Latest news with #QWERTY
Geek Tyrant
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Ancient Rules Society Follows Without Question Are Broken Down in This Fascinating Video — GeekTyrant
Why do we blow out birthday candles all at once or knock on wood for luck? A new video from Chill Dude Explains dives into the strange and often hilarious origins of these everyday traditions we've just accepted without question. Titled Ancient Rules We Still Follow For No Reason , the video breaks down the backstories of quirky customs like surgeons wearing green or blue instead of the original white scrubs, our continued use of the QWERTY keyboard despite faster layouts, the oddity of using a human foot as a unit of measurement, and even why hurricanes get names. It's an entertaining and educational look at the strange ancient rules society still blindly sticks to. If you're into history, weird facts, or just love questioning the norm, this is a must-watch.
New York Post
31-07-2025
- New York Post
Leave your phone behind with this all-in-one Apple Watch
Discover startups, services, products and more from our partner StackCommerce. New York Post edits this content, and may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you buy through our links. TL;DR: This refurbished Apple Watch is $154.99 and features a bigger screen, fast charging, full keyboard, and fitness tools. If you've ever tried replying to a text on your watch and ended up sending it to your boss instead of your best friend, it might be time for an upgrade. The Apple Watch Series 7 finally makes the smartwatch keyboard dream a reality with a bigger, brighter screen and full QWERTY texting that actually works. And right now, you can grab a refurbished GPS + Cellular model on sale for 69% off of its original price of $499 and get it for just $154.99. This is the 45mm aluminum version in sleek Midnight, and it's packed with perks. You get around 20% more screen area than the Series 6, but the footprint stays compact thanks to thinner borders and curved edges. That extra screen space means easier swiping, larger text, and enough room for Apple's QuickPath keyboard so you can type like a normal human instead of doing interpretive emoji dance. It's not just about looks, either. The Series 7 is built tougher with 50% thicker crack-resistant glass, IP6X dust protection, and WR50 water-resistance — meaning it can handle sweaty workouts, dishwashing, and spontaneous downpours like a champ. With its built-in cellular connectivity, you can make calls, stream music, get directions, and check notifications even when your phone's nowhere in sight. It's the perfect companion for jogs, commutes, or that one time you left your phone in a Lyft. You can also track your blood oxygen levels, check your heart rhythm with ECG, and even get fall detection alerts when cycling. WatchOS 8 is preinstalled and updatable all the way through watchOS 11, keeping the interface fresh and feature-rich with new faces, bigger buttons, and app upgrades. Battery life hits the standard 18 hours, but the real kicker is the charging speed — up to 80% in just 45 minutes using a USB-C fast charger. That means less time on the charger and more time on your wrist doing, well, everything. You'll get a 30-day warranty and a sport strap in the box. As a refurbished Grade B model, it may have minor cosmetic marks but is tested and fully functional. On sale for $154.99 (reg. $499), this refurbished Apple Watch Series 7 with GPS and cellular is your new secret, budget-friendly weapon. StackSocial prices subject to change.
Android Authority
22-07-2025
- Android Authority
This keyboard case made my Pixel 9 actively painful to use — but I can't stop typing on it anyway
Clicks Keyboard The Clicks case brings a full QWERTY keyboard with physical keys to selected phones, including the Pixel flagship series. It provides excellent tactile feedback and keyboard shortcuts to your typing experience, but makes the phone taller, a bit imbalanced, and cramped to hold or use. I lived through the early era of non-touch smartphones. My first 'smart' phone was a Nokia 3250 Xpress Music with a glorious T9 keypad, and my first QWERTY was an HTC Qtek 9100 running Windows Mobile. Physically pressing keys to type was in my DNA for years; I loved the tactile feedback of typing, and I relished the perk of typing without looking, especially during long college lectures. Over the years, I tried a couple of Blackberry phones, but my heart always brought me back to Nokia. The E71 was the best QWERTY phone I've ever used — nothing could even come close. When the era of all-touch smartphones began in the late 2000s, I was a refractory skeptic. I missed all the perks of typing on a physical keyboard, but the world was changing, and I had to adapt. It took a few years before on-screen touch keyboards became properly usable, but it wasn't until Gboard launched in 2016 that they finally convinced me. Now, nine years later, it's hard to remember a time when I physically pressed every letter I wanted to type. But the QWERTY dream on Android isn't dead yet. Clicks has made a keyboard case for the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro that adds four rows of keys to the bottom of the phone. Obviously, I just had to try it to see whether physical keyboards still have a shot in 2025. An experience of early frustration Rita El Khoury / Android Authority The moment I slid my Pixel 9 Pro into the Clicks case, I knew I was in for a rollercoaster. Google's small, pocketable phone suddenly became too tall, too unwieldy. You don't think an extra 4cm (1.57 inches) will affect how you hold the Pixel until you have to