While there have been several Android smartphones with hardware keyboards in the past, including the very first Android handset, the physical QWERTY isn't something you often see with Android devices as of late. However, one Google employee recently voiced his support of the physical 'board while speaking to ABC News. Matias Duarte, Google’s Director of Android User Experience, explained that he's "still a huge fan of hardware keyboards" and that he thinks that "there is a place" for devices with that feature. The exec also complimented RIM, saying that "they clearly make great physical keyboards" and that he'd be happy to work with the company on an Android-powered device.

We've seen a handful of BlackBerry-like Android handsets with portrait QWERTY devices hit the market, like the Motorola DROID Pro and Samsung Replenish, but an actual RIM-made Android phone would be a pretty interesting device. With the company hard at work on BlackBerry 10 and rumors of RIM weighing a partnership with Microsoft swirling, though, such a product seems unlikely, so one of Taylor's dream superphones may have to remain a dream. Where do you all stand on the subject of physical keyboards? Would you like to see more Android devices with them or do you prefer your smartphones to be of the full-touch variety?

Via The Verge, ABC News