[SGVLUG] Return of the G1 keyboard (sorta)

[Lan Dang]

For the Android and G1 fans on the list:
There are not a lot of options if you want a QWERTY phone.  The Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G appears to be the only feasible choice for T-mobile customers.

But whatever the reviewers may say about this phone, it beats out all the other phones in my eyes because

 *** It's got the closest thing I've seen to a G1 keyboard. ***

There is a dedicated number row!  The symbols are back!  You're one alt-key combo away from pipe, square brackets, curly braces, tilde, and the caret symbol.  (It might be missing the backtick.)  
And as a bonus, there is a D-pad, which I've been wanting because arrow keys make it easier to edit text.

I don't care that it might not be as nice as the QWERTY phones offered by other 
carriers--particularly in the area of screen and camera.  The keyboard just sells it for me.  And hey, the reviews do praise the beefy processor and the fact that it comes with Ice Cream Sandwich when some of the other phones are still on Gingerbread.

You can read the detailed review here, as well as get links to reviews of the QWERTY phones available for other carriers (see page 8).

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_relay_4g-review-826.php

Lan