E73. The latter is Symbian 60 based, the E7, Symbian ^3. Actually, I thought the latter OS was touch screen based, like on my Nokia C7.

While my WP was in the shop, I used my E73. It wasn't a terrible experience, and the little KB was a better option that on screen WP or anything else. Just mi dos centavos. And the hardware based Wifi Calling was flawless.

I've run across an E6 once, and I convinced the girl who owned it to give it to me, partially because she hated it...
Anyway, as for the E7, it's a great device, just quite slow.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

All this discussion reminds me of a Bruce Springsteen song, My Hometown. He's referring jobs, but it might was well be longing for phones we've known and loved.

"Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they aint coming back to
Your hometown, your hometown, your hometown, your hometown"