Cell phones keyboards: Keypad vs QWERTY vs half-QWERTY

Today I’ve got acquainted with the Nokia E55,  the half QWERTY candy-bar cellphone, a model that’s almost identical to the Nokia E52 (which I’ve review a few weeks ago), which has a normal keypad keyboard. As I own a Nokia E71 cellphone, with a QWERTY keyboard I thought of making a comparison of the three phones, which mainly differ by their input method.

Keypad input

So, the E52, classic input method, has the biggest keys of them all and it’s the best choice for people that have always used regular keypads and don’t have extravagant needs for text messaging or writing blog posts from their phone. That’s what keypads are for. Plus the form factor of the phone is not affected at all, the Nokia E52 currently being one of the thinnest phones on market today. Also in keypad case fewer keys means fewer things that can break and that’s always a good thing.

QWERTY keyboards on mobile phones

QWERTY makes no compromise

It’s the best choice if you write a lot of emails, do instant messaging or write blog posts/documents from your mobile phone. It a no compromise solution when it comes to input, but it has negative impact on the size of the mobile phone. My Nokia E71 is certainly the thinnest QWERTY phone to date but is wider than most candy bars like Nokia E52. I always prefer function over form, but not everyone is like me.

Half QWERTY shows that middle ways don’t always work

The Nokia E55 I’ve played with today is one of the worst choices if you want more keys and a small phone. It’s so bad that you type faster on a keypad phone like the Nokia E52 because you already know where the keys are. I’m not saying that a half QWERTY keyboard can’t be learned, but I couldn’t improve my speed in 10 minutes so I gave up annoyed by it: I hated it the first time Sony Ericsson introduced half QWERTY and I have it now when Nokia joined the club.

So, how do you feel about keyboards on mobile phones, what’s your pick?