A physical QWERTY keyboard without touchscreen sacrifices has long been the dream of BlackBerry users not quite ready to dump their beloved productivity devices the iPhones and Androids of the world.
Samsung's Keyboard Cover is a quirky little attempt to keep all parties happy, a small clip-on QWERTY with flashbacks to the lawsuit lightning rod that was Ryan Seacrest's Typo case for the iPhone.
Unlike that accessory, however, Samsung's product isn't a BlackBerry doppleganger. The Korean company had the foresight to actually create their own design, rather than ripping off Waterloo.
Here, the case snaps onto the screen itself, covering up about a third of the display in the process - which means, of course, that you're only going to want it on when you're actually using it.
The good news there, however, is that you can simply snap it off and attach it to the back of the handset when not in use. Out of sight, out of mind, etc, etc.
The buttons had a nice responsiveness, but in spite of the Galaxy Note's massive 5.7-inch display, however, the keyboard is incredibly cramped. My big clumsy fingers were constantly crashing into adjacent keys, ultimately taking a ridiculous amount of time to type a simple message.
So, it'll take some getting used to, but it's nice to see Samsung offering an olive branch to BlackBerry users, even this late in the game. And, hey, if your Galaxy Note has become a big daily productivity driver, it may be worth a look. Just don't, you know, through out your laptop any time soon.
