I remember sliding to turn the screen on being very satisfying, maybe faster than finding the power button.
That's real neat! Please drop an update in here after you get it. I miss my Passport like you wouldn't believe.
Based. If I'd invested in a Key2 instead of a KeyOne Black and a Key2 LE I'd probably have held on to it too. Heck I'd get one now if they just weren't so overpriced for their spec.
The answer is:
The CAT S22 is a smart flipper running android, so its perfect for what you want.
The thing is the perfect phone for me. Hunting, fishing, yardwork, rucking. It'll outlive you. They recommend in the guide to clean it by just jamming it in the sink and scrubbing it.
I built my key2 out of a wrecked black phone I bought used and all new red replacement parts off of aliexpress. It's incredibly easy to take apart. I messed up a few things putting it together and its done me good.
Nah, not old school. Just expensive enough that they didn't cheap out on any fasteners, but still cheap enough that they didn't bother engineering the screws out. The back is glued on and you still have to take things apart to undo the battery plug.
Assuming they make one for the model of phone you have it's certainly an option, but they are a bit overpriced and, from what I've heard, the keyboard is just okay in terms of quality. Better than not having one but no where near BlackBerry level.
Not only was it expensive for the time but it was also a T-Mobile exclusive so those of us on Cingular/AT&T couldn't get it even if we could afford it.
Very fitting video I stumbled onto just now. Brings up a lot of sentiments shared in this thread:
You reminded me that that's exactly the type of layout I used to use on my old Nokia 5230 ~15 years ago. Luckily there actually is a keyboard like that for us weirdos called "Traditional T9" and it's available on F-Droid. I just installed it and tried it out and frankly it's great - typing might be slower if you're doing it the oldschool non-T9 way (T9 works great BTW), but I find myself pressing wrong keys much less often as my quick-typing reflexes from school years are coming back (kids nowadays will never know the joys of stealth-texting under the desk during class with your cellphone just by feel of the keys alone).
Man, this is a pretty good T9 keyboard, albeit a tad bit rough around the edges. I'm using it right now to type this and while I'm being slow as molasses and constantly hitting the wrong buttons, I'll challenge myself and use it for a bit. Bring back that muscle memory.
What the heck, this is exactly the type of phone I would've wanted for years now, sucks that it's gonna be forever overpriced now because of TikTok and whatnot. Are there any other current phones that are not pure chinesium that combine the form factor of a classic cellular phone with the functionality of a modern smartphone?
None that are exactly like it, that I know of. There's stuff like the Kyocera Dura, but it's non-touch. Meaning a lot of the apps you'd use it for won't work as well.
I am hoping that the BrackBerry Crassic I ordered will fit the bill, but if you don't like the BlackBerry form factor it won't be for you. Once I get it I will report to the thread how it is.