actually hold the Pixel in this case. It becomes very unbalanced and top-heavy. For someone like me with Carpal Tunnel pain, it also physically hurt the first few days when I was testing it. A few minutes in, I had to put the phone down because my wrist was cramping up. My first typing experience wasn't any better. The buttons aren't any narrower than the touch keys on Gboard, but they're shorter. They also felt significantly smaller, like I was pecking on teensy, cramped targets and had to rethink the entire way I type on my phone. I kept hitting the wrong keys, pressing two letters instead of one, and adding a space after ev ery V or B b utton press. I kept hitting the wrong buttons, making typos, and adding spaces where there shouldn't be any. I had hoped that this would be like riding a bike, that I'd find my familiar QWERTY bearings and fly through text in a few minutes, but after more than an hour of on and off usage, I was still making more typos than ever and typing slower than ever. I wanted my touchscreen Gboard back! Rita El Khoury / Android Authority I found it even more frustrating that I had to reach up to the display to reposition the cursor each time I wanted to fix a mistake or rewrite something. I'm so used to swiping on the spacebar in Gboard to move the cursor that I found myself trying that on the Clicks keyboard and sighing when it wouldn't work. With no friendly arrow keys either, this made every cursor reposition an eyeroll moment. (Android does support a pointer/arrow mode, but it works with the keys 7, 8, 9, u, o, j, k, l, which aren't appropriately positioned on the Clicks keyboard: 7, 8, and 9 are to the bottom left, not the top right here.) This brings me to my most significant adjustment: the missing standalone number row. I'm used to keeping that on top of Gboard so I can easily reach the numbers — an essential feature if you type transliterated Arabic, where certain letters that don't have a phonetic equivalent in the Latin alphabet are replaced by numbers. The famous 'habibi,' for example, is written '7abibi' if you use transliteration, because 7 replaces the hard H (ح), which doesn't have a proper equivalent in Latin letters. Because of this, access to numbers is essential in my everyday communication with my Lebanese friends and family members, and having to tap the number symbol along with the number key on Clicks got old very quickly. Having those numbers in a T9 configuration right next to the number symbol, instead of in a row, was even more frustrating. Slowly relearning to type Rita El Khoury / Android Authority A couple of weeks in, things started looking up for the Clicks keyboard case. I wouldn't say I'm a pro at using it yet, nor that I'm faster typing on this keyboard than I am on my phone's touchscreen, but I do make fewer mistakes now, and I'm starting to appreciate its benefits more than its issues. The tactile feedback is fantastic. It is so satisfying to feel a button physically press beneath my finger every time I type a letter. And the click I hear is just right. The tactile feedback and audible click each time a key is pressed is fantastic. I'm also way more familiar with the button layout and the exact way I need to hit the keys to avoid typos. Each side of the keyboard slopes down outward, so it took a bit of practice to reconfigure my brain for that versus a perfectly flat touch keyboard. Don't get me wrong — the keys still feel cramped, but something clicked (ha!) for me after a few days, and I started typing faster, more efficiently, and I'm now at a stage where I can type without looking. Almost. Perhaps, with a few more months of practice, I could type blindfolded, but for now, I'll consider this a win. I've also gotten a bit more used to holding the super-mega-tall Pixel 9 Pro in this case. There's still an imbalance and a cramped-up feeling because I have to keep my hands on the bottom third of the contraption to type, but I do feel less wrist pain. I still can't do more than 10 minutes or so at a time, but someone with no wrist pain might not have this issue and find it a joy to type on. The perks that make this worth the trouble Rita El Khoury / Android Authority You might be wondering why I'm putting myself through this horrible experience if I can take off the Clicks case and use my Pixel 9 Pro like normal. The answer is two-fold. First, having a separate keyboard has freed up my entire screen. I no longer lose half of my display each time I want to type something; I can keep everything on the screen in front of me, and still type. This works wonderfully in apps like WhatsApp or Slack, where I can see more chat context before replying, or apps like JotterPad, where I can read more of my writing before adding to it. I can fill forms in Chrome without obscuring half the form, and reply to a comment on YouTube or an email in Gmail without hiding what I'm replying to. In many apps, this doesn't matter much, but in those examples, it really feels like I've gained double the screen estate by using a separate physical keyboard. Android's support for physical keyboards is amazing now. There are shortcuts for everything. Second, and most importantly, Clicks allowed me to discover — and enjoy — all of Android's keyboard shortcuts. I'd seen my Android Authority colleague Mishaal Rahman report changes in how newer versions of Android handle external keyboards, but I didn't have the chance to test these before getting this case. Now, I know. Physical keyboard language pop-up ...with clipboard ...or emoji picker ...or translate box. Android's compatibility with external keyboards has improved a lot since its early day barebones support. Now, there