| 22-05-2009 09:32 PM |
| docpark |
unmatched utility
Revo Phone with customized linux distro, 3G, Wifi, flash, SD card slot, replaceable battery (slim and fat), OLED screen, phone buttons on cover with second small number screen.
would pay 600-700 for it.
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| 22-05-2009 11:12 AM |
| Chrisp7 |
I simply dont understand why a D pad isnt placed on the bottom of the touchscreen phones and 2 buttons at the top. This would take up little room, allow touch and d pad to be used and it would make mobile gaming a reality. You need a d pad and button for games, why havent Nokia got that!? Fiddling about with buttons on the keypad (ie for fifa) just doesnt work.
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| 22-05-2009 02:18 AM |
| sciroccokid |
I think it depends on what you want. I have owned an i-760 which was immensely practical, * an Omnia which was great for viewing the web. I saw the consensus from the compiled reviews at HDomnia were not to critical of the i8910's large size. In this case the phone large footprint seems justified by the large screen. It is always a balancing act...
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| 21-05-2009 01:05 AM |
| chenliangchen |
I have to say it's N93/N93i's form factor. To me it's the best. I'm a super fan of N93i, just because of it's form factor. I have used N81 and N85 for couple of months finally I changed back to old N93i which only support 2GB cards and small ram. Just because I love it so much, it can do everything, with the most comfortable experience, if it had the hardware of N95 or N82...
I will keep using N93i until its successor appears. Nokia blog says earliest 2010 it will be upgraded, I hope it's true.
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| 20-05-2009 04:44 PM |
| Unregistered |
Quote:
Originally Posted by maartenmk
The one thing I can't understand and regret is why so few of the 'slate' devices have a D-pad, for quickly moving through forms, lists etc, and of course for games. Surely that would fit without having to enlarge the device?
Especially for a non-multitouch device it seems like a must-have. For me it is (next to the flash) the biggest argument against the OmniaHD.
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Seconded - Many people like to use their phones as mp3 players - you shouldn't have to look at the screen just to change tracks or adjust the volume!
Similarly a hardware lock switch is essential to ensure you can avoid looking at the screen.
If we're on the subject of games, analogue control is used on consoles and computers, just hasn't been solved for mobile devices yet. Shoulder buttons located where a phone's volume control is normally placed are a good addition as per most gaming controllers.
Unsuprisingly, if you add volume controls, a dpad and hardware lock switch, you arrive at a formfactor similar to the a1000, still one of the best formfactors without a qwerty keyboard.
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| 20-05-2009 01:28 PM |
| TomJ |
Quote:
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however, keyboard and touchscreen hasn't worked for laptops (yet), a touchpad near the keyboard has been more useful. netbooks and slide out qwerty phones are pretty close to each other though in size and form. we'll see.
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May I point you to a splendid device with the best ever pocketable qwerty keyboard and a touchscreen, running [strike]Symbian[/strike] EPOC?
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| 20-05-2009 12:52 PM |
| Unregistered |
Odd that UKJeeper states " to create MY perfect 'form factor' i'd essentially want to see something like the i8910 (or Toshiba's upcoming offering) with the N97's hinge and the E90's 'proper' keyboard.
I've used the 5800's, N810's, Viewty's, etc virtual keyboard and they just don't 'do it' for me. I don't like the loss of screen space while typing either.
The physical keyboards on the E71, Curve/Bold, Treo are just too small for me. (my idea of hell would be trapped with the Pearls keyboard!!!), so the Pre is simply a non-starter for me.
The E75's keyboard is better, but is like the Motorola's (RAZR) type buttons. Somewhere between real and 'virtual'."
Thus he admits the real-world limitations of most of the 'keyboards' offered as well as the fact that he'd prefer a physical to virtual type but then concludes
"So give me a tablet style phone, with large screen, and slide down/N97 keyboard"!!.
I find this bizarre as it is obvious that around *half* of the available Keyboard space is 'wasted' in the open configuration of the slider format and thus the keyboard is ***necessarily truncated**** to allow for it!
Compare the keyboards of the Nokia n810 or HTC TyTN2 to the E90's for proof and then consider that the E90 is only 57 mm wide as opposed to the n810's 72mm!
