God's I miss the G1. That popout keyboard was amazing.
I'd honestly be okay with a slab style phone, that's wider than normal, but still fits in the hand, so I can have a solid keyboard.
Something similar to the Peek: https://i2.wp.com/www.amitbhawani.com/blog/wp-content/upload...
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mobile-accessories/phones/g...
Apparently it is not simply a passive device, but one the firmware is aware of when placed above the screen, as the screen actually shrink to account for the area covered by the keyboard.
Edit: That said, i can't help feel the world lost something when the leading light in phone design moved from Europe to USA, and in the process turning every phone into a flat piece of glass.