Information is confined traditionally on paper or digitally on a screen. ‘SIXth Sense’ frees data from its confines and releases it into the world, seamlessly integrating information and reality. Check out SIXth Sense. Here is very interesting Video:
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I am using the Blackberry Flip these days and I moved to this from Blackberry bold and before that I used iPhone (first cut) for a while.
I now know that instead of polling-based-email I need a push-email device. Incidentally blackberry does it best and iPhone hack still does not get integrated to enterprise email (we use Google App).
Another important feature is form factor. A big bulky handhald (read: B*B Bold) is skip for me. I like to keep it “hidden” or near to hidden in my hand/pocket.
Third imp factor is music which I can play in my car/take with me and so on. So simply larger HDD does not work but connection of it in my car is equally imp . Either FM transmitter or standard jack which my car could support would do.
Finally, I add app store/app as my last in wish list as I know the most of apps I use are still web/wml/xml based so they can be carried anywhere. A device app which is cool is fancy for few days, rest of days you are struggling with memory and most use app ( in my case messaging). This keeps iPhone 3G out anyways.
the choice lately came between Blackberry Storm (misses wifi ! so no-go ), Palm Pre and an-unknown-next version of iPhone.
Just in case if you haven’t seen the Palm pre yet, here is the video for you.
I am getting convinced that Palm could do the trick with Palm Pre. Did you not love the video and think it is cooler than iPhone?
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I have been browsing through literature on the method and tools that people elsewhere use to come up with systems that wow us – the lay users. Great products irrespective of their engineering complexity are almost always very easy to use and understand - as one Philips ad said something to the effect that great technology is something that even my grandpa can use. How do they do it? I am still learning but one persistent theme that came up was the use of metaphors.
What is a metaphor then, one may ask? An English literature student will probably provide a technically more correct definition, but in simple terms a metaphor is a tool that explains the meaning of something unknown in terms of things known. Actually, when I say that metaphor is a tool, that itself is a metaphor! What is life? Life is an ocean! What is this world? This world is a stage. All these are metaphors that help us, or at least attempt to help us understand otherwise complex notions and concepts. Metaphors should not be confused with a somewhat similar concept of similes (see-me-lee). Unlike metaphors, similes use comparisons. So, when we say that life is like an ocean, it becomes a simile.
The desktop computer is a household phenomenon now, and we identify with the word desktop as a duck in water – a simile!
Desktop is a metaphor! Computers were expected to be used by people who did not know nor cared to know how a computing system internally worked – try explaining a 32-bit register to an accountant and he will not know. Ask him to manage his book-keeping without the tally tool on his desktop! In the desktop metaphor, the computer screen is as if it was indeed the desktop, on which we place our folders. Once the desktop metaphor is created, we extend it and keep extending it. So, we can have folders on our desktop, and within folders, we can have more folders and documents. Now we know why it is called the Recycle bin – we put our trash there.
Ever worked on DOS? You would probably know what a command line interface is. Much before that, there were punch cards. In computing systems, WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, and Pointers) was first introduced by Xerox as early as 1973. It was however Apple’s Macintosh that popularized the desktop metaphor in 1984, and which became a standard for most if not all of modern day operating systems.
Metaphors are also used in the design of icons. When you see a bell, you know it has something to do with alerts. An envelope is a message. A button is something you push. Some metaphors such as the envelope have become so ingrained that using anything else might confuse or sometimes even irritate the user. So while they come in handy when you are trying to explain some difficult concept to your end user, you may end up doing exactly the opposite by not being careful in the selection of your metaphor.
So, where’s the Juice??
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The N97 has been launched and on the same day Linux has been ported on iphone devices. What a day in history of handheld computing.
I remember when I first saw Newton way back in 1998. We use to work on Mail on the run to offer mobile email.
Today, Fantastic capability in device is allowing porting full capability OS on mobile computers.
Got two Video’s to share demonstrating where it could lead. First one is hands on experience of Nokia’s latest launch of N97 device :
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We are in business of making most out the mobile phone. There are many things your mobile can do today. With fantastic hard disk sizes and processing capabilities, a phone is less just-a-phone and more of a general purpose all-in-one device. Adding various device-side or network-side applications, you can enhance your everyday experience to new levels.
Today most of the Value Added Services business is based on entertainment value to user. It definitely is heading towards more utilities and services for everyday use.
I love exploring how others see and use their mobile devices. In this hunt, I spotted these two videos worth a dekko.
First one is from Google as part of mobile tricks and second is presentation by Nokia ’s Anssi Vanjoki (whom I am meeting this week :).
Google Mobile tricks:
In the second video, Anssi describes some key finds of user behaviors and how Nokia is leveraging them.
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