Yesterday’s quirks with today’s smarts
REMEMBER when Blackberry ruled the cellphone roost and power users prided themselves on their ability to churn out BBM instant messages, e-mails and even lengthy text documents at lightning speed, their thumbs a mesmerising blur over the addictive handset’s distinctive qwerty keyboard?
That all started to change in
2007, when Apple touched off the touchscreen revolution with the launch of its first iphone. In a few short years Blackberry had slid into obscurity, along with physical keyboards on smartphones.
But both have made something of a comeback in recent years thanks to TCL Communications, a Chinabased smartphone manufacturer and Blackberry brand licensing partner. Last year it made something of a splash with the Keyone, which combined elements of the original Blackberry phones, most notably the physical keyboard, with a touchscreen, squeezing both elements into an Android powered device that managed to look both futuristic and retro at the same time.
Now TCL has unveiled the next iteration of this phone called (no prizes for guessing) the Key2, and I have to say it’s pretty appealing.
As with its predecessor, the keyboard is the main attraction and brings a number of improvements to the Keyone’s already impressive keyboard. Key height on the Key2 has been increased by 20% for a more comfortable and accurate typing experience and includes a new matte key finish and fret design for better key spacing.
The spacebar still doubles as a camera shutter key and as a fingerprint reader, but there’s now a new “Speed Key” which gives users near instant access to up to 52 customisable shortcuts, like frequently used apps or calling favourite contacts.
As with the Keyone, there’s flick typing for faster messaging using predictive text and the keyboard is touch sensitive, so it acts as a trackpad allowing users to quickly scroll through emails, web pages and documents.
The updated aluminium frame offers a cleaner look and feel while increasing strength, and the soft-touch back has a new diamond pattern, which TCL says adds more grip and comfort.
The 4.5-inch touch display