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An iPhone With A Slide-Out QWERTY?

In any argument between a BlackBerry user and an iPhone aficionado, it's inevitable that you'll hear, "I need a real keyboard." But Apple's smartphone may soon be sporting a slide-out QWERTY keyboard if you believe a report from The Register.

The report says that the enterprise market is just too used to physical keys, and that Steve Jobs knows the enterprise market will be quite lucrative. The rumor has Apple already testing devices with wireless carriers:

[Jobs] has taken this beyond just chatting: actual prototypes -- not just mockups -- have been sent to senior executives at some operators. I'm not allowed to even hint which operators ... but I can report that the keyboard has "issues" which are not yet resolved.

In another part of the forest, of course, Apple's rivals have the opposite problem. They want touchscreen technology and they are working hard on it. And they, too, have "issues" with making it work properly.

Sources inside one operator say that there definitely will not be a slide-out keyboard this year. But, I'm told, they are definitely expecting to see one, aimed specifically at corporate buyers, around this time next year.

Now, I know there have been millions of Internet rumors about Apple's handset, but it does make sense to have different models for various sectors. I also know that many enterprise users won't even try to use a nontactile QWERTY keyboard.

But will it be possible to have a large, beautiful screen and a full QWERTY keyboard while retaining a sleek, Apple-like form factor? The HTC Touch Pro does seem to come close, although its screen and user interface may leave some iPhone fans unimpressed.

In other iPhone news, AT&T said it will be releasing a no-contract iPhone 3G for $599 and $699 for the different models "in the near future." I keep seeing reports saying this means it will be unlocked. Unfortunately, this isn't the case.

The phone will still be tied to AT&T's network, and the no-contract option just gives users more freedom to cancel without an early-termination fee. A representative told me by e-mail today that there would be no prepaid option for the iPhone 3G, but I could see that changing in a few months.

If you're jonesing to get away from AT&T, buy one without a contract, and then unlock it. It seems pricey, but, as Eric Zeman pointed out, this price is about par for the course for unsubsidized phones. Also, if you're looking to unlock the smartphone, the mathematicians at Gizmodo point out that it could be cheaper to buy it new and then cancel.

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