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* Pocket computers
In 2011, I started using a Blackberry Bold 9780, until 2014.
The usable keyboard made me think that a device like this could replace laptops and desktop computers.
Together with a functional browser and the trackpad (which allowed using mobile-unfriendly websites), the Bold was a great device for me.
The Blackberry Classic I used 2015-2017 was the pinnacle of this idea, together with a prescient gesture interface and many great UI innovations which have been since lost.
The Blackberry KeyONE I used 2017-2021 was the last device I used that had this greatness.
Since then, I believe the loss of physical keyboard phones means that some uses of the smartphone have disappeared.
See also <https://www.bringbackblackberry.com/>.
** Current devices
*** [[https://www.unihertz.com/products/titan-pocket][Titan Pocket]] (owned)
- The keyboard feels worse than a Blackberry
- The keyboard has deteriorated with age (some keys require extra pressure to activate, meaning typing is painful)
- The keyboard software is insufficient for writing in Spanish and Catalan
*** [[https://www.clicksphone.com/communicator][Clicks Communicator]]
*** [[https://keyphone.tech/][Keyphone]]
*** [[https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-deck][T-Deck]] / [[https://www.lilygo.cc/products/t-keyboard][T-Keyboard]]
*** [[https://beepy.sqfmi.com/][Beepy]]
*** [[https://shop.m5stack.com/products/m5stack-cardputer-kit-w-m5stamps3][Cardputer]]
*** [[https://mecha.so/comet][Mecha Comet]]
*** Others
- [[https://www.tindie.com/stores/zitaotech/][ZitaoTech]] refurbs keyboards, but they seem to be permanently out of stock.
- [[https://linkapus.com/][Q25 project]] is a project to put an Android phone inside a Blackberry Classic shell.
- Clicks keyboard (for iPhone, Razr, other Android phones) is [[https://programming.dev/post/36053940/18895789][apparently good, even for non-ASCII languages]].
** Obstacles
*** Communication platforms without an open API
The main use of a pocket computer with a physical keyboard would be communication.
Unfortunately, many communication platforms I use are closed, so I can only use them with an Android (or similar) device.
If this was not the case, using devices with other operating systems would be more feasible.
*** WhatsApp
Although I do not use WhatsApp a lot (I use mostly Telegram), living in Spain it is unavoidable.
I hope that the DMA will allow me to send messages to WhatsApp users through something that has an API, the DMA does not seem to be effective as of now.
*** Slack
*** Discord
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