This came out of left field. Al over at CIO.com spotted a replacement keyboard from TrueSupplier for RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry Pearl 9100 which shows a full keyboard labeled "OEM Blackberry Pearl 9100 Keyboard Keypad Black." Now this has started a whole flurry on the web since regular Pearl devices all come with a condensed two letters on each key SureType keyboard.
Kevin over @CrackBerry has managed to get some confirmation that the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 will actually come in two models. One with a full QWERTY keyboard and one with SureType. Personally I already find it hard enough to hit the keys reliably on the Bold 9700 compared to the spacious Bold 9000. I wonder what typing on a even narrower device will be like. On the other hand this would solve one of the biggest annoyances with the Pearl line which is the condensed SureType keyboard with no shortcuts.
What do you think? Would you get a Pearl 9100 with a full keyboard?
Cadillac Cowboy Not Registered
Posted: March 5, 2010 at 5:44 AM EST
Despite some fairly nice devices being released, I have always avoided the BlackBerry Pearl series like the plague specifically because of the SureType keyboard… I’ve used it once before and NEVER again!
A BlackBerry Pearl device with a “traditional” keyboard though? Now THAT is worth a closer look…
Michael Czok Not Registered
Posted: March 5, 2010 at 6:07 AM EST
But look at the upper corners of the keyboard, they are rounded.
So this keyboard can’t fit under a screen.
This shows us, that the new keyboard will be the first piece
that we have ever seen of the new Blackberry 9100 FLIP.
Further Reasons:
- FLIP is small enough
- FLIP has the call- und the menubutton over each other
- by FLIP the screen isn’t next to the keyboard, so that
the upper corners of the keyboard can be rounded as we
have seen in the picture
- the old FLIP isn’t listet by any carrier any longer, so
RIM will release a new one in a few month.
- The keyboard is sold as the Blackberry 9100 keyboard.
This seams to be right, but it only would fit in the new 9100 FLIP.
So the new FLIP will be called the BLACKBERRY 9100 FLIP
and I think it will have the same specs than the new 9100.
Regards Michael
Corey Davis ( View Profile) Moderator - Posts: 1044
Posted: March 5, 2010 at 8:32 AM EST
This would have to be a separate build. They could make a keypad to go into one with surepress. Wouldn’t work.
Will this be called the Bold 9100 due to the keypad?? lol. (Referencing the Tour2/Bold 9650)
DavidB ( View Profile) Guru - Posts: 1751
Posted: March 5, 2010 at 12:22 PM EST from my BlackBerry 9530
This HAS to be a Flip. Just look at the layout and do a comparison versus existing trackpad layouts. That site clearly has the model applicability wrong.
But I think it will be nearly as unusable as the portrait mode full QWERTY on the Storm’s. Ok for a couple keystrokes but forget serious text entry unless you have thumbs the size of a 5 year old.