Hey all,

My phone is due for an upgrade this May - I currently have a Blackberry, which is okay. not had any major problems with it although the fact the screen has a nasty habit of freezing is really annoying.

I'm really stuck with my next upgrade - the problem being, I absolutely HATE touchscreen phones. I just don't like them, I had a Samsung Tocco Ultra and I struggled with it and that was a combined touchscreen and keyboard. The Blackberry is fine but I sometimes feel that I don't get as much out of it as I'd have maybe liked and the screen freezing is really annoying.

Can anyone recommend a good next phone? I'm happy enough to take a phone with the combined keyboard and touchscreen again but I really don't want a purely touchscreen phone. I did see someone with an HTC Cha Cha a couple of months back, my network is Orange and I have the funny feeling that that phone's maybe gone now.

HELP.

Budget?

I'm on a contract, so it really doesn't matter.

There's a massive difference between the touch screens of old and the new touchscreen phones available now.

Have you tried any touchscreen phones since your Tocco?

I used to be the same as you, just couldn't get on with touch screens at all. I hated them and just could not bear the thought of using one day in day out.

I was then given a work phone with a touch screen and although it took me a few days, I got used to it and haven't looked back since. I couldn't imagine using a physical keyboard now.

No I haven't, I have had to tell myself that one day physical keyboards will no doubts die out and I'll have to bite the bullet and go touchscreen. I'll maybe go into Orange/EE once its time to upgrade and ask their advice.

Thanks for your help.

If I was looking for a smartphone with a physical keyboard I would deffinatly get the new Blackberry Q10 due out in April. That is both touch screen and physical keyboard.

Yeah I spotted that so keeping the fingers crossed it is released on time. Its got a touchscreen attached to it as well so I might manage to evolve with the times.

Samsung Tocco is very old. Touch screens have improved a hell of a lot since that crap thing was around.

The HTC Cha Cha is also keyboard plus touchscreen. The screen is quite small, and you can't control everything using the keyboard, plus, if you're someone who adds apps, the phone has a very small internal memory which gets eaten up easily. It's still available SIM free from a few places, but I don't think any of the carriers still stock it.

All of that said, my sister was like you, absolutely staunchly BB. She wouldn't have anything but a physical keyboard. I argued over and over for her to try something else and she'd have none of it.

She upgraded end of last year to a Samsung Galaxy S3 and she loves it. Please don't judge all touchscreens based on a Tocco, they're really not great phones.

As above the touch screen on the old tocco would have been the older tech which needs more of a directive prod on the screen to get any response, where as new phones are much more sensitive and require only a small tap

still find my HTC touch screen horrid as hell to type on. If i want to write anything a bit longer it can take me 30 - 40 mins. Screen keeps getting the letters wrong and it wont auto spell soome words - loads of manual correction needed. The other day i had typed a long reply on it and then before being able to post, it crashed! I can type no probs on a PC, infact with anything more than a line of text i can boot my PC up from cold, type it and send it faster than typing on the HTC (which is already switched on).

I used to not like touch screens either, which is why i got a cheap Vodafone touch screen 3 years back, it was cheap and it used a stylus, but it did work with fingers, just.

I liked it even if it was a bit slow and not as sensitive as I would have liked. so I tried a HTC wildfire on contract. Much better.

Now touch screens are even better than that. I do miss the keypad sometimes mind you.
Touch screens are not for everyone, I know someone who can text faster with a keypad and they don't even look at it as they know what keys they are pressing, something they could not do with a touch screen, which is why she refuses to go for touch screen.

Myself, i find it easier for me to text or do a short email on a touch screen as long as it got a swipe keyboard. I could not do it for too long mind you, need a proper keyboard to write a novel

The problem is that a lot of phones are now touch screen only unless you go for a basic phone, i think the blackberry is more or less the only smart phone that comes with a keypad.

HTC used to have some, but I don't think they do now.

it seems they are putting everyone into the same box, you will use a touch screen.

Go into a shop and ask to try an iphone or a new HTC or Samsung. Things have improved.
The cheaper handsets can be sluggish so try an iPhone 4s/5 or a Samsung Galaxy.

Go for a high-end Android phone and replace the default keyboard with SwiftKey 3 Keyboard

You're welcome.

I use that, just that it lacks many colours for the themes area, apart from that, I still won't use any other keyboard

I had a Bold 9900 and was a great phone (bar having apps that I previously used on an iPhone).

It was a great mix between the physical keyboard and been able to swipe/touch the screen to navigate.

If you decide on a cheaper phone just to get a keyboard, im thinking that a contract may not be for you. Long term, you may be better buying a SIM free phone and a 30 day/12month SIM only deal.

OR:

Get the best phone you can on your chosen 24 month contract (ideally from carphone warehouse as they sell phones unlocked/not branded) sell the phone and make money. With money buy the cheap phone and have some left over.

You're obviously paying too much for your contract then if they'll give you any handset, regardless of cost.

I agree. I used to hate touchscreens of old too....but now love them

the tocco uses a resistive screen which requires pressure to work, utter babba.

I still have a tocco ultra as a 2nd phone. its seen better days.

Whilst the touch screen technology has improved, its still not, and never will be, an equal substitute with a good tactile keyboard.

Blackberry seem to be about the only ones still having keys; you might be short of choice till stuff like this takes off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJFwHuCs3Yw

I came late to touch screen phones, inherited an HTC G1 off my son and used the slide out keyboard all the time but slowly just got used to the screen. Then got a Galaxy S2 and the bigger screen makes touch typing very easy to be honest. I can understand the OP's reluctance to go for a touch screen only but will say that loosing a 'real' keyboard won't worry you after a very short time of using the screen on a bigger phone.

I have a friend still clinging on to his Nokia e71 because he doesn't want to lose his physical keyboard. I let him play with my S3 with stock swipe keyboard and he was very impressed. He actually thought it was faster than his physical keyboard and that he'd get ever faster with practice.

He did say he'd miss the tactile feel of the keyboard, but he'd get used to that eventually.

I disagree. Once you get used to touch screen its so much better than a physical keyboard imo. I couldn't use a physical keyboard now especially a tiny blackberry one.

I disagree that everyone is like you.

The Tocco was a horrible phone, with a very flawed input. Go and play with latest model touchscreens and be impressed.