the tactile keys vs. the touch keys

Those who already considered themselves to be texting extraordinaire or typing pros had high hopes of messages typed out at lightening speed while on the go once the likes of the iPhone with its touch screen was ready. They envisioned tossing their Blackberries and cell phones out the window in place of a device that promised to do loads more without the cumbersome tactile keyboard that was instead replaced by a bigger, bolder screen. But now that they did toss their Blackberries and Rumours and Links out the window in place of iPhone, many are left scratching their heads at the new multi-touch screen that looks state-of-the-art yet has them typing out emails and texts at a new record—a slower one.

So then which is faster and easier to use—the touch screen keyboard or the tactile keyboard? Well, it's kind of like asking who would win in a fight between Superman or Batman. On one hand you've got the one in the bright and colorful tights and cape who is faster than a speeding bullet, while the other, decked out in the less-flashy all black ensemble, is really fast but has to sport his big Batmobile in order to be so. Does that make him any less good than Superman? Not in the grand scheme of things. And that's what people are realizing about the sleek, bold and flashy iPhone with it's built-in and non-intrusive touch keyboard and the simple Blackberry with it's external tactile screen that makes it a little less sleek but still quite functional.

Deciding which is better as far as a touch screen keyboard or tactile keyboard go isn't really all that cut and dry because like everything else, it comes down to preference. Some people prefer one over the other and some will happily give up the ease of one in place of all the extras and fancy applications of the other. If you want to get down to the nitty-gritty of it though, the touch screen does leave more room for error when it comes to typing and this will totally slow you down even if you're able to type away at lightening speed. It's far too easy to hit more than one key at a time or not touch the key quite hard enough when using a touch screen. That means having to go back to correct your mistakes and from what we're hearing, scrolling back isn't quite as easy as people had expected with the iPhone's multi-touch screen.  

In regard to the tactile keyboard—bulky as they may feel in comparison to the flat virtual keyboard of the iPhone—you can actually ‘feel' what you're typing and know right away if you're hitting more than one key at a time or perhaps didn't quite press hard enough. This means being able to stop your mistakes before they happen or being aware of them sooner rather than later so you don't constantly have to scroll back for edits, slowing your messages down considerably.

Not to knock the touch screen or anything, but from what the masses are saying; people may have been a little hasty in pooh-poohing the tactile screen. Thankfully there are ways to get around it and get back that tactile keyboard and still keep your new and expensive iPhone. Our site tells you how.