Smartphones with QWERTY Keyboards
Whether it’s planning business meetings, reading emails, tracking family schedules, surfing the net or playing games, smartphones can do just about everything for everyone. With a host of multimedia applications to excite every type of consumer, smartphones are no longer just the phones of the business user. PAYG deals are now making smartphones widely accessible to all.
Amongst the latest smartphones are the Motorola Milestone 2 and the recently launched Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro. Both phones have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard with actual keys, making a refreshing alternative to the touchscreen that is not to everyone’s taste. The Xperia Pro is the more business-orientated of the two phones whereas the Milestone 2 caters for the general consumer. The Milestone 2 currently costs around £350 SIM-free while the Xperia Pro will not be on sale till around April time so pricing has not yet been set. Customers looking to acquire the Milestone 2 for less should keep an eye out for up-and-coming PAYG deals. PAYG offers are currently limited on this new handset.
The Motorola Milestone 2 is in close competition with the HTC Desire Z, another Android smartphone also possessing the QWERTY keyboard. Reviews indicate that the HTC Desire Z has a better battery life than the Milestone 2 and also possesses free remote services, but the keyboard usability is far superior on the Milestone 2.
The Milestone 2 appears to be well-received by the public and critics. It is a slim yet sturdy design with a large 3.7 inch screen taking up nearly the whole of the device front. The phone is crafted mainly from metal giving it a solid, durable feel. The keyboard has a smooth sliding mechanism and the phone certainly gives the impression of a robust quality that will stand the test of time. The QWERTY keyboard features back-lighting. There is plenty of room for the keys because Motorola has replaced the directional controller from the original Milestone with smaller controls.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro, supporting video output and having a physical keyboard, is targeting itself to be 2011′s number 1 business smartphone. This Android handset has succeeded, as with the Milestone 2, to be a compact device, despite incorporating the QWERTY keyboard. Early reviews indicate the phone to be of a similar thickness and weight to other Android phones. The keyboard mechanism is also reported to be well-designed and less clumsy than the HTC Android slide-out keyboard. The keys on the Xperia Pro are reasonably spaced apart, considering the size of the device.
In addition to the sleek, easy to use keyboard, the phone is bursting with useful tools for the business user. The Xperia Pro has a micro HDMI port allowing connection to a monitor, projector or TV. The video output is compatible with any application, including the Office Suite Pro and the web browser. In theory, it could actually replace laptops in giving presentations!
It may be a while before handsets such as the Xperia Pro become available with PAYG deals, but there are plenty of PAYG options currently available for other smartphones, including those with QWERTY keyboards. Some of the best-rated examples of PAYG smartphones include the iPhone 4, the Motorola DEXT (with an Android QWERTY slide-out keyboard) and the Blackberry Bold 9700.
1 Comment
Cool! Thanks for posting.