Technknowledge

Gmail has long had keyboard shortcuts, though learning them can be difficult. Enter the Gboard, a specialized mini-keyboard for Google's e-mail service. It debuts this Friday at an asking price of $19.99.

The Gboard consists of 19 colored keys set in a standard size numpad-only keyboard. Clicking on any one of these performs that particular keyboard shortcut. Included are Gmail-specific features such as starring messages, starting a search, and jumping between message threads. Outside of Gmail they simply act as normal keyboard buttons, and will type in whatever letter or number corresponds with that shortcut.

The device is powered by USB and requires no special software or drivers, however users need to first enable keyboard shortcuts within Gmail's settings before using it. Also worth noting is that it was created not by Google, but by Charlie Mason, a film producer from Venice, Calif. This is his first foray into the computer hardware business.

The Gboard consists of 19 keys, all of which act as shortcuts within Google's Gmail Web mail service.

This really is a product that users will either love or hate. Those who have mastered Gmail's shortcuts will see little need to buy special hardware and find a spare USB port to plug it into. Meanwhile, newbie users may be unwilling to take the plunge on such a specific peripheral for a program that works only within another program (the browser). The Gboard runs the risk of being an unappealing prospect to both parties.

It's also not the first attempt at easing the process of learning and remembering shortcuts. This time last year Google offered users a free pack of color-coded shortcut stickers that could be tacked onto any keyboard. There have also long been specialized keyboards for video and audio editing as well as graphical design--all of which provide similar, color-coded keys. Users who don't want to commit, or tack stickers on their keyboard, also have the option of buying a silicone keyboard mat, though no such thing has been created for Gmail.

Considering there are a total of 69 Gmail shortcuts (with more on the way if Google graduates some of its experimental features from its labs section) the Gboard could just be the first step toward creating a full-size (100 plus key) version. In the meantime, its early December release and low price tag make for a good stocking stuffer if you've got a Gmail lover in your family.

The good:
• No setup required
• Color coding is logical and makes it easy to learn the keys
• Good build quality and feel; keys are flat like on a laptop
• At $19.99 it's not that expensive. Most numeric-only keyboards cost about the same.

The bad:
• Does not come close to including all of Gmail's shortcuts
• Could be rendered less useful if Gmail's shortcuts change
• Only comes in one color (black)

When the Verizon Wireless Blitz came out late last year, we were quite taken by the handset's cute and compact shape, even though some thought it looked a little fat and squat. So when we saw at CTIA that PCD, the maker of the Blitz, was coming out with similar models, we looked forward to it. Now it seems that one of the models, the PCD TXT8026, is available from regional carrier Cricket Communications and has been rebranded as the Cricket TXTM8 (pronounced "textmate"). It's not a really advanced phone, but we like the design, and simple features like a 1.3-megapixel camera and stereo Bluetooth are good enough for most people. The Cricket TXTM8 is available now for $159.99 without a contract.

Design
Like the Blitz, the Cricket TXTM8 is square and chubby. Measuring 3.75 inches long by 2.6 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick, the TXTM8 is rounded all around and has the appearance of a cute child's toy. It feels really comfortable in the hand, and is well-designed for texting. The slider mechanism feels sturdy as well.

The Cricket TXTM8 has a square yet attractive design.

On the front of it is a 2.2-inch display that supports 262,000 colors and 220x176 pixels. The colors are bright and the text is crisp, but the relatively low resolution does result in rather blocky images. The menu interface is easy to use and you can choose between grid and list type. You can adjust the backlight time, the size of the dialing font, the contrast, and the greeting banner text.

Along the left hand side of the home screen is a series of widgets customized by Cricket. As you scroll through the widget icons, a box pops up on the screen displaying the widget's properties. For example, if you scroll to the Weather widget, you'll see the current forecast for your area. Widgets included in the phone are the Cricket storefront, your daily horoscope, a shortcut to your Cricket account, Web links, breaking news headlines, sports scores, Mocospace, which is a free mobile chat service, and the weather forecast. You can have up to 10 widgets along the side, and you can add more by accessing Cricket's widget catalog.

Underneath the display is the navigation array which consists of two soft keys, a round toggle with a middle OK key, a speakerphone key, a Clear key, and the Send and End/Power keys on either side. In idle mode, the right direction of the toggle acts as a shortcut to the messaging menu, while the left direction leads to the Web browser. On the left side are a 2.5-millimeter headset jack and the volume rocker, while the right spine is home to the microSD card slot, a camera key, a voice command key, and the charger jack. On the back are a camera lens, a self-portrait mirror, and the external speaker grille.

The Cricket TXTM8 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for easy texting.

When you slide the phone open you'll reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. It's roomy, well-spaced, and the keys are raised above the surface, so it's easy to use as well. The number keys are specially marked in blue so they're easier to spot. Of course you also get special keys like a blue shift key, a Symbol key, a Caps Lock key, and a dedicated messaging key that leads to the messaging menu. We really like the keyboard on the whole and can see this as a great phone for messaging fans. Our only complaint is with a skinny raised bar in the middle of the keyboard that makes it a tiny bit harder to type the keys in the center.

