It is always interesting to read the case against portrait mode. I for one would really appreciate it, I currently have a 5800xm which i enjoy, it has no physical keyboard so I am always using the on screen one. Personally I prefer the number pad for text entry, maybe because i'm an old school texter and don't have to look at the screen to know what I am typing, but this is very helpful for sending quick messages during a meeting,

Would the lack of portrait keep me from buying the phone, no not at all, but I know a lot of consumers would get upset with it not duginr the first weeks when it is shiny and new, but rather when it a month old and getting to be routine, and the things that used to be simple, now take on an added complexity.But, this is the opposite of my best friend who has a G1 and primarily uses landscape.

So who knows, the biggest identifier may be what you used to use.