An ode to my Nokia phone
Trend: The Touch Screen
The tipping point was when I had my trusty black Nokia 6300 sitting on the desk at a meeting and Jeff laughed hysterically when he saw that there wasn’t even a cover to the back but instead a piece of tape barely holding the battery in. I was way behind the curve in terms of phone technology to the point of embarrassment, so I finally sprung for a savvy sleek iPhone.
My ‘06 Nokia (yep it was vintage) had very little going for it. No internet (I guess it technically could have, but why would anyone subject themselves to it), no text threads (so you sometimes forgot what the person texting you was even responding about), I don’t think it even had a list of recent calls to easily access. However, what it did have was a tactile interface. At the time, I didn’t mind giving that up at all (it was just the extra data plan holding me back). But now, reflecting back on it all, I wonder if the screen alone is really all that user friendly? There is no doubt that my ability to text while driving has gotten outright dangerous, I keep hitting buttons unintentionally still after quite a many months of having the thing, and the smudges all over the screen are just kind of annoying.
On the one hand it could be that touch technology is young, that it will get more fine tuned. Or maybe its a size issue. The buttons on the screen may need to be just a little bigger. Or maybe I just need to cut my fingernails (they always seem to be getting in the way). On the other hand, maybe this whole touch screen interface is just a fad, and we will all eventually realize that tactile tools are an essential usability feature. In fact, the pogo, marketed for people who have large fingers or just don’t want smudges on their screen, essentially subverts the intent of the touch screen altogether. So my question to you is, do you think the touch screen is the greatest thing since sliced bread or has it failed to live up to your expectations?
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Austin
Nov 18, 2009
8:38 pm
That’s hell of a phone!
I’d just like to comment on this:
> no text threads (so you sometimes forgot what the person texting you was even responding about)
Even my phone, which was made in 2008, doesn’t have that! It’s terrible. That’s definitely one of the trends of 2009.
uberVU - social comments
Nov 18, 2009
9:31 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by uitrends: New post: An ode to my Nokia phone (http://cli.gs/uPpy0) http://cli.gs/uPpy0 #iphone #Nokia #phone #pogo #touch…
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Nov 19, 2009
10:41 am
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KevinL
Nov 19, 2009
11:16 pm
I won’t go so far as to say they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread (when did sliced bread become the paragon of innovation, anyway?).
I do think that for small devices, touch screens offer more versatility than an array of buttons. With a small device, screen area is scarce, and any space on the device devoted to anything but the screen seems like wasted space. With the extra space gained on-screen, an interface can be created that’s specific to the task at hand. This is superior to trying to adhere to the 40 some odd buttons you’re stuck with.
Tactility, I think, is overrated. Take for instance the Palm Pre keyboard. When I used it, yes, I could feel the buttons when I pressed them. I could feel all four of the tiny little bumps as my thumb clicked them simultaneously. After I got used to it, I could feel the button I was pressing, even though it was the wrong button. (But I could feel it!)
Of course, tactile vs. on-screen keyboard has become like a religious argument, even bringing it up gets people upset.
Do touch screens have room for improvement? Yes. Fad? No.
Cecile M. Sullivan
Dec 16, 2009
5:46 pm
I had an older iPod with the monochrome screen and thought that it was great. The iTouch has completely changed the way I travel for business!
If you send any amount of time traveling for work or pleasure this is the one device you should have. It allows you to not only listen to music but the screen is wide enough to watch a movie or read a book without getting a headache.
The video quality is first class and the great battery life while watching video will allow you stay entertained even on long flights.
If you add the kindle app that you can download for free you can purchase and download books from Amazon while on the road.
The new 3.0 OS has added some nice features including the ability to record voice messages.
The switch from the older style iPod has been just as cool as the switch from PC to iMac outstanding.
The only thing I would change is the size. I would go for the 16 GB.