Pre users want iPhone keyboard

Posted on 10 Jul 2009 at 11:22

Much has been made of the Palm Pre’s slide-out hardware keyboard as a key differential with the iPhone, but it seem early adopters would like a touch of Apple.

A survey by Strategy Analytics found that users like having a physical keyboard, just not all the time.

“The lack of an on-screen virtual keyboard was a concern for many participants,” said Paul Brown, senior analyst in the Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice.“Although users liked having a physical qwerty keyboard, they did not want to have to slide it out every time they wanted to type something”.

Otherwise the response to the phone appears to have been overwhelmingly positive, with users impressed by the user interface and multi-tasking capabilities.

“Participants considered the multi-tasking capabilities of the Pre to provide a very positive experience, similar to that of multi-tasking on a PC,” said Kevin Nolan, vice president at Strategy Analytics.

Unfortunately, other reports suggest that multitasking, which allows the Pre to switch immediately from one app to another, is a significant drain on the battery.

The Palm Pre will launch in the UK later this year.

Author: Simon Aughton

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