I think I'm gonna get a new phone because texting on mine is a pain in the ass with no keyboard. Only thing I really want is a physical keyboard really. No iPhone because I hate the touch keypad. Not sure about a BB because I don't really like the design.. Any suggestions?
BB Bold. I Love the phone. The email is constantly being checked against your mailboxe(s) so you can get your mail as soon as it comes. Also its a great phone for productivity as the Microsoft Office ToGo is easily the best word processor I've ever dealt with in a phone. Its great for working on papers or other homework/business on the go and there is a pdf viewer built in as well. I personally prefer the Bold 9000 to the Bold 9700 because the 9000 is wider so the keys are spaced out perfectly for me. (My hands are kinda big). The 9700 is a great phone too, but its slightly smaller comparable in size to the 8900. The only drawback to it is that you can do so much on it that you absolutely have to charge it every night. If you already make this a then it isn't a big deal at all. I used to be a big fan of Windows phones, like the BlackJack and HTC Tilt, but in hindsight they ran kindof slow IMO. Idk if how the newer devices perform so you might want to check those out too.
I have been pretty happy with my Samsung Epix. However, the advice I would give is to go try them for yourself. I went in thinking the Bold was what I wanted, and tried about 30 different devices before choosing this one.
Tilt2. I have the equivalent phone on t-mobile which is the touch pro 2 and the physical keyboard on that phone is top notch. big buttons, dedicated numbers row, increased spaces between buttons. I had the t-mobile wing before which had a slide out keyboard but the one on the tilt2/touch pro 2 blows it away.
I've got the Samsung Impression. It's NOT a full smartphone if that's what you're looking for, but it has the keyboard, touch screen, and data is only $10 as opposed to $30 for smartphones. It will sync with yahoo and a few other mail clients. Unfortunately the Gmail app for it is terrible.
If you're stuck with AT&T, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the best option. If you're open to other carriers, the Moto Droid, Nokia N97 and N900 and Palm Pre would make the cut.