For the last year or so I have been trying out a variety of handsets (such as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, Nokia E7-00 and the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro) with a QWERTY keyboard and thought I would give you a bit of an insight into what I have found to be the pro’s and con’s of using these types of phones.
Nokia E7-00
As the Nokia E7-00 is fairly big, measuring at 123.7mm x 62.4mm, it does have a large keyboard and buttons which can be easier to use as compared to a smaller keyboard if you were to have bigger hands. This does however mean that if you have smaller hands you may find it more difficult to use as it can feel quite bulky to hold. The keyboard has dedicated buttons for symbols and second characters so you don’t have to press and hold each button which can be very time consuming. The E7 also has the touchscreen QWERTY keyboard that can be used if this is what you prefer. Overall I would recommend the Nokia E7 for someone that would be more suited to the larger size keyboard offered with this Nokia Smartphone.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
The Sony Ericsson X10 does not have a physical QWERTY keyboard but it does have a touchscreen one available as well as a vertical QWERTY keyboard in a similar style to the Blackberry phone. This allows you the option to choose how to write your emails, sms or status updates. The screen is a capacitive touch screen so is finger tip recognition for easier typing and its impressive 4 inch size makes the keys easy to see. The Sony X10 does have predictive text as well which is useful but can also be switched off if not needed.The main issue I found with the X10 is that as it does only feature a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard you cannot feel each individual button and this may mean a tendency to press the wrong keys without realising. I would say the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro is ideal for someone that wants to try using a QWERTY keyboard but prefers the use of a touchscreen phone.
Sony Ericsson Mini Pro
I have been using the new updated version of the Sony Ericsson Mini Pro with the slide out QWERTY keyboard for about a month or so now and found it to be very easy to use. The Sony Ericsson Mini Pro does have a smaller keyboard measuring at 90mm x 30mm so could be a problem for someone wanting a larger keyboard. However I have not found this to be a problem but would feel this is due to the fact that I do have small hands anyway. As well as having the QWERTY keyboard the new X10 Mini Pro has a touchscreen QWERTY and T9 keypad for the choice of communication techniques. I believe the Mini Pro would be an ideal Smartphone for someone that wants a smaller handset with the optional QWERTY and touchscreen keyboards.
Summary
Overall The Nokia E7, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and the Mini Pro all have their good points and bad points which may vary dependant on your own personal needs.If you need a Smartphone that you can really get to grips with and feel the buttons easily then the Nokia E7 is probably the one for you.However if you are looking for something that is small enough to just pop in your pocket but still have the QWERTY keyboard then I would recommend the Sony Ericsson Mini Pro. Alternatively if size really isn’t an issue and you are used to the feel of a touchscreen Smartphone then the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is probably more suitable for you.
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