Will it replace the keypad?
Touch screen adherents have already started declaring that in the coming days the conventional keypads may be replaced by touch screens. However, this prediction needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. While there is no doubt that most major manufacturers are looking more closely at the touch screen interface than ever before, there are still significant hurdles to be overcome before the conventional keypad becomes extinct.

Perhaps the most significant of these is the fact that handwriting and symbol recognition – whether by stylus or by hand – remains quirky. One still has to check what is being entered on the phone after writing on it. Touch screens also have notoriously short lives – they often get scratched and also tend to lose sensitivity over time. Of course, one can use screen protectors, but they make the screen less sensitive and also involve an additional investment. There is also the significant aspect of battery life – touch screens are heavy battery guzzlers as they almost always have to be larger in size than conventional screens.

The touch screen may be going mainstream, but it will take a while for it to displace the physical keypad. That said, it would not be a bad idea to brush up your handwriting – you might need it to operate a phone sooner than you think.