are shortcuts to trigger many features in Gboard (emoji, clipboard, translation), to interact with text (copy, paste), for multitasking and app switching, to launch apps no matter what you're doing, and more. I certainly like the option of opening the app list with one button or dropping down the notification shade with a shortcut. Having copy and paste be a quick shortcut away instead of a tap-and-hold process is also surprisingly handy. Plus, launching Gmail and my calendar from any app is a perk I didn't expect to enjoy this much, though I want Android to let me set custom shortcuts to launch any app, not just the few Google ones set by default. Android's external keyboard settings ...with customizable modifier keys ...and accessibility settings ...as well as a mouse feature. There's a bit of shortcut fatigue, though, I won't lie to you. It takes a while to memorize the important ones, and if you don't use the Clicks case for a couple of days, you have to relearn them again. My least favorite bit was having to memorize shortcuts to access Gboard's emoji and clipboard menus, which I use every day. Oh, and of course, my most-used shortcut ended up being the one that reveals all the shortcuts because I keep forgetting them! Clicks also has a dedicated Gemini key that launches Google's assistant without having to reach for the power button, as well as a Clicks logo key that acts a bit like the Tab key on your computer, switching selection between on-screen menus and buttons. Both of them are excellent additions that come in handy. QWERTY + Pixel 9 Pro: Romanticized vision versus harsh reality Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Part of me, the one who grew up in the 80s-90s and loved the early days of T9 and QWERTY Blackberry and Nokia smartphones, wants to love the Clicks keyboard case. In an ideal world, this is the most efficient way to type on any platform, and physical keys will always be superior to a touchscreen. The reality of using this case, though, opened my eyes to how much the current smartphone landscape has changed and how much more practical it is to quickly touch-type with chunky thumbs and let the software decide that I wanted to write 'Hello' and not 'Jello.' Add in the super tall form factor that Clicks creates with its imbalance, top-heaviness, small keys, and cramped wrist feeling, and you have an overall product that sounds way too good as an idea, but isn't all that practical to use. The Clicks Keyboard case is perfect on paper, but its usability is a victim of its form factor. I really love the Clicks keyboard's passthrough USB-C charging, MagSafe compatibility, tactile feedback, shortcut support, and the way it liberates my entire display from Gboard, but I just have to be honest with myself and admit I'm not faster, nor am I more accurate typing on it. And it's still painful for me to use for stretches of more than 10 minutes. Perhaps on a shorter phone with a different balance equation, like the Moto Razr, this would be a better bet. Or perhaps a different case option that slides from the side and turns the Pixel into an old-school Communicator-style phone would make more sense for Clicks to solve both the imbalance and small-key issues. Most buyers with a Pixel 9 Pro are better off sticking with their touchscreen, but if you really, really want a physical keyboard and you're ready to deal with the trade-offs I've mentioned, then by all means, this is the best option out there for Android. It's exceptionally well built, but its only fault is being a victim of what it's trying to achieve. Clicks Keyboard Full QWERTY keyboard • Impressive tactile feedback • Keyboard shortcut compatibility MSRP: $139.00 Want QWERTY? Get Clicks! The Clicks keyboard moves the physical keyboard off the screen, freeing up display space. It features backlit keys and supports app shortcuts, and for Pixels it provides AI interactions via a Gemini key. See price at AmazonSee price at Manufacturer siteSee price at Best Buy Positives Full QWERTY keyboard Full QWERTY keyboard Impressive tactile feedback Impressive tactile feedback Keyboard shortcut compatibility Keyboard shortcut compatibility MagSafe support Cons Cramped keys Cramped keys Causes phone imbalance Causes phone imbalance No arrows or standalone number row No arrows or standalone number row No tangible typing speed gain
Gizmodo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
This BlackBerry Ripoff Is My Only Hope at Feeling Young Again
I love my phone. Guys, no… I love my phone so much. I hate that I love my phone, but I love it nonetheless. I love my phone so much that I spend all day typing stupid little words into its stupid little screen and waiting for stupid little responses. I love my phone, but it does not love me, especially when it comes to typing. I'm so bad at typing. If there were a contest to try and fail to type the least amount of words in the most amount of attempts, I'd win the triple crown platinum all-time iron chef trophy (on one leg with my eyes closed). That's a me problem for sure, but if you're old enough to remember a time before social media, it may be a you problem, too. Don't worry, though; there's a solution to your God-awful typing, and it's been under your nose for a long time, technically. The solution: this blatant BlackBerry ripoff with a physical keyboard, Android 15, and 5G connectivity. Introducing Titan 2 — the phone that can move forward and look back! 👀 As the latest 𝟓𝐆 𝐐𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐘 smartphone running 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝟭𝟱, Titan 2 blends classic design with modern performance. 