Text Message vs. Keyboard Typing

Maybe I'm old (only 33), but I still don't get the text message deal. I see the point, but for someone who can type about 85 wpm on a keyboard, the text message feature on phones don't really matter to me.

It would take me about five minutes to write what I just did above if not longer in a text (finger pushing, one by one ).

Are there mini keyboards out there you can plug into your phones to text or reply to emails?

I'm a Nextel user, but that may change here soon. I'm just looking for that perfect phone!

yes there are keyboards out there..What phone model do you have for Nextel?

I'm fairly proficient at plugging away on the number keys for texting, but I know what you mean.

I've played around with some of the phones that have the "QWERTY" keyboards on them and while I might get the hang of it after a while I just don't like typing with my thumbs. Not to mention the keys are usually pretty tiny in order to fit a whole keyboard. Plus it's awkward using the space/enter/shift keys with them. Just not for me. If it's for entering data into the phone I'd rather just do it on the PC and sync it.

I did own a Palm PDA a while back (m500) and I could write up some stuff pretty fast using the stylus and the Palm shorthand. I bought a "QWERTY" keyboard thing that attached the the PDA but it ended up being easier to just use the shorthand.

I wish more companies would have embraced the Palm PDA hybrid phone that was out a while back.

Samsung SPH-i500

I'd love to see this phone have continued success so that I could have gotten one... one with a camera, microSD slot, speakerphone, 3G, etc. My dream phone.

Like you I feel like I am old. Maybe I am (I'm 49) At any rate I feel that this texting craze is a bit ridiculous. I foresee a rash of emergency room visits for the thumb equivalent of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.