There are five ways keyboards are presented on smartphones. Since they are not full-sized keyboards, there are often built-in shortcuts to help the user. For example, on some smartphones, pressing the space bar twice ends a sentence by entering a period and space. Just like computer keyboards, each type of smartphone keyboard has its own feel and responsiveness, which may appeal to one group of users and not another. See thumb culture.
Full Keyboard
A full QWERTY keyboard with physical keys. Although not full-sized typewriter keys by any means, all the keys are present.
Condensed Keyboard
Each physical key has two letters and depressing the key twice in rapid succession enters the second letter.
Numeric Keypad
A standard phone keypad has alphabetic letters on the numeric keys; for example, the "1" is also "ABC." In text mode, the appropriate letters are entered by pressing a key once or several times in rapid succession. With each key press, providing it is done quickly, the next letter in sequence becomes available.
T9 Numeric Keypad
The T9 method provides major shortcuts when using a numeric keypad (see T9).
Virtual Keyboard
A full QWERTY keyboard is presented on a touch screen. If the keyboard can be displayed in landscape mode, there is more room between the keys. See virtual keyboard.
Full Keyboard
A full QWERTY keyboard with physical keys. Although not full-sized typewriter keys by any means, all the keys are present.
Condensed Keyboard
Each physical key has two letters and depressing the key twice in rapid succession enters the second letter.
Numeric Keypad
A standard phone keypad has alphabetic letters on the numeric keys; for example, the "1" is also "ABC." In text mode, the appropriate letters are entered by pressing a key once or several times in rapid succession. With each key press, providing it is done quickly, the next letter in sequence becomes available.
T9 Numeric Keypad
The T9 method provides major shortcuts when using a numeric keypad (see T9).
Virtual Keyboard
A full QWERTY keyboard is presented on a touch screen. If the keyboard can be displayed in landscape mode, there is more room between the keys. See virtual keyboard.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Hands-on with the T-Mobile Samsung Behold II Google Android smartphone
- I like a keyboard alsoIt seems like a very good Android phone, but I like a keyboard also and I'm a T-Mobile customer looking for a new phone. I have a BB Curve. I'm looking for a good deal of the next month. Yep - keyboard is, well,...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-20
- Rumored HTC 'Dragon' Google phone to spar with iPhone, Droid
- The problem for competitors is that Google could throw a billion or more atmobile OS market including Android and ChromeOS. They just want a flood of cheap, very functional, very powerful mobile internet devices. They do not need ANY profits on the OS itself.Hardware manufactures like Palm, Blackberry, and Nokia...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-18
- Five ways Android could get into trouble
- the only danger lies with patents owned by Apple, M$ or other trolls.Without them, the sky is the limit!Good points! Apples success, and closed software, and AT&T exclusivity are what are giving Android a big push. Verizon ONLY accepted Android on their network to combat iPhone / AT&T for example....
- Discussion threads 2009-11-17
- Microsoft opens Windows Marketplace to Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 phone users
- Might be a reason to upgrade to WM6I've held off upgrading to WM6 from WM5 on my almost 3 year old Samsung Blackjack...might do that yet. Still, I've not ran into much that WM5 cannot handle, and if I do I can use my desktop when I get home....
- Discussion threads 2009-11-16
- Netbooks dead? Not when sales are up 264% percent
- My prediction:Intel and MS and the major brands are trying to drag the market upwards in size and cost to maintain their margins. They will shortly face a barrage of products based on ARM class processors and Linux (Chrome?), which will cost much less and have much better battery lives....
- Discussion threads 2009-11-16
- Samsung Behold II (T-Mobile)
- Photo gallery:Samsung Behold IIFirst announced at CTIA Fall 2009, the Samsung Behold II is Samsung's second Android device for the U.S. market the Samsung Moment being the first and T-Mobile's fourth Android offering. Based on the Samsung Galaxy Lite, the Behold II tries to set itself apart from the crowd...
- Product reviews 2009-11-13
- Dell launches Android smartphone; Inks China, Brazil carrier deals
- Compared to other Android offeringsit doesn't look like much. But it's only their first try.They do tend to try, try, and try againover the years they have moved into (then out of, then into again) different products or lines.Maybe if they stick with it they will eventually have themselves a...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-13
- Palm Pixi (Sprint)
- The debut of the Palm Pre got the tech world and gadget enthusiasts excited about Palm once again. Long considered dead in the water, Palm's innovative WebOS operating system buoyed it back into the spotlight, and the Pre was certainly a boon for the company as well as Sprint. While...
- Product reviews 2009-11-12
- Did you buy a Motorola Droid? [open thread]
- The only reason I said nois because it's not enough of an improvement over the G1 to justify breaking my contract. Once we start seeing Android on Snapdragons then you'll get my attention.My new after 2 doesn't come up until ........ April but when it does I am getting one....
