Das Keyboard 4 can be had with or without writing on the keys


If you asked a bunch of gamers and people that type a lot what sort of keyboard they favor most, many would say mechanical ones. The mechanical keyboards have a lot more typing feel and feedback and...

Alleged Motorola Droid 5 pics suggest the QWERTY slider still lives

Alleged Motorola Droid 5 pics suggest the QWERTY slider still lives

Fans of hardware keyboards have at least one reason to keep rooting for Motorola's Droid line, and these leaked pics suggest it will continue on. Posted on Weibo, these supposed Droid 5 pics show a QWERTY slider that seeming drops the capacitive buttons of its predecessors, and brings wireless charging, NFC and a "shockproof" water / dust resistant design. The laser cut 5-row keyboard we appreciated on the Droid 4 appears to be intact, along with a screen in the 4.3-inch to 4.5-inch range. The conveniently placed Verizon 4G LTE logos also places it as a higher-end companion to the just-announced LG Enact as Android options for fans of hardware keyboards. Any other details are still up in the air, if you have a login for the Chinese social networking service you can check out the source for yourself at the links below.

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Via: NewCellPhonesBlog

Source: Weibo (1), (2)

LG Enact launches on Verizon, keeps the flame alive for QWERTY slider phones

LG Enact launches on Verizon, keeps the QWERTY slider flame alive

Verizon isn't just releasing its variant of the HTC One today -- it also has a treat for fans of the oft-neglected QWERTY slider smartphone. The carrier has just launched the once-rumored LG Enact, which hides a landscape keyboard underneath its 4-inch WVGA screen. As you might gather from the display, though, this device is no flagship. The combination of a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera and 8GB of expandable storage puts the Enact at the low end. What's more, it's also stuck on Android 4.1. When LG's new device costs $20 on contract, however, it's inexpensive enough that many fans of hardware keys can afford to take a look.

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Source: Verizon (1), (2)

Verizon LG Enact leaks in press image, proves QWERTY sliders still exist

Verizon LG Enact leaks in press image, proves that the reported death of the QWERTY slider was exaggerated

According to serial leak merchant @evleaks, the LG Enact is days away from making an official appearance on Verizon, a carrier that reckons there's still life in the 'ole keyboard-packed form factor, with a phone that looks a whole lot like the Android sliders of the past. Yep, LG's new Android smartphone houses an increasingly rare full QWERTY keyboard, a pretty old-school four-key capacitive button layout, and a mix of Verizon and LG-skinned app icons. However, we're already wary of how the Enact's keyboard will handle -- with space at a premium on these keyboards, that substantial border either side of the keys could result in some cramped thumbs. However, at this stage we're not certain of the screen-size and dimensions of the slider, so we'll hold our judgement until we get to tap away on it in real life.

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Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

BlackBerry 9720 running BB 7.1 OS boldly shows its curves in hands-on video

BlackBerry 9720 running BB71 boldly shows its curves in handson video

BlackBerry confirmed that despite the launch of BB10, it'll still deploy one handset running BB7 later this year. We're almost certain that phone will be the 9720, and while the Thai site that got an initial look called it a Bold, it might actually be a new member of the Curve family, according to a fresh leak from our Vietnamese friends at Tinhte. They've given the unannounced QWERTY model a brief video hands-on and taken a bunch of thankfully sharp snaps, including some side-by-side shots with the old Bold 9790. A disclaimer in the translated text states the device is a "trial version," so the final hardware may be slightly different, but it's said to have a 480 x 360 resolution touchscreen and a 1,450mAh removable battery. Our Vietnamese is a little rusty, so while we can't tell you what the narrator is saying, you'll still get a good overview of the hardware in the three-minute vid below.

