QWERTY keyboards on cell phones: their advantages and disadvantages

Today’s generation has seen and experienced many of the conveniences that modern technology has to offer. Among the myriad of devices with extended functionality that have emerged and exploded over the past decade are cell phones with full QWERTY keyboards. These types of phones have given the user a miniaturized version of a fully functional computer keyboard packaged in a cell phone. However, before you decide to purchase one of them that features full QWERTY keyboards, try looking at their pros and cons first to assess whether you need such phones in your possession.

Perhaps the most popular advantage of QWERTY keyboards on a cell phone is that you can use that familiar keyboard, albeit in a miniaturized version, that you usually use when working on your computer. The placement of the keys on cell phones with keyboards is similar to a full-size keyboard you use on most computers. The advent of smartphones with word processing applications created the need for such keyboards on cell phones.

Having this type of keyboard would allow you to use both thumbs to quickly type the words you want without waiting a few seconds before thumbing through another combination for a single letter, like on normal cell phone models. Cell phones with QWERTY keyboards would indeed save you a lot of time when writing emails or documents that you need in your daily routine. Try to imagine that you are in an area where there are intermittent phone signals and you need to write an email to someone in the office. If you’re going to use the regular keyboards found on most phones, you’ll no doubt spend three times the time you would have spent using a cell phone with full keyboards.

Possibly the single most obvious drawback to cell phones that have QWERTY keyboards lies in the fact that they are always no less than two inches wide. This makes it quite a bulky communication device, especially if you have small pockets. Another disadvantage of using cell phones with such keyboards is that the user is prone to developing a type of repetitive stress injury called stenosing tenosynovitis which is caused by frequent use of the thumbs to press keys on devices like these smartphones.

However, with all these disadvantages present in cell phones with QWERTY keyboards, many people have started using them presumably because of the less time they spend sending SMS messages and regular emails. Now, if you feel the need to have a QWERTY keyboard cell phone regardless of its disadvantages, then go ahead and buy one. For all you know, it can be very useful in your possession.