With ever larger screens, smartphones are now close to reaching the size of small tablets.
Formats promoted by manufacturers
appear to change almost every time a new flagship model is unveiled, and there
seem to be only one trend when it comes to expressing screen size: up. Even the
conservative Apple has recently ditched Steve Job’s “optimal” 3.5” – the newest
Cupertino
Android based devices are at
forefront when it comes to this “swollen phone syndrome”: there was a talk of
6-inch screens during the recent CES. And it is only January.
The official marketing line ranges
from competing with e-readers to more comfortable video streaming, to bridging
the gap between phones and laptops… With buyers more or less willingly accepting
the argument.
One of the key – yet missed – reasons
for the change is the convenience of working with text. Larger screens make operating touchscreen keyboards easier. The viewing area left unobstructed by virtual buttons is also greater.
Yet even with these larger screens, data
input remains a far cry from typing on say a laptop. It comes as no surprise
then that an ever increasing number of users begin to switch to alternative
methods. The benefits are clear.
As one ETAOI user explains: "The smartphone
I use is Xperia Neo V [3.7” screen] and I probably won’t be upgrading to
anything larger – I need something that looks like a phone… This keyboard is
the only one I know which allows to type efficiently, quickly and even allows for
touch typing [typing without looking]. I type a lot when commuting and QWERTY
has always been a nightmare. Using ETAOI I can again create messages with only one
hand, just as on the old, alphanumeric, mechanical phone keyboard. The difference
is I can now do it quicker! The ability to type with only your thumb is a
luxury most smartphone users have long forgotten”.
You can try ETAOI for yourself here.
