October 30th, 2009
Hey HTC, where is your new QWERTY Google Android device?
The T-Mobile G1 was the first Google Android device launched in the US (see my extensive review). HTC is the manufacturer of the G1 and IMHO they did a great job with the QWERTY keyboard with the spacing, functional custom shortcuts, and more. Over the past year we have seen a couple of other HTC Android phones with the HTC Magic/myTouch 3G and HTC Hero. We also now see several other companies launching Android devices with the Samsung Moment, Motorola CLIQ, and Motorola DROID. All of these new devices from others have physical QWERTY keyboards while HTC only has the G1 with a keyboard and the rest, including the upcoming HTC Eris, all having only a touchscreen interface. I love the HTC Sense found on the HTC Hero, but no matter how hard I try to accept a touchscreen only device I keep going back to a physical keyboard. Where is the HTC Google Android device with QWERTY keyboard?
I am hoping they are just waiting until the dust settles on all these new QWERTY keyboard Android devices from other manufacturers so they can blow my socks off with a Snapdragon-powered QWERTY Android device in early 2010. HTC has had years of experience with QWERTY keyboards and I think they did a good job with the G1 and an excellent job with the T-Mobile Touch Pro2 keyboards. I would love to see a device like the TP2 with a Snapdragon processor, capacitve touchscreen, slightly thinner form factor, and that beautiful QWERTY keyboard. Do you think we will see this eventually or is HTC sticking with touchscreen only Google Android devices?
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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