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Source: Tinhte

Hands-on with the NEC Terrain: the company’s first US phone in eight years

NEC Terrain surfaces at Pepcom because it's waterproof and was in the water

Let's face it: no rugged phone is going to get more attention today than the Galaxy S4 Active. Just the same, NEC is showing off the Terrain, its first handset for the US market since 2005. The phone, which is hitting AT&T for $99 with a two-year agreement, is mainly aimed at the enterprise (read: field technicians and other mobile workers). Since it's unlikely to reach mainstream consumers, we won't be running a full-on review, but we did take the opportunity to get hands-on. As you'd expect of a device that can be immersed in water up to 30 minutes, this thing's coated in rubber, with a sealed USB port and a secure (but removable) battery cover. It's a bit chunky for a phone, to be sure, but at 6.06 ounces it's still eminently portable. In fact, the rounded edges and soft finish make it more comfortable to hold than some of the more minimal handsets we've seen recently.

Other than that, you'll be pleased to find an unskinned version of Android, though it's 4.0 and not a newer build like 4.2. The capacitive screen responds well to taps and swipes, though the 640 x 480 resolution isn't going to knock anyone'e socks off -- and neither will the washed-out colors. Performance-wise, the dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 8960 processor means transitions happen quickly, and there isn't any tiling in the Chrome browser. We also got on well with the QWERTY keyboard, though the buttons are packed in quite tightly. And that's a good thing: it's slim pickings for anyone who wants a portrait QWERTY Android phone. Finishing up our tour, you'll find a microSD slot (to support the 8GB of built-in storage), dedicated speaker and push-to-talk buttons and dual 5MP / 0.3MP cameras, with an NFC radio under the hood. It'll be available tomorrow on AT&T's LTE network, through the carrier's business channel, specifically. Check out the hands-on photos below -- we even got a requisite shot of it in a fish tank.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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BlackBerry Q10 officially available at AT&T on June 21st

AT&T likely planning to launch BlackBerry Q10 on June 21st

The pre-order process for the BlackBerry Q10 is already well underway, but AT&T has kept quiet on its official retail and online availability until now. The company has now confirmed to us that the QWERTY-laden device will be ready for public consumption -- both online and in corporate locations -- starting June 21st for $200. If you didn't get your pre-order in but still want to get it hot off the shelves, keep an eye out for it this weekend. Official statement below.

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BlackBerry Q5 stops by the FCC with AT&T-friendly 3G

BlackBerry Q5 stops by the FCC with AT&T-friendly 3G

When we were introduced to BlackBerry's Q5, a lower-end QWERTY handset running BB10 OS, we were told it was aimed at emerging markets and heard of no plans to bring it to the US. While that still could be the case, a device with the identifier RFS121LW and an appearance matching that of the Q5 has been given the all-clear by the FCC. Now, this might be just a roaming application (when devices not sold in the US get approved for use there), but it's important to note that the 3G radio inside this phone is compatible with AT&T's network (850 / 1900MHz). We can't guarantee the image above isn't a generic outline BlackBerry's used to show the position of the label, nor can we totally certain you'll ever be able to purchase a Q5 from the US carrier. Well, at least not until the Q10 launch buzz dies down, anyway.

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Source: FCC

BlackBerry Q10 available for pre-order on Verizon, $200 with a two-year contract

BlackBerry Q10 available for preorder on Verizon, $200 with a twoyear contract

For those of you who wouldn't touch a tactile screen if we gave you one, Verizon's just put a smartphone up for pre-order that might be preferable: the Blackberry Q10. Big Red will carry the regular black model and has exclusive dibs on the dapper white Q10 we saw earlier, both of which are on pre-order for $200 with a two-year activation, or $600 sans commitment. On top of real QWERTY chiclets, you'll get a 3.1-inch, 720 x 720 Super AMOLED touch display, dual-core Qualcomm CPU, 2GB of RAM and Blackberry 10.0. As a bonus, Verizon's estimated ship date of June 6th might even line up nicely with the imminent arrival of a certain new version of the OS, too.

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Via: CrackBerry

Source: Verizon