Pathetic lack of 4G phones with no physical keyboard

[SoylentColeslaw]

I've been a Verizon customer since my first mobile phone and I was one of the first people to buy the original Droid when it launched, but the leaked news about the upcoming Droid 3 has me strongly leaning towards going with another carrier.  I find it baffling that the Droid 3 would come out right now and not be 4G enabled.  It hasn't even been released and it's already outdated, and yet Verizon will insist on sticking people with 2 year contracts for a phone that will never be able to connect to its fastest networks.  I've yet to hear of any other 4G phone that even MIGHT come to Verizon with a physical keyboard, an absolute 100% dealbreaker for me.  The loyal early adopters who jumped on the Android bandwagon and made it the juggernaut it is today come out of contract in July.  We want physical keyboards and we want cutting edge phones.  Where is the phone you think we're going to buy, Verizon?  Because everything else I've seen is a joke.

[T-bolt_Camb]

I used to think a physical keypad was essential.  Now that I use a touchscreen (with swype tech) device,  I see no need for one.  Personally,  I never found Blackberry devices appealing.  The smallest physical keyboard I own is a sub-notebook.   The swype technology, which requires tracing the letters of a word in a fast curve, is a natural for a smooth flat virtual keyboard.  Once you get used to it,  you'll find thumb typing to be primitive.    4G on a smartphone is a bit dangerous -  it could be addictive.  Unless you really need it,  sending and receiving video, mainly.  A 4G modem is a more biz-like solution,  since smartphones are not going to handle big datafiles reasonably.   In addition,  data limits (soft or hard) are real and easily used up in 4G -  a monthly fix can be gone in less than an hour .  

[SoylentColeslaw]

That's nice that you feel that way.  Here's the thing: I don't need someone to tell me why what I want is wrong.  If I thought it was more convenient to type on glass, that's what I'd be doing with the phone I have.  If I was happy with the data speeds I was receiving, I wouldn't mind paying less every month for 2 more years on the same slower network.  I'm not happy with those things at all.  It shouldn't be too much to ask that just one 4G phone offer an alternative to every other phone on the market which offer virtually no discernible differences between them aside from the manufacturer stamp.  Plain and simple, my business will be with another provider if there's no 4G phone with a keyboard by the end of my contract.  Sprint has shown a willingness to accommodate me, but Verizon seems content to offer nothing but phones that are exactly the same in slightly different packages to showcase their 4G network.  That sure looks like complacency to me, and I'm not going to stick around and be taken for granted as a customer.

[budone]

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SoylentColeslaw wrote:

That's nice that you feel that way.  Here's the thing: I don't need someone to tell me why what I want is wrong.  If I thought it was more convenient to type on glass, that's what I'd be doing with the phone I have.  If I was happy with the data speeds I was receiving, I wouldn't mind paying less every month for 2 more years on the same slower network.  I'm not happy with those things at all.  It shouldn't be too much to ask that just one 4G phone offer an alternative to every other phone on the market which offer virtually no discernible differences between them aside from the manufacturer stamp.  Plain and simple, my business will be with another provider if there's no 4G phone with a keyboard by the end of my contract.  Sprint has shown a willingness to accommodate me, but Verizon seems content to offer nothing but phones that are exactly the same in slightly different packages to showcase their 4G network.  That sure looks like complacency to me, and I'm not going to stick around and be taken for granted as a customer.

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4G is in it's infancy. Give it time. VZW is slowly getting 4G up and running.....with hiccups along the way. When it is available in most parts of the country, all you will see will be 4G phones available and I am sure at some point there will be a physical keyboard.

[SoylentColeslaw]

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budone wrote:

4G is in it's infancy. Give it time. VZW is slowly getting 4G up and running.....with hiccups along the way. When it is available in most parts of the country, all you will see will be 4G phones available and I am sure at some point there will be a physical keyboard.

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Of course it's in its infancy.  I'm well aware that these phones are just now coming out.  My point is that there's no reason for the early adopters who will be up for renewal right as the crippled Droid 3 is being released to be without a phone to comparably upgrade to.  There's no reason why a company touting the supposedly fastest 4G network should showcase that network on four phones that are virtually identical, giving no strong reasons to purchase one over the other.  And there's no reason to sign yet another 2 year contract with a company that won't give me the very reasonable thing that I'm looking for.  Two years from now, 4G will not be in its infancy and the Droid 3 will definitely be a ridiculously out-of-date piece of garbage.

[mdram4x4]

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SoylentColeslaw wrote:

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budone wrote:

4G is in it's infancy. Give it time. VZW is slowly getting 4G up and running.....with hiccups along the way. When it is available in most parts of the country, all you will see will be 4G phones available and I am sure at some point there will be a physical keyboard.

