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The ALLTEL AG LX490 with FASTAP is now available in the US. FASTAP is a fairly new interface technology that combines raised & lowered keys for greater functionality on different form factors, basically giving you more keys to play with on a smaller phone. Check out the Digit Wireless website for demos and more information.

This kind of innovation makes me happy, as I’m one of those people who likes having the convenience of a keyboard but don’t really care for the bulk. I previously carried a ThinkOutside Stowaway for my PDA, then had an attachable thumbboard for my HP iPaq 6315. Now I have a slideout QWERTY for my Wizard 200, and only the Wizard is handy enough to actually use on the fly.

This reminds me of another keyboard innovation: the "butterfly" keys on the Samsung SGH-i770, which has two-sided keys that represent a different keystroke depending on which side you press, but in number mode either side emits the number. And it’s a PPC flipphone, not a smartphone. Can’t wait, but I digress…

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