🚀 Its redesigned physical keyboard brings back the tactile satisfaction of real… — Unihertz (@Unihertz) June 26, 2025Introducing the Titan 2, a new crowdfunded phone from Unihertz that (like its predecessor, the Titan 1) clearly takes its cues from BlackBerry. Most importantly, there's a full QWERTY keyboard with real buttons that you can press with your tired-ass thumbs to produce words that hopefully construct whole sentences. It's a story as old as time, but in a never-ending sea of touchscreens, somehow a breath of fresh air—or at least recycled, non-touchscreen air. If you're wondering how the hell you scroll on something like this, I'm also excited to relay that there's a scroll sensor built into the freaking keyboard. That means you can just swipe on the keys to ingest all the brain-rotting TikToks your internet-addled brain desires. I have my doubts about how well that feature works, but it's a nice flourish nonetheless. Also, don't worry, you can still use the display as a standard touchscreen if you so choose. On top of all of that, there's also a screen on the back of this thing, which is bonkers. Unihertz, on its Kickstarter page, describes this feature as follows: 'Titan 2 features a 4.5-inch square primary display with a resolution of 1,440 × 1,440 pixels, alongside a secondary rear display for an even more imaginative dual-screen experience. Its flat-edge design adds a modern, sleek touch to the device.' Basically, it looks like you can see timers and notifications on the second, smaller screen, which is nice if you want to flip your phone upside down and give your equally tired eyes a bit of a rest but still keep a smaller, tired eye on the influx of Slack messages you desperately want to ignore. Camera-wise, there's nothing really to write home about—there's a 50-megapixel front-facing sensor and a 32-megapixel selfie camera—but that's probably not why you'd be interested in a phone like this anyway. There's something really interesting about the fact that a phone like the Titan 2 or the Titan 1 can exist in this world where everything is a glass slab, and as a screen-addicted millennial, I think I understand the appeal. As much as technologies like touchscreens and autocorrect have become the lynchpin and launchpad to our smartphone experience, I think there's still something weirdly unintuitive about typing on a flat glass surface. My thumbs, no matter how much I try to train them, sometimes just don't want to cooperate, and autocorrect sometimes feels equally as unruly. There's a simplicity and tactility that I crave, and clearly others do too. As of writing this, the Titan 2 has $1,005,074 from backers already, and the fact that Unihertz was able to make a sequel to its 2019 Titan in the first place says a lot. It's going for around $271 and estimated delivery is currently October. Let's just be honest: I'll probably never feel young again, but hats off to Unihertz because a physical keyboard might at the very least make me feel less old.
GSM Arena
25-06-2025
- GSM Arena
The Unihertz Titan 2 brings back the QWERTY keyboard, pairs it with a square 4.5" display
Do you miss the BlackBerry Passport? Well, Unihertz is working on resurrecting the form factor with the Titan series. The latest is the Unihertz Titan 2, which is up on Kickstarter for a crowdfunding campaign. Well, it's more of a pre-order – the $100,000 goal was unrealistically low and it has already been surpassed over 8 times, anyway. The Titan 2 has a square 4.5' display with 1,440 x 1,440px resolution – just like the Passport. There's actually a second display on the back too, a 2' 410 x 50px panel, although the utility of that is questionable beyond using it for main camera selfies. The star of the show is the 3-row QWERTY keyboard with a function row above that. It's touch sensitive, so you can use it to scroll and to move the text cursor (including selecting text). The keyboard is backlit and supports multiple languages. You can also assign apps to be launched when long-pressing certain keys for instant access. The company worked with carriers around the world to make sure the Unihertz Titan 2 is supported – it's in the process of getting approval from AT&T, which will allow the phone to work on the AT&T and Cricket networks. Do note that the US version is separate with support for additional bands. Supported carriers This is a dual-SIM phone, by the way. It also has Wi-Fi 6 (ax), Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC connectivity, plus an IR blaster and an FM radio receiver (but no 3.5mm headphone jack). The new model launches with Android 15 and claims massive performance improvements over the original Titan, up 240% overall, according to Unihertz. The Dimensity 7300 chipset has a faster CPU (+202%) and the GPU (+341%). The chipset is paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage. The Titan 2 is powered by a 5,050mAh battery with 33W charging. A full charge can be achieved in an hour and a half. All this while making the phone thinner (10.8mm) and lighter (235g) than its predecessor. The phone has a 50MP main camera on the back alongside an 8MP 3.4x telephoto module. The front camera has a 32MP sensor. The two early bird price tiers are sold out, but you can still grab an Unihertz Titan 2 with a 33% discount – that is $270 (MSRP is $400). The Kickstarter campaign has a few combos and bundles too. Shipping is expected to start in October 2025. Unihertz Titan 2 specs Here's the promo video for the Unihertz Titan 2 – if you're jealous of that leather cellphone holster, soon you will be able to get one too. It's an add-on that will be available in the post-campaign survey period. Source
