As the Apple 3G iPhone is readied for launch many people are still lamenting over some of the features lacking on the device. The most consistent complaint has been the lack of a physical keyboard as well as no support for editing documents, spreadsheets or presentations. Lastly - no cut and paste (which, presumably, would be most useful in emails or editing documents).
It is very likely simple text and spreadsheet editors will make it into the App Store within a few weeks, so there’s probably a simple solution coming for that problem.
But what about the physical keyboard?
I’m extremely curious what other people would think of the following idea: a keyboard dock. it could be either very cool or a large disappointment. Would a personal keyboard, like the miniscule bluetooth one offered by Apple with a dock grafted on be a useful product? Such a device would, in theory, dock your iPhone into the keyboard and grant on-the-go document editing. It would turn the iPhone into a super-cheap laptop that can be smuggled into tighter locations than the Macbook Air. For people who need to work heavily on documents it would be even superior than the Air because it is, by default, world wide web connected.
Then again, how would it function? Would it be feasible to work on a document on a screen that small? As a reporter I was super-excited each time I heard about a new voice recorder add-on for the iPod because I thought I had the ultimate solution for recording interviews. Every time I was sorely disappointed by the performance of the add-on. So would something like this function for the decidedly rigorous uses people would need it for? What’s more, how would one look working in public on a keyboard with a 2-inch screen?
I’m curious what you’ve to say, so sound off in the comments, take the survey below or spread the survey around to other sites.
UPDATE: The embedded survey seems to be causing problems in some browsers - so you’ll have to click the link above. Preliminary results show roughly 50 percent of people saying it’s a good idea with an even split at 25 percent each for people saying it’s not a good idea or it depends on how it looks or functions.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Entries (RSS)