Bill's post made me think about buttons.

I'm a very happy Android user. I love having a tiny computer with me all 
the time and being able to do lots of things I couldn't do before. One 
of my favorite Helen-Keller-at-the-pump moments was going to the 
bookstore with a friend and using Google Goggles to (a) identify the 
books on the shelves and (b) link to a book description. I was doing 
something I'd never imagined I would do, browsing shelves despite the 
fact that I'm totally blind.

but I have to say, there's a big part of me that misses physical buttons.

My first Android phone had a physical keyboard and arrow keys, which 
were required by the level of accessibility available at the time, so 
once I got past the learning curve, I felt pretty at home with the 
device, knowing I could do certain things even in noisy environments 
because I could count key presses, etc. My subsequent devices, however, 
have all been touch screen only. I've had to learn to listen carefully, 
carry earphones, or do both with varying degrees of success, and on the 
first touch-screen device, I had to learn to explore the screen because 
Android didn't have anything comparable to swiping at that time. while I 
became proficient, I missed my buttons and the freedom of making a quick 
call or replying to business email in noisy environments.

Eventually, I tried using a Bluetooth keyboard. I discovered almost 
immediately that most things get done faster without the keyboard. I 
don't have to swipe or arrow to get from an icon at the top of the 
screen to one in the middle, and I don't need additional commands to, 
say, move from the body of an email to one of the header fields. So I 
now miss buttons a lot less than I used to.

Still, I do sometimes wish I could do the things I did in the old days: 
absently dial a number while pulling the phone out of my pocket, finish 
that text while turning down a passerby's offer for help, or use an app 
to look up information that a friend and I suddenly want to know while 
having coffee.

Earlier this year, Google published specifications which device 
manufacturers can use to build different form factors. I'm 99% sure they 
included both the alphabetic and standard dial pad keyboards. If 
manufacturers produce these devices, they may be a happy medium.


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