Dave also says:
> I'll stick to my guns on the theory that if a phone can be given a screen
> about the size of a Palm Pilot V, in colour, with the resolution of a
> standard photograph of about the same size, then most of the problems
> associated with small screen interfaces will be resolved. The remainder of
> the problem of getting the data onto a screen that size is the same
problem
> that will always exist and exists on interfaces of any size - design,
layout
> and artistry.
Actually, I don't think you'll get much argument on this.
I certainly agree. The problem, however, is that it seems
that most people still want a pocket phone to be a pocket
phone, Palmpilots are just a shade too big, and as soon
as you stick one against your ear, it would have to stop
being a Palmpilot and become some dumb old phone.
Handsfree headsets could help out here, if people could
get used to them. Then current short-distance wireless
approaches could make palmtops and wireless phones
compatible as separate-but-cooperating units. I also like
this from my audio-will-be-king point of view: instead of
plinking-and-lifting-to-listen, listening-and-dropping-
to-plink, you could push buttons, do stylus operations
*and* listen at the same time. Wouldn't it be cool
if your keitai were indistinguishable from a relatively-
unobtrusive hearing-aid, and you could dial it by
pointing at thumbnail photos of people on your
palmtop screen?
Right now, though - well, ever try to cradle a mobile
against your shoulder to talk and listen, as you can
with a full-sized landline phone handset? And a lot
of people feel geeky wearing handsfree headsets,
even with all the problems they solve. I call this
The Last Foot And No Third Hand problem: the
distance between a comfortable viewing distance
and your ear almost cries out for an additional unit,
and to operate any such handheld unit, you need to
have *both* hands free for efficient operation.
There's an integration-plus-usability Gordian Knot
here, waiting for its Alexander. The sword might
have to be some player's monopoly power.
Michael Turner
www.idiom.com/~turner
leap@gol.com
Received on Tue Jul 18 15:23:13 2000