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Of course it's in its infancy.  I'm well aware that these phones are just now coming out.  My point is that there's no reason for the early adopters who will be up for renewal right as the crippled Droid 3 is being released to be without a phone to comparably upgrade to.  There's no reason why a company touting the supposedly fastest 4G network should showcase that network on four phones that are virtually identical, giving no strong reasons to purchase one over the other.  And there's no reason to sign yet another 2 year contract with a company that won't give me the very reasonable thing that I'm looking for.  Two years from now, 4G will not be in its infancy and the Droid 3 will definitely be a ridiculously out-of-date piece of garbage.

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maybe they sell more phones without keyboards so they are getting them out first

all phones are out of date when they are sold, ther eis always something better due out soon

[ihatemyuserid]

I am in the exact same boat as you. I find it hard to believe that they don't notice this glaring omission. Spr**t, A*&T, and T*-*obile all have 4G sliders, why does Verizon love to lag behind in phones? Yes, you have the best network, but if you don't have a phone to fit your customers needs-- you will lose them. I left them before because they had almost no phones with WiFi a long time ago and now it looks like I will be leaving again. Pathetic. 

[renedrivers]

As a person who bought the original Droid on launch day, my contract is up in November. All I want is a phone that has 4g, slide out keyboard, and a decent camera. Sprint has that phone and unless Verizon gets it's act together, I'll be jumping ship in November.

[whodey02]

I also have been a verizon customer for a long time.  I have been pretty happy with verizon over the years.  It has been disappointing over the past several months looking forward to upgrading my phone to a 4G LTE phone with a physical keyboard.  I've emailed verizon, talked to verizon, to get an idea when this might happen with zero luck.  My blackberry curve is on it's last leg and I want the latest and greatest with a keyboard.  Browsing the web it doesn't look promising.  I'm sure there are plenty of customers like us just waiting for the physical keyboard.  It's sad they might lose customers due to not meeting that demand.

[whodey02]

I also have been a verizon customer for a long time.  I have been pretty happy with verizon over the years.  It has been disappointing over the past several months looking forward to upgrading my phone to a 4G LTE phone with a physical keyboard.  I've emailed verizon, talked to verizon, to get an idea when this might happen with zero luck.  My blackberry curve is on it's last leg and I want the latest and greatest with a keyboard.  Browsing the web it doesn't look promising.  I'm sure there are plenty of customers like us just waiting for the physical keyboard.  It's sad they might lose customers due to not meeting that demand.

[EdW_VZW]

Thank you for your feedback. Adding to what was stated, perhaps in the future there will be consideration for a physical keyboard on 4G phones. As the 4G market continues to expands, more and more product development will be performed and developed. Thereby we always try to work on providing the best phones possible. If a specific phone is not currently offered, it does not mean we would not consider producing the device. However, we work on the devices before they are offered to avoid any issues if at all possible. Any one can sign up for email alerts to be informed on when new devices become available. Please use your e-mail address. The link is: http://search.vzw.com/?market=53520&q=email+alerts&p=null&ss=null&b2eFlag=N 

[DJinLA]

In a business environment offering a phone with a physical keyboard is a must, not an option. Not all users, leisure or business want to use a soft keyboard. It baffles me that Verizon Wireless would limit its consumer market by not offering a 4g capable phone with and without a physical keyboard.

Additionally, Verizon should be more willing to comment on future phones so your customers are not waiting uninformed. I imagine Verizon just doesn't want mindless customers, but informed ones who can make a carefully thought out decision, thereby reducing the quantity of customer service calls and complaints. Publicly revealing what is being released in Q3 or Q4 of 2011 will only help your customers decide if they want to purchase a current phone or wait a couple of months and purchase a product they believe will better suit their needs/wants. If they decide you are not going to offer a product that they want and they move on to another carrier, so be it because you may currently  have customers who move on to another carrier because you won't tell them what is being released in the next 6 months.

So with all that being said, does Verizon Wireless have a 4G capable smartphone with a physical keyboard in the pipeline for Q3 or Q4 of 2011? I particularly prefer HTC developed phones because I prefer Sense 2.0 to Blur or other Android and Windows skins. Your customers just want to know!

DJ

[DrCheap]

This has been a significant frustration for me as well.  I follow phones pretty closely and have kept up on all the rumors, leaks, and announcements on the various forums from BGR to droidforums and howardforums.  What is killing me is that there is not so much as an obfuscated indication that Verizon will have a 4g with a physical keyboard any time in the future.  

