What's special about Blackberry keyboards that every early slider phone didn't have?
I would love to have something like my HTC G1 again with modern hardware and screen.
this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2025
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The article is absolute trash for not mentioning this. "Their iconic keyboards..." is the closest it gets to describing them.
Thankfully, there is a link to the patent at the end.
Abstract
A keyboard comprising a plurality of transparent keys. In use, the keyboard is attached to a device such as a mobile device, to overlie a display screen of the device. One or more images displayed on the display screen are made visible to a user through the keys, which may be pressed by a user. User input is determined by identifying a pressed key, and the image or part thereof visible through the key when pressed.
Basically a detachable keyboard of transparent material as a display overlay, providing tactile feedback while the LCD allows for backlit and customizable key labels. I don't remember seeing a practical implementation of this IRL or in media but I might be too young for that.
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(4 replies)
The build quality and tactile feedback were much better. I never owned a BB but the keyboards were definitely something that I envied.
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It’s hard to explain. The keyboards they built just felt and worked better. They clicked just right, they had the shape right. Once they licensed out production like their Android branded phones it wasn’t as good.
There was a device called Typo that copied their keyboard exactly but attached to iPhone that was good but they must have really copied BB because they got sued into smithereens.
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Oooh I might look into that once my 3310 dies
Blackberry's design patents have expired as well. So you can go nuts.
Hah, yeah, I had a work one in latter days, too, and there was definitely a sense of weird self-importance associated with it you don't get from touchscreens.
I don't know if people reviling virtual keyboards would get much from it, though. Honestly, typing on it was just as annoying. I am probably faster and more accurate using swipe inputs than I was on that thing.
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I was pretty good with T9 back in the day, then the keyboard on the BB Pearl changed everything. I loved the keyboard on the BB Curve the best, banged out tons of messages with friends with BB messenger.
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Oooooh guuurlll!