- Discussion threads 2009-11-09
- HTC Droid Eris (Verizon Wireless)
- Editors' note: Portions of this review were taken from our review of the HTC Hero. The two devices share similar features. The HTC Droid Eris is the second Verizon Wireless' Google Android phone after the Motorola Droid. Where the Droid was flashy and high-end, the Droid Eris offers a simpler,...
- Product reviews 2009-11-06
- Peek releases $99 gadget just for Twitter
- Dedicated Twitterers (Tweeters?) have a new option for posting their 140-character thoughts to the web: the TwitterPeek. Looking a tad like a very thin Blackberry, Peek's Twitter-friendly gadget features a QWERTY keyboard, color screen and click scroll wheel. Available only on Amazon.com for $99, users get...
- Blog posts 2009-11-06
- Verizon's HTC DROID ERIS may be the best $100 smartphone
- Readers here know how much I enjoyed using the HTC Hero and now we see HTC coming out with its 3rd version of the Hero and IMHO the third time is the charm. I had a chance to hold and play a bit with the HTC DROID ERIS (Verizon's version...
- Blog posts 2009-11-05
- RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700 (T-Mobile)
- Photo gallery:RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700It's been about a year since the original RIM BlackBerry Bold made its debut, and while it remains a very solid device, it's about time that a flashier, faster model took over the reigns. And that device would be the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700. Not only...
- Product reviews 2009-11-05
- The iPhone is one of the best phones in the world, carriers with it are the problem
- far from perfect indeedIt's a great gadget...until it freezes and you have to wait several minutes while you reboot it. That is if you know how to reboot it, the first time is always accompanied with panic because you think the thing went dead. Don't blame the carriers,...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-04
- Hey HTC, where is your new QWERTY Google Android device?
- I hope not...I'm a G1 user and an avid typer/texter/surfer. I write notes, song lyics, and many other things on my phone, and I'm a tactile feedback -obsessee. In fact, the lack of a hardware keyboard is what kept me away from the iPhone for so long. ...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-30
- With Motorola Droid, Verizon puts doubts about Google Android platform to rest [review]
- Looks pretty nice, one comment on the article tho...[i]Further, Android 2.0 offers universal search, surfacing Web pages (history, bookmarks, etc.), contacts, applications and more all from the same search field widget. It?s a welcome addition.[/i]This is actually a feature of Android 1.6 and so not exclusive to the Droid or...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-29
- Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)
- Editors' note: Over the next few days we will continue to test the Droid and add the results to this review.You have to hand it to Verizon Wireless: though the Google Android operating system now extends to a handful of devices, the carrier was able to get the tech world...
- Product reviews 2009-10-29
- Smartphone wars; one platform will never rule them all
- UbuntuThere are enough potential customers out there, and enough open source software available for potential OS builders that you don't really need that much market share to remain vital.Mac OS has only a fraction of the entire computer market and Ubuntu only has a fraction of Mac OS's market share....
- Discussion threads 2009-10-28
- Motorola and Verizon announced DROID for 6 Nov at $199.99
- Gonna be an ugly season for retailersI don't see how many people still want to spend on these expensive gadgets / Win7 / iPhones.It will be worse next year with a proliferation of super cheap very functional Internet devices. Microsoft will find profit margines evaporating.Maybe the phone I've been waiting...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-28
- With BlackBerry Storm2, RIM wins the battle but loses the smartphone war [review]
- physical keyboards vs touch screensYour rant against physical keyboards was uncalled for and inaccurate. At this time, no "touch" phone exists that could capture the accuracy and speed of a physical keyboard. If you do a lot of emails, txt, or document processing, you will concede this point....
- Discussion threads 2009-10-28
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- The more you simplify, the more you save
-
When you transition from your existing Red Hat environment to SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, you can recognize dramatic cost savings, perhaps as much 50%
- Learn more >>
- Reduce risk. Reduce complexity. Increase reliability.
-
A simplified IT environment isn't just less complex. It's also more reliable. Standardize on a single Linux platform with SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, and get the world's most interoperable Linux
- Learn more >>
- Save time with automated shipping solutions
-
The Business Essentials Guide provides you useful tools and templates to help grow your business and save you time with automated shipping solutions.
- Visit the UPS Business Essentials Guide
- The best support in the Linux business
-
If Linux is going to power your mission-critical applications, you'd better have the best support known to business. Novell was rated the top provider of Linux technical support.
- Learn more >>
Meet Doc
-
-
Here to help you with your Document Management Needs
- Check out Doc’s Blog on ZDNet
- Help your company, help the earth I want to share with you the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator, which allows you to gauge your organization's environmental impact.
- Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You Anything we can do to reduce paper consumption is good. But what about the impact of digital waste?
-
Produced by
ZDNet and -