Features
The Cricket TXTM8 has a 1,000-entry phone book with room in it for five numbers and two e-mail addresses. You can then organize the contacts into caller groups, pair them with a photo, and one of eight ringtones. Other basic features include a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a notepad, and a stopwatch. More advanced users will like the voice memo recording feature, voice command, e-mail, A-GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and a wireless Web browser. We were a little disappointed to not see any instant messaging support.

Even with the constant flow of cell phones that the company produces, the Samsung Flight is rather unique. It's not a smartphone, but it has a touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard. And while it may look powerful, features are pretty standard; it has Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, GPS, a media player, and support for AT&T's 3G network. The result is a phone that's a little schizophrenic. The unique design is sturdy and easy to use, but performance wasn't quite up to par. The Flight, aka the SGH-A797, is $99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Design
In a way, you could say that the Flight suffers from multiple personality disorder. Though you'd think that its QWERTY keyboard positions it as a solid messaging phone, the touch screen adds an additional way to interface with the handset. Similarly, while the touch screen makes us think of a multimedia device, the display's small size limits its usability. So where does that leave the Flight? The truth is that we're not really sure. Though some users will happily engage with the keyboard, others may skip straight to the touch screen. Yes, it can be a bit confusing, but we also think that the crazy combination works. Plus, we're never against having too many choices.

The Flight is 4.17 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.5 inch, so it's a little bigger than most phones in its class. It's also a bit heavy at 4.8 ounces, but it remains relatively portable. The handset has a solid construction and the slider mechanism is sturdy; we liked how the Flight fits squarely in the hand. The Flight comes in red and gray; we reviewed the red version, but the features are the same on both handsets.

The touch screen measures 2.8 inches. That would be much too small on a normal touch-screen phone, so Samsung appears to have kept this in mind. There's no virtual keyboard (you have physical keys instead), the browser is Opera Mini rather than full HTML, and the Flight lacks Samsung's TouchWiz interface. Without those options, you only use the touch-screen for selecting icons and list options and for plunking at a virtual numeric keypad. For either of those uses, the touch screen is adequate.

The display supports 262,000 colors and 320x240 pixels. Though handsets with 16 million-color displays are increasing in number, the Flight's screen is vibrant with bright colors and sharp graphics. You can adjust the brightness, backlight time, and font type. The touch interface is quite responsive, both when you're selecting icons and scrolling through a long list. You can adjust the display calibration and the intensity of the vibrating feedback.

Though the Flight doesn't have a TouchWiz shortcut bar, there are three touch icons that give access to the messaging folder, the favorite contacts list, and a user-programmable shortcut menu. Below them are touch controls for the main menu, the main contacts list, and the recent calls feature. The latter is rather redundant given the presence of the physical Talk button.

Below the display are a back key and the Talk and End/power buttons. The controls are flush but their large size makes them easy to use. On the left spine you'll find a volume rocker, a second onscreen shortcut menu, and the Micro-USB/charger port. Over on the right spine are a display lock switch and a camera shutter. The camera lens and small speaker sit on the rear side. Vanity shots are possible with the mirrored border that surrounds the lens. The microSD card is located behind the battery cover.

The Flight's keyboard is well-designed.

The physical keyboard is reasonably spacious and user-friendly. There are four rows of keys with the top row set far enough from the bottom of the slider. Letters share space with symbols and numbers with numbers marked by red circles. You'll also find directional arrow keys, a messaging shortcut control, a dedicated ".com" button, and the standard array of other keyboard controls (Delete, Shift, Function, etc.). The space bar is a bit small, but it's located conveniently in the center of the bottom row. We could type messages quickly and comfortably without making many mistakes.

Beyond the keyboard you also can use the Flight's handwriting recognition feature. It works pretty well with a firm press, but the display is too small to fully support it. What's more, it takes too much time to write letters one by one. You can use the virtual numeric keypad as well, but that means multiple taps with the T9 software.

Features
The Flight's phone book holds 2,000 contacts with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, a URL, a nickname, a company and job title, a birthday, and notes. You can save callers to groups and pair them with photos, ringtones, and alert tones. The SIM card holds an additional 250 names.

Basic features include text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calendar, a memo pad, a stopwatch, a timer, a world clock, a calculator, a task list, a currency and unit converter, and a tip calculator. Additional features are pretty standard. You'll find a sketchpad, a file manager, voice dialing, stereo Bluetooth, PC syncing, a voice recorder, and USB mass storage. E-mail is limited to an AT&T Mobile Email app, which offers access to POP3 services like AIM, Gmail, Windows Live, AOL, and Yahoo. Given the clunky Web-based interface, we wouldn't want to use it extensively.