Revive The Phone With A Keyboard

[Kosher_Cellutions]

I spent 20+ years in the mobile wireless industry not only building software but also manufacturing and selling mobile phones to carriers all over the world. I have started the research to develop our very own Phone with a keyboard. I will take input from anyone that wishes to give it. I have started to talk to the factories I know that produce A grade products, but you must understand you get what you pay for. I will not put my name on a phone that does not meet my own standards. The retail price is going to be between $100-120 since I have to get it approved to be used on Verizon. Typically phones that are approved to work on Verizon cost more. I will take all your feedback and even pictures of what a device should look like and go from there. I will be building out the software myself as well.

[AsherO]

I spent 20+ years in the mobile wireless industry not only building software but also manufacturing and selling mobile phones to carriers all over the world. I have started the research to develop our very own Phone with a keyboard. I will take input from anyone that wishes to give it. I have started to talk to the factories I know that produce A grade products, but you must understand you get what you pay for. I will not put my name on a phone that does not meet my own standards. The retail price is going to be between $100-120 since I have to get it approved to be used on Verizon. Typically phones that are approved to work on Verizon cost more. I will take all your feedback and even pictures of what a device should look like and go from there. I will be building out the software myself as well.

What about a form factor like Danger’s sidekick (assuming patents aren’t an issue)?

ETA, I also had a Sprint PPC6700, I enjoyed the form-factor/keyboard very much at the time. Blackberry keyboards were the best IME.

[Kosher_Cellutions]

What about a form factor like Danger’s sidekick (assuming patents aren’t an issue)?

They are an issue and its not logical design for the price point.

[Darth1]

I have a Samsung Array M390 and love it. I would pay your price point for a keyboard phone, preferably a slide sideways and not a blackberry style.

[Yef]

Sign me up for 1 maybe 2 phones. It is a tremendous service that you are doing. I know many people that would get rid of their smartphones if there was a way to have a phone with a keyboard.
Thank you!!
Please make sure that it has a good camera.

[azforkosh]

I spent 20+ years in the mobile wireless industry not only building software but also manufacturing and selling mobile phones to carriers all over the world. I have started the research to develop our very own Phone with a keyboard. I will take input from anyone that wishes to give it. I have started to talk to the factories I know that produce A grade products, but you must understand you get what you pay for. I will not put my name on a phone that does not meet my own standards. The retail price is going to be between $100-120 since I have to get it approved to be used on Verizon. Typically phones that are approved to work on Verizon cost more. I will take all your feedback and even pictures of what a device should look like and go from there. I will be building out the software myself as well.

Finally!! So many people were waiting for that!!
The LG Cosmos 3 (https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-VN251S-cosmos-3) was a popular phone for the full keyboard lovers.

[Kosher_Cellutions]

Issue is slide outs are to expensive. It will have to be similar looking to a blackberry and more importantly a slide out but not be ok with all the users we are targeting.

[AsherO]

Sign me up for 1 maybe 2 phones. It is a tremendous service that you are doing. I know many people that would get rid of their smartphones if there was a way to have a phone with a keyboard.
Thank you!!
Please make sure that it has a good camera.

A good camera (by 2020 standards) wouldn’t be cost prohibitive at a $100 price point?

[Kosher_Cellutions]

A good camera (by 2020 standards) wouldn’t be cost prohibitive at a $100 price point?

Good camera not an issue for this price point

[Mf1]

Easy to press keys like on blackberry
Works on visible as well

[Jojo202]

Also the keys should not be a membrane keyboard rather each individual button raised preferably, and have good tactile feedback!
But the main thing is NO BUTTON LAG AT ALL. Like on every feature phone that we used from 1990-2010!

[how]

I spent 20+ years in the mobile wireless industry not only building software but also manufacturing and selling mobile phones to carriers all over the world. I have started the research to develop our very own Phone with a keyboard. I will take input from anyone that wishes to give it. I have started to talk to the factories I know that produce A grade products, but you must understand you get what you pay for. I will not put my name on a phone that does not meet my own standards. The retail price is going to be between $100-120 since I have to get it approved to be used on Verizon. Typically phones that are approved to work on Verizon cost more. I will take all your feedback and even pictures of what a device should look like and go from there. I will be building out the software myself as well.

Just to clarify you referring to a basic phone or a smart phone

[myi]

Issue is slide outs are to expensive. It will have to be similar looking to a blackberry and more importantly a slide out but not be ok with all the users we are targeting.

So you're saying it's going to be similar to a Blackberry with a full keyboard, but better than a Blackberry.

   Most people in the jewish world looking for a kosher phone will not take a phone with a full scale keyboard the same size as a Blackberry.
   Even better, why would I take your phone over a Blackberry?
 Do you really think you'll be able to pull off a device that works better than a Blackberry?
  I've used a Blackberry for 7 years recently, and I loved it.
  But let me tell you I was always uncomfortable using it when I was in an environment which didn't want people to have a smartphone, I always felt that a phone that size with a full keyboard and every app, was like a smartphone.
  It was actually one of the 1st smartphones introduced into the market.
  The phone was great with many features to write home about.
• Full Keyboard
•Music with a normal layout, album covers,not like the silly Kyocera Cadence Music app which literally is horrific.
•different size screens to choose from, Q5,Q10,Q20..
•Easy way to lock up the phone with parental Controls.
• Voice recorder
• Basic BB apps
•wifi calling
•Hotspot
•Clear phone speaker.
•sound, Rugged phone, though some were a bit heavy, email layout was amazing and many more features.
•Solid Camera, Flashlight, great videos.