They are rolling out more and more candybar phones and there are, essentially, zero options for anyone who does not like the candybar models with only virtual keyboards.  Meanwhile, the other 4g carriers all have phones out with physical keyboards.  Sprint actually has at least 2 of their 4g phones with physical keyboards and have had them out for months now.  Seriously, how hard is it for Verizon to get it together and diversify their offerings with something other than yet another candybar 4g phone?

The real kicker is Verizon put out the Droid 3 without 4g.  Seriously.  What are you guys thinking?  4g covers a huge part of the market and your only new Android phone with physical keyboard is only 3g?  Was this an attempt at marketing suicide?

Those who say you don't really need a physical keyboard must not use the phone the same way many of us in professional environments with detailed and quick response demands migth use them.  I have tried numerous virtual keyboards and none of them are responsive and fast enough to keep up with me.  One my Droid 1, I can hammer out significantly detailed and thorough responses very quickly with little to no error.  This is why so many BB users demand the physical keyboard of the BB.  If the virtual keyboards were good enough, trust me, we would have switched long ago for the weight and size differences.  The simple fact is no virtual keyboard is on par with a decent physical keyboard.

My contract is up in a few months, I am well into my upgrade period, and I am seriously considering switching to another carrier for 4g with a physical keyboard.  I am not blowing my upgrade on a phone that will irritate the hell out of me, especially when it would mean locking into another 2-year contract with a carrier who clearly is not developing devices for professional users who prefer Android.

[Papacat]

come on guys.  get it together.  the devices on all the other carriers makes verizon look like chumps.  everyone else has a 4g with keyboard -- has verizon just decided to give up on this market?  t-mo's 4g upgrade is looking pretty good right now.

[FloridaKate]

Thank you. I couldn't have said it any better myself. I'm ready to replace my phone too. It would be nice if Verizon would have some kind of info for people that like the physical keyboards ... even if it is "stay tuned for Q3 to see a 4G phone with a physical keyboard". Then we know to hang on just a bit longer without jumping ship to another carrier.

[FloridaKate]

Oh, and make it global ready and you'll have one sold right here.

[#17]

Thank you for your inquiry. 

Unfortunately we do not have that information at this time.  We normally do communicate new products a few weeks or months before they are released. I would suggest using the link Ed posted to sign up for alerts on new products and services. 

[kemo]

Bummer... oh well, looks like I'll be hanging onto my money and letting my contract expire.  

Whatever happened to LTE Advanced and Wimax Advanced being the REAL 4g?

[provihockey0610]

From what i have been told (through research online, not by verizon) is that currently the 4G LTE antenna is too big to be added to a phone with a physical keyboard because off the added weight/size of the keyboard. The combination of the two would create a very large phone. (another problem is verizon is expected to charge more for 4G in the future, however i think this is why the droid 3 would have been the perfect keyboard phone with 4g because the droid is known for being cutting edge and advanced so the buyers would be willing to pay the price). The reason other carriers have been able to offer 4G phones with keybords is because they are not LTE so the antenna is different (as shows in the speed, most are referred to as 3.5G by consumers). Anyway i wish i could get a 4G phone with a keyboard, but i guess ill have to compromise with a droid 3 and upgrade to 4G when it is flawless and "the norm".

[fuji5]

For those of us who want a keyboard, we aren't so concerned with the thickness of the phone.  Just put the antenna and the keyboard.  Oh no if it is 2mm thicker.

[Kirin]

@FloridaKate, my husband and I are right there with you on that one. I have nails I guess my hands are too cold (always) so I canNOT use a touchscreen. And hubby prefers the option of either/or for usage.

I am a CSR for a competitor and we both prefer to stay with Big Red because the coverage is next to none. But we really want and NEEd a 4G phone with an actual keyboard. I'm still hoping something is coming soon. I don't want to leave to have our needs met.

Verizon Corporate, are you actually listening to your customers or are you supplying lip service to placate us for another year or more? I hope you are listening...PLEASE.

[fuji5]

I agree. Though touch screens are a nice interface to use, for typing out longer email and messages and entering data into web forms, I feel a keyboard is essential.  Swype is nice, but I stopped using it because it became a pain how often it was picking the wrong words.  It's useful if you only want to type with one hand or if you have to scribble out a quick note, but if you need numbers, or use non-standard words and abbreviations, it just becomes a pain. By having a keyboard, you keep your full screen visible which on these small screens is important for web browsing.  I really don't care about having the super duper skinny phone.  Give me a keyboard! I prefer it easy to use rather than a super slim product.  I certainly hope to see this on Verizon soon or I will be seriously considering switching to another carrier.  I have been a Verizon customer for 14 years.