HTC Libra Phone Edition has a numeric keypad and QWERTY keyboard

Credit: the::PhoneScoop

The CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment conference is being held in L.A. this week and Phonescoop found some good details on a new Pocket PC Phone Edition called the HTC Libra. The feature that sets this device apart from other QWERTY Phone Edition devices is the numeric keypad on the front that vastly improves the phone experience. One of my biggest pet peeves of the Phone Edition platform is the difficulty in simply dialing a phone number. With current devices you can dial using voice commands or by tapping on the display soft keypad, but a standard numberic keypad is still generally the preferred method. The Libra has the full keypad on the front below the display and then the QWERTY keyboard slides out the side and switches the display to landscape mode. The QWERTY keyboard is smaller with only three rows of keys, but this may be a good sacrifice to get a numeric keypad. It will first be available in a CDMA version with support for EVDO, Rev. A, another first for a Phone Edition device.