4 ms·

> physical buttons would be pretty cumbersome and would always feel like a poor hack. Except for typing text, of course, for which touch screens are worse. I n

> physical buttons would be pretty cumbersome and would always feel like a poor hack. Except for typing text, of course, for which touch screens are worse. I no longer write email on my phone, because typing anything longer than a couple of sentences on glass is too frustrating. In that way touchscreen phones have regressed from the experience I used to have with a BlackBerry.

digging 3y ago
Yes, that's true. Typing actually sucks. Frankly I don't like typing even on a tiny keyboard like a Blackberry's either, but it's for sure better than a touch screen.
- kristopolous 3y ago
  How would you fix it without violating the form factor? I've seen lots of attempts, such as foldable and rollable along with butterfly keyboards (ibm style, not apple) that clasp to the back of the phone and use a novel layout, but nothing really great.
  - digging 3y ago
    With current technology, nothing I can think of. Ideally, a touchscreen that can alter its shape to create tactile "key" bumps overtop a software keyboard but remain flat by default.
    - kristopolous 3y ago
      I've seen prototypes of those but nothing production. Here's one from 2009 https://www.wired.com/2009/05/prototype-display-combines-touchscreen-morphing-buttons/ https://www.wired.com/2009/05/prototype-display-combines-tou... It's not actually a hard technology. I've felt a few of them in person at various things like CES and SIGGRAPH. They're a bit jelly-like but aren't bad. I guess we'll have to hope Apple "invents" a revolutionary iButton feature for iPhone/2024 and then we'll finally get that because that's the Only Innovation Pipeline that exists It makes me almost want to work for Apple on their iPhone team to get them to knockoff the bullshit
kristopolous 3y ago
Back then we called them "crackberries" because you could do a lot on them. I mean we still have "crackiphones" today but that's a different meaning.

digging 3y ago

Yes, that's true. Typing actually sucks. Frankly I don't like typing even on a tiny keyboard like a Blackberry's either, but it's for sure better than a touch screen.

kristopolous 3y ago
How would you fix it without violating the form factor? I've seen lots of attempts, such as foldable and rollable along with butterfly keyboards (ibm style, not apple) that clasp to the back of the phone and use a novel layout, but nothing really great.
- digging 3y ago
  With current technology, nothing I can think of. Ideally, a touchscreen that can alter its shape to create tactile "key" bumps overtop a software keyboard but remain flat by default.
  - kristopolous 3y ago
    I've seen prototypes of those but nothing production. Here's one from 2009 https://www.wired.com/2009/05/prototype-display-combines-touchscreen-morphing-buttons/ https://www.wired.com/2009/05/prototype-display-combines-tou... It's not actually a hard technology. I've felt a few of them in person at various things like CES and SIGGRAPH. They're a bit jelly-like but aren't bad. I guess we'll have to hope Apple "invents" a revolutionary iButton feature for iPhone/2024 and then we'll finally get that because that's the Only Innovation Pipeline that exists It makes me almost want to work for Apple on their iPhone team to get them to knockoff the bullshit

kristopolous 3y ago

Back then we called them "crackberries" because you could do a lot on them. I mean we still have "crackiphones" today but that's a different meaning.