 Not quite understanding what your going to do more than blackberry did and why you'll be a hit on the market?
   Vs a slide phone where there's a sleek hidden keyboard which would be similar to the BB PRIV
/Slider and obviously a smaller screen would be a big hit and a reason to buy.

 Unless I mis understood what you plan on offering that's not out there?

And last but not least why are all the companies in love with Verizon, what's wrong with branding a device to work with T-Mobile sprint or even At&t? Or an unlocked version.
 The BB were avlb with all Carriers, at least most models were easy to get ahold of for any Carrier.

[Mikes@Micro]

Thank You so very much for taking up our plight!

-No button lag on that awesome qwerty keyboard
-dedicated Voice Dictation Button (cloud based)
-Decent Camera WITH GEOTAGGING
~Backup pictures to Google photos
-Sync Contacts with google
-Optional Email and SMS
-Optional Hotspot
-Spotify (unofficial is ok) support
-Rugged
-VoLTE and WiFi Calling for ALL carriers (including T-Mobile)
-Band 3 LTE for Israel
-Waze, Google Maps, Moovit, Walking directions
-consider making the middle button of the D- pad double as touchpad (like blackberry Bold and Samsung on T-Mobile)
-Mouse pointer for apps with a dedicated button.
(The buttons for Mouse and Voice Access can be officially for something else but easily re- assignable in settings?)
-Apps: Spotify, Maps, Google Photos, Weather, etc)
-A slide phone will definitely see wider adoption but if impossible a Blackeberry- style should be OK. From my inquires it would be possible to get LG to manufacture a batch of Cosmos or any old phone with a 4g modem just very expensive. May save on R&D to use existing designs.

Thank YOU!!!

[shabbosabba]

This is exactly what we need. For some reason every company decided that a phone can't have a full keyboard. I had a Samsung M390 when I had Tello (for about six months) and I loved it. I liked the idea of the double keyboard over the touchscreen of the LG rumor reflex. The T9 predictive text was actually usable. Looking back, the best part of the phone was the fact that it was easy to use, no hidden menus, and the software was from samsung. To me the most important thing is great software, which shouldn't be a challenge for @Kosher_Cellutions . After that, it's important to test the keyboard on normal human fingerd that you can press one button without others tagging along. I would love to see something come out with a full keyboard, this area has been lacking for years, so thank you for taking up this endeavor.

@Kosher_Cellutions based on the other posts, can you please clarify what the kosher status will be. Also, is a GSM unlocked model in the works as well?

[Jojo202]

So you're saying it's going to be similar to a Blackberry with a full keyboard, but better than a Blackberry.

   Most people in the jewish world looking for a kosher phone will not take a phone with a full scale keyboard the same size as a Blackberry.
   Even better, why would I take your phone over a Blackberry?

I agree with most of your sentiment, but really everyone WOULD take a blackberry except that they don't make them anymore, they are hard to find, and mostly unreliable in terms of providers/network coverage.. Also by now, any old style blackberry doesn't look smartphoneish at all so by now it would probably be adopted quite easily...

[aygart]

   Even better, why would I take your phone over a Blackberry?

I agree with most of your sentiment, but really everyone WOULD take a blackberry except that they don't make them anymore, they are hard to find, and mostly unreliable in terms of providers/network coverage..

   Most people in the jewish world looking for a kosher phone will not take a phone with a full scale keyboard the same size as a Blackberry.

  But let me tell you I was always uncomfortable using it when I was in an environment which didn't want people to have a smartphone, I always felt that a phone that size with a full keyboard and every app, was like a smartphone.
  It was actually one of the 1st smartphones introduced into the market.

[AsherO]

  It was actually one of the 1st smartphones introduced into the market.

lol, you're reminding me of a debate I had with @Mordy in the nascent days of DDF about whether the BlackBerry is considered a smartphone or not

but blackberrys are not smartphones

a BlackBerry is considered a smartphone.

[MoYS]

There was a phone not too long that was the same style as blackberry, in terms of keyboard, but was not a smartphone in any way (as opposed to a regular blackberry). It was pretty standard to see it in non-smartphone settings and nobody gave a second look. i personally find the slide keyboards easier (im still using a 3g sprint side phone) but they break around every 2 years in my experience.

Another point is that i feel the market for flip phones, even though they want a full keyboard, do not want the other possible features discussed above like email and spotify, even google maps. It seems like software is less of challenge than hardware, so maybe make two options, if that is possible, to access different markets.

One more point is that i think there should be a poll with all the different options, to get a better idea of popular opinion

[myi]

lol, you're reminding me of a debate I had with @Mordy in the nascent days of DDF about whether the BlackBerry is considered a smartphone or not

Welcome to the club.
 After having it for 7 years. Let me tell you it's a full fledged smartphone.
  Anyone that tells you otherwise obviously has yet to use one.

 I'm not going to disagree, sometimes it's a pain to use being that the browser and apps are not quite fit to be used on that device. (Not every app).