Expect fewer HTC phones with QWERTY keyboards in the future
Though the QWERTY keyboard has had a special place in HTC’s Android lineup going back to phones like the T-Mobile G1, the form factor looks to be phased out by the Taiwanese manufacturer in the future. Speaking at a press event in Seattle, HTC creative director Claude Zellweger said that HTC will be “moving away from [the QWERTY keyboard] in general.” He explained that the extra effort placed in refining physical keyboard design would detract from other areas of devices and that time is better spent improving HTC’s software input methods.
The physical keyboard has been on the decline, with fewer handsets sporting a slider form factor. The QWERTY persists mostly with BlackBerry devices and those designed to emulate them. The move towards increased input area via larger screen sizes and thinner phones utilizing unibody design makes the full QWERTY keyboard an expendable option.
[via Android and Me]