An improved e90 with the processor, flash memory (and MicroSD expansion slot), HSUPA, 5/8 Mpix camera, WVGA resolution touchscreen of 4.3-4.8 inches, running improved S60 5th Ed or the new Symbian Foundation OS is the way forward.
The e90 is also likely to be far more robust than the N97 (hinges, screen ribbon), to say nothing of the outer screen and keypad.
What is sure is that the N97 can only ever be a "placeholder" for the upgraded E90!
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| 20-05-2009 12:19 PM |
| Unregistered |
OF COURSE we've reached the perfect form factor. The perfect form factor is the one that's right for you. And as people have a variety of different needs and use cases, it requires a variety of different form factors (and hardware and software specs). Nuff said.
If ever there was a non-article, this is it.
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| 20-05-2009 10:22 AM |
| maartenmk |
don't forget the D-pad!
The one thing I can't understand and regret is why so few of the 'slate' devices have a D-pad, for quickly moving through forms, lists etc, and of course for games. Surely that would fit without having to enlarge the device?
Especially for a non-multitouch device it seems like a must-have. For me it is (next to the flash) the biggest argument against the OmniaHD.
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| 20-05-2009 09:38 AM |
| djplus |
skinning cats
there are lots of ways to skin a cat. but they all have to achieve the same thing.
we still have lots of different types of car but they, almost all, have 4 wheels and a steering wheel. so for phones I guess almost all of us like a touchscreen. hopefully that will become standard. but some of us want a keyboard (big, small, slide, fold, etc) too. no problem we're getting them.
maybe two main types of device then. the tablet and the keyboard. both with touchscreens. let's see how it goes.
however, keyboard and touchscreen hasn't worked for laptops (yet), a touchpad near the keyboard has been more useful. netbooks and slide out qwerty phones are pretty close to each other though in size and form. we'll see.
anybody for a kindle-a-like?
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| 20-05-2009 09:25 AM |
| xerxes |
As a recent convert from N95+Blackberry to N95+iPhone I can say with confidence:
1. The full screen slate form factor is fabulous for most tasks
2. The supposedly best in class virtual keyboard is no match for a good thumboard (although that might be because I can type unusually fast and accurately on my Blackberry)
3. The virtual keyboard concept falls down completely if you need to create a spreadsheet on the fly. Now I know that not everyone needs to do that, but i find it very hard to keep switching between the sheet view and the little editor box which is all I can see when the keyboard is popped up. Given that spreadsheets are an important part of most businesses this is something that manufacturers should bear in mind when encouraging users to leave the laptop at home and rely on the mobile to get the job done.
With all that said I have to say I would probably switch to the iPhone as a standalone device if the battery was up to a full day of calls and push email, and if the signal strength was better (and I could move it onto Vodafone to use my company SIM). I would miss the multitasking but I think I could live with it.
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| 20-05-2009 08:20 AM |
| slitchfield |
@unregistered [insert obligatory moan about unregistered people posting here]
The N93 was indeed special in many ways. But elegant and mass market it wasn't. I remember talking to a Nokia service engineer who basically ran away screaming whenever he saw someone coming in with an N93 - they were a NIGHTMARE to service and repair. All that twisting and folding made for an incredibly complex device.
One advantage of the tablet form factor is that there are almost no moving parts whatsoever. Simpler servicing, greater reliability, greater elegance. And I speak as an N93 fan.
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| 20-05-2009 08:17 AM |
| snoyt |
LG prada II vs N97? Both have very similar formfactor. Though in OS there could be a large difference...
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| 20-05-2009 06:37 AM |
| Tenkom |
I'm going slightly off-topic here but oh well.
I'm not so sure resistive has all that much to do with sunlight legibility. The best screen i've used EVER with regards to this is a 7 year old device. Namely the p800. And it had a resistive touch screen. It was so good at reflecting ambient light it didn't even have a backlight. It used some kind of strange front lighting technique.
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| 20-05-2009 05:29 AM |
| Tenkom |
I'm going slightly off-topic here but oh well.
I'm not so sure resistive has all that much to do with sunlight legibility. The best screen i've used EVER with regards to this is a 7 year old device. Namely the p800. And it had a resistive touch screen. It was so good at reflecting ambient light it didn't even have a backlight. It used some kind of strange front lighting technique.
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