Nice read, but the writer uses the phrase "sends this Obigo browser through GWT hell". Unless Google is doing more complex user agent sniffing that I thought, the phone's browser not being able to use Javascript is just that, the phone browser's problem, and not Google's fault.
A more basic test I'd like to see is how well do these 10 phones stack up wrt to the task at hand. AS PHONES.
I have a smart phone, and my biggest annoyance? The simple task of "I have a phone number and I need to call it" is far more complex than it needs to be. Calling contacts already in the phonebook? Easy. Punching in a phone number has far too many buttons to get back main screen, go to phone mode and bring up the actual dialer. Once there, either it's a touchscreen without real buttons, or it's a sub-qwerty tiny keypad that may as well be annoying touchscreen at that size (The kind that RIM is quite fond of). (Connection services like Google Voice are up to the should-be-trivial task though).
Then again, I suppose the smartphone route would be to print up QR codes on everything and allow dialing of a cellphone camera picture.
The path from locked state to dial is quick enough for me on a 3GS, but I have to admit it's probably more steps than I would like. On paper, it actually looks kind of bad if it's a number you don't have in-directory:
1. Hit home or lock key
2. Swipe lock slider
3. Touch phone icon
4. Touch dialpad icon
5. Dial number
Vs. a featurephone or keyboarded smartphone
1. Hit unlock key or open clamshell
2. Dial number
What I'd actually like to see is a second slider on the iPhone's lock screen that goes straight to the phone without stopping by the springboard. That would pretty much bring it to parity with featurephone keypads.
Yeh I never considered it that way before - it is quite a natural motion though (unless it is just practice :)).
I was thinking, personally, more about it's general usability. Like the easy tabs on the phone app (contacts,history,voicemail,dialer etc), the text messages layout, how accesible the contacts db is (and syncable with Google) and all the other bits.
It's not something specific I can place my finger on but lots of little neat bits that make it a really usable phone.
(edit: if you think about getting into contacts and dialing a number the swipe scroll and touch makes that probably faster/easier than a standard phone)
Maybe you could use one slider with 2 directions. E.g. the slider button starts in the center, and you could slide it right to unlock and go to the home screen, or slide it left to go straight to the phone screen.
it wouldn't even be unintuitive. longways slide (current) for regular home. sideways slide to go straight to phone. I can't believe no one has thought of this.
1) Press middle of the three hardware buttons on the lower part of the phone. Home screen appears.
2) Press icon in lower left part of the home screen, numpad appears.
3) Input the number.
4) Press call button on touch screen or the leftmost of the hardware buttons. Overall, one more action than a non-smart.
Please note that it is not my intention, however, to present 5800 as overall good phone. Most of it is usability nightmare.
Dialing a phone number with actual digits accounts for maybe 1/500th of the use of my phone. That may not be common, but I don't think dialing digits is "the task at hand" for a phone anymore.
In fact, Apple's iPhone integration spans so far that I rarely even enter contacts on my phone anymore:
1. Someone emails me their phone number.
2. I mouse over it in Mail.app, click 'Create New Contact'.
3. I click 'Add to Address Book'
...
4. That's it. There's nothing else. Their name and email address get filled in automagically from the email, and within a few minutes the contact gets synced over the air to my phone.
A more basic test I'd like to see is how well do these 10 phones stack up wrt to the task at hand. AS PHONES.
I have a smart phone, and my biggest annoyance? The simple task of "I have a phone number and I need to call it" is far more complex than it needs to be. Calling contacts already in the phonebook? Easy. Punching in a phone number has far too many buttons to get back main screen, go to phone mode and bring up the actual dialer. Once there, either it's a touchscreen without real buttons, or it's a sub-qwerty tiny keypad that may as well be annoying touchscreen at that size (The kind that RIM is quite fond of). (Connection services like Google Voice are up to the should-be-trivial task though).
Then again, I suppose the smartphone route would be to print up QR codes on everything and allow dialing of a cellphone camera picture.