Converged Devices
Every so often I go through the process of deciding what phone to use myself. It usually starts when I get a new device for development. Every time, I try a particular smartphone for a few months only to drop back to having a small phone + PDA or small phone + FiloFax. I have a tug of war going on between having a phone small enough that I can carry without feeling it and the convenience of WYSIWYG entry via, for example, XDA, UIQ or 9300.
One of the topics that came up at MEX last week was… Is fitting several modes into one device solvable?
Currently, very little thought is given to how separate modes (phone, camera, music etc) of the phone inter-operate. There’s a fixed screen and keyboard and each mode has to map onto that. This makes it hard for the phone OEM to add new usage modes and creates a phone that is difficult to use.
At MEX, Alloy described a study that asked people about their ideal phone. Here’s what they wanted…
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Less bulky (mainly thinner)
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Bigger landscape screen
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Less menu operation
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Clearer buttons
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Simpler and more obvious to use
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QWERTY keyboard
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Easier PC connectivity
They came up with a ‘concept phone’ with two screens. The keypad screen was touch sensitive to allow the keypad to be re-mapped based on the mode.
Even this design isn’t perfect. For example, it’s awkward to use the screen on the right when surfing and playing games. This might be fixed by having some type of multi-way hinge. This concept is much better than today’s fixed keyboards and deep menus.
If you didn’t make it to MEX and you are interested in user-centred design of phones/applications/services, you might like to check out the MEX report that’s now available for purchase.
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