Remember when phones and PIMs (personal information managers) were separate devices? Phones had dialpads, PIMs typically had touch screens and a stylus (and pretty good handwriting recognition, a slick technology that is now mostly irrelevant). Device UIs and input styles were simpler then.
The Blackberry with its full keyboard changed the game and became a standard, until the Apple iPhone appeared and a large (multi) touch screen made its reappearance added by the iPhone’s super-slick Web browser and native apps. But the iPhone left as much behind — mainly an easy-to-access an use physical dialpad and keyboard. For some, the trade-off was worth it; for other users, it’s a problem.
As serious iPhone competitors come to market, some new screen and input paradigms are emerging. And though the phones aren’t available yet, some online emulators and hands-on reviewscan provide some feel for what they’ll be like.
First up is the T-Mobile G1, based on Google Android (click here to access the Web-based emulator), which will be in stores later this month. Android combines a touch-screen with a slide-out, landscape-oriented keyboard. Playing with the OS and emulated device, it’s easy to see that this hybrid approach may make sense for some users. It results in a bulky device, but the hardware profile is sure to slim down over time.
More interesting is the new Blackberry Storm, previewed today on a few gadget Web sites and soon to arrive at Verizon, Vodafone and other carriers. Gone is Blackberry’s trademark keyboard, either its full keyboard or Pearl SureType-driven keyboard. Users interact with the phone strictly via the touchscreen, much like the iPhone. What’s interesting, though is that the Storm’s touch-based keyboards appear to be taking software UI-based keyboards to the next level by providing additional tactile feedback from the screen. Essentially, using the Storm on-screen keyboard, you touch an onscreen button to “indicate” the letter you want, then physically * push down * on the screen to enter the character.
It’s an interesting compromise — a soft keyboard with tactile feedback from an unexpected part of the hardware, the screen itself.
Why is this important? The success of the user interface of mobile devices will have a huge impact on how the mobile world evolves. The iPhone actually plays in the real world more like a browsing and app platform than a phone/messaging device, a reality that will ultimately impact its adoption among the non-early-adopter crowd.
Innovative hybrid input/UI solutions such as those from Google, RIM — and certainly, future iterations of the iPhone — will have a major impact on how such devices will be used in the future.
