Texting on a Blackberry: Pros and Cons
The concept of texting has only been around for a few years. Before texting people would call when they needed something. Now, if the thing being requested is simple enough people just text. With texting you're sending a message to someone without having to interrupt them. They can receive and respond to the text whenever they want to. There are a few different ways to text. Some phones let you use a virtual keyboard, such as the iPhone. These phones only have a few buttons but have a large touch screen. When you go to do something like text the screen turns itself into a keyboard.
When you a Blackberry you have a completely different setup. Rather than having a single large screen you have a smaller screen with a full sized keyboard below it. This keyboard isn't virtual, it's completely solid. Each key has a dedicated letter assigned to it. The punctuation marks are then placed below the letter. When you need such punctuation marks you hit shift first and then press the button that has the corresponding mark. There are a few pros and cons associated with this method.
First off the physical keyboard can get a bit crowded. The more crowded the keyboard is the more chance you have of slipping up and hitting the wrong letter. You then have to find the delete key and try to hit the button again. Oftentimes people will have difficulty with the same letter over and over again. Not all physical keyboards are created equal. Some Blackberries have great keyboards while others feel too squished. A great way to tell if the Blackberry you're going to buy is the right size for you is to go into a shop and check it out. Or, if you have a friend borrow it from them and see if you like it.
Due to the nature of the human hand no keyboard is perfect for everyone. However, when you get a keyboard that works well for you you're going to be able to text faster on a Blackberry than on any other phone. Virtual keyboards, such as the one found on the iPhone, will never be able to keep up with physical keyboards. Muscle memory lets us type much faster on a keyboard that we can actually feel. When your finger hits the key off center your brain automatically adjusts your hands so that the next keystroke will be accurate. The only type of feedback you can get from virtual keyboards is just a vibration. Since there are no physical keys there is no physical feedback. Since there is no physical feedback typing speeds will suffer.
Blackberries are built specifically to be able to type. They were originally invented for the businessman who has the occasional need of typing up reports, texting and emailing. The keys are durable and with proper care should last a lifetime. While the keyboards aren't always perfect the pros almost always outweigh the cons. A Blackberry is a great phone to get if you plan on texting, emailing or typing up something often.