Gadgetory

one bag now here for pocket now and we're taking a closer look at the BlackBerry key one there's not quite anything else like it so instead of jumping straight into some comparisons we'll be highlighting a couple features looking at what makes this option unique and what better place to start than with this phone signature feature literally a part of the phone's name this keyboard is a throwback piece of hardware to the more exciting and diverse days of smartphone design BlackBerry's transition to a modern operating system might not have been the smoothest but arriving on Android this is the third device with manufacturing partner TCL you just don't see hardware keyboards much these days as Android evolved we all just sort of agreed on glass front faces and maybe some hardware navigation buttons usually a keyboard feels half-baked stapled on an afterthought we would expect of course that Blackberry would succeed here where others have stumbled after a couple weeks of use I can't claim I'm any faster or more accurate at typing on these tic tacs it took some work getting my thumb's to remember what this feels like but every day I use it I feel more comfortable taking these presses for granted as they slide into the mental background of my messaging I've always liked that hardware keyboards allow the whole display to be utilized but the addition of this hardware moves far beyond text entry there's a phenomenal amount of consideration for how it integrates into the rest of the Android experience of course we've discussed the fingerprint sensor built into the spacebar it's inspired design anchoring the phone for how you'll hold it most often and that runs double for the capacitive sensors which can augment navigation sliding over keys to move between home pages or scroll vertically you rarely have to reposition the phone when using it and maybe the only awkward slide is reaching up for the power button which we can all agree is on the wrong side of the phone see whenever a manufacturer strays from its normal hardware form-factor we rarely see that change while represented on a first generation device a perfect example would be the first iPhone six-plus at launch the big iPhone arrived with an OS that had always focused on thumb ergonomics there was little software to really utilize the additional real estate and the few new additions to iOS were largely added to apologize for the bigger dimensions blackberry gracefully avoids these pitfalls it would be an annoying reach around the keyboard to use the camera for example but the spacebar doubles as the shutter button and the capacitive sensors are wonderful for dialing in quick exposure adjustments shoot a handful of photos and it's easy to get a feel for how this has been incorporated into the overall phone philosophy blackberry doesn't apologize for this mass below the display instead embracing it giving people reasons to use it throughout the UI though that strength might also be the BlackBerry's greatest weakness for two reasons one users might embrace it or might suffer from a plethora of choice you get 29 buttons to customize 29 you can assign multiple shortcuts and contacts all over this phone I know several people personally who will probably pee themselves for options like these but I also know a few folks who will likely consider this a chore and point to this phone gives off a somewhat poor first impression it's extremely unfamiliar for a lot of the smartphone buying community now I was a hardware keyboard junkie back in the day and it took me a couple days before I stopped thinking about every keystroke I'd imagine that early use might have an even steeper learning curve for someone who has only used software keyboards that's the thing about hardware you have to get a feel for it but then you get the benefit of operating through feel without ever looking at the screen sliding from the spacebar after unlocking too long pressing a key launching an app or messaging all more reliable than Voice Actions an alternate method of control which might evolved primate paws kind of dig this is a wonderfully successful pairing it's always exciting talking about gadgets that target a specific feature or issue then nail the execution this phone really does what blackberry claims it can do beyond just punching in letters software keyboards aren't really a problem for anyone these days this is a well considered polished control surface which guarantees the key one becomes a bespoke gadget tailor fit to the individual who owns it there's nothing else quite like it as always thanks so much for watching be sure to subscribe to this channel for our full blackberry ki1 coverage including our full review alongside camera and audio reviews and helped us out with some sharing on your favorite social networks for pocket now I'm Juan Carlos bag now some gadget guy on Twitter and Instagram and I will catch you all on the next video