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Keyboard showdown: Droid 2 vs. Epic 4G vs. BlackBerry Torch

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    For those who still prefer a hardware keyboard on their smartphone, here are comparison photos of three great devices: Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Epic 4G, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.

    Check out the close-up photos at the end of the gallery for a description and critique of each of the three keyboards. You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460280.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460281.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460282.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460283.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460284.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460285.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460286.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460287.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460288.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460289.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460290.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460291.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460292.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460293.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460294.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460295.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460296.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460297.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460298.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460299.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460300.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460301.jpg

    The Epic 4G has the most versatile keyboard of the three. It has a dedicated row for numbers and several special keys (search, back, home, smiley, etc.). The keys themselves are chicklet-style, reminiscent of Apple Macbooks and Sony Vaio laptops.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460302.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460303.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460304.jpg

    The BlackBerry Torch has the traditional BlackBerry qwerty that has been around on high-end devices since the BlackBerry 8800 World Edition. It is a top quality keyboard with a nice weight to it and typically has a low error rate. Those who are already familiar with BlackBerry will love the standard feel.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460305.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460306.jpg

    You can also read the companion blog post.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

  • 460307.jpg

    The Droid 2 keyboard is the worst of the three. The keys are too flat and non-distinct and there are no special keys other than the arrow keys. The Droid 2 keyboard is better than the original Droid keyboard, but that's not saying much. Most of the people I know who have a Droid bought it at least partly because of the physical keyboard. But those same people report that 90% of the time they never use it, since it's so bad.

    Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
    Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

    Caption by: Jason Hiner

1 of 29 NEXT PREV
Jason Hiner

By Jason Hiner | August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT) | Topic: Mobility

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For those who still prefer a hardware keyboard on their smartphone, here are comparison photos of three great devices: Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Epic 4G, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.

Read More Read Less

For those who still prefer a hardware keyboard on their smartphone, here are comparison photos of three great devices: Motorola Droid 2, Samsung Epic 4G, and BlackBerry Torch 9800.

Check out the close-up photos at the end of the gallery for a description and critique of each of the three keyboards. You can also read the companion blog post.

Photo credit: Jason Hiner / TechRepublic
Published: August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT)

Caption by: Jason Hiner

1 of 29 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Mobility Blackberry Smartphones Mobile OS Security Hardware
Jason Hiner

By Jason Hiner | August 26, 2010 -- 06:54 GMT (23:54 PDT) | Topic: Mobility

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