Below the break, there's an interesting video demo of some of the features in the upcoming S60 Touch UI, showing standby screen shortcuts, list scrolling and explaining touch interaction in Web. Good to see so much emphasis is being placed on consistency with existing the S60 3rd Edition platform, too...
Read on in the full article.
If they're putting all their efforts into this, does that mean that those of us who aren't interested in a touch interface but simply want better PIM apps and simpler connection handling are going to be disappointed? The urge to try other UIs is getting stronger and stronger, frankly.
This was posted yesterday on Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/355044/nokias-touch-ui-hands+on-officially-way-behind-apple
The comments were all complaining about how it doesn't have animations and transistions and such like as the iPhone does.
Since Series 60 doesn't have these transistions anyway are they really that important? I tend to find they get in the way anyway - look at the MultiMedia menu on the N95.
I like how they have kept the UI the same though. If it stays the same as Series 60 now but with the optional ability of a touch screen I will be happy - I don't have a UIQ or WinMo device as you can't really use them without using the touch screen.
Oh, and the video appears to show a tabbed home screen - that would be useful on current models!
I saw the gizmodo video yesterday and it scared the hell out of me.
It has nothing to do wit the sleek video presented last year. I know it's just a beta thing running on a tablet pc, but still it's awful. It doesn't have any eyecandy (and altough some of you may find it unnecessary, it's not completely) and everything is so slow. Ok, due to the beta we all want to believe that.
On the other hand, why do you have to tap an icon to select it and another one to open it? Just to make it consistent with non Touch S60 versions? Where is the Touch advantage if everything is slower than on current handsets?
Regarding the UI, everything looks dark, awful icons, a confusing and oversized stand by screen... I don't know, I find it all very unapealling and dull.
I have the secret hope that this is just because this is still in beta (alpha?) stages. Hopefully.
This is not something I am eager for. I won't really be able to do anything I can't do now.
I do not think it is good to stay consistant with todays S60 UI. Look at the apple iphone: The interface is only so good because they created a ui for finger touch screen from start. If you just put touch ui on top of todays ui, it will not be simple enough. I hate the special menu keys you find e.g. in the Nokia N81 or the front "eye candy" menu of htc touch. A touch screen ui has to be simple.
when I first heard about the touch UI, I was very happy because it would make web browsing simpler and intuitive, than usind the d-pad. But the video which appeard on gizmodo yesterday is simply ugly and it did not felt good at all. yak
Showing a touch-screen os through a tablet running off a pc? Heh, heh, I wouldn�t hold my breath if I were you. Since the new flagship N96 doesn�t have it then it�ll be a while yet. Still, it�s bound to happen..
I better pull out my Palm III again (which was fun..) and start practicing curser input cos next thing you know I�ll be writing phone numbers by stylus! 😉
Nokia are blatantly copying the iPhone as much as possible which is good in once sense since the iPhone puts a lot of emphasis on simplicity.
Even the 'eye candy' transitions on the iPhone serve to guide the user from one menu level to another. They are incredibly well designed and executed.
Apple control and own most of the s/w and hardware and so can optimize for user experience. Nokia has to coordinate a massive amount of suppliers and has to satisfy internal and external customers, maintain compatibility and implement a load of standards which leads to technocratic leadership rather than design oriented development.
Of course Nokia can afford to make their first phone a loss leader, just to be out there in the market. But the danger comes where they start sacrificing the very thing that put them there - cheap, easy to use T9 texting machines.
I agree with 'neilhoskins' and share his fears. Nokia seemed to be so strong and I really thought, they had Touch UI ready in their drawer. But what a disappointment. So they have to make a lot of efforts to keep on (or better: keep far behind) the iPhone and this can't be good for the PIM Apps and some other things.
When the iPhone SDK is available and if Business People buy the iPhone, the market will bring us Psion-like PIM Apps ... and this means: good bye Nokia Communicator and E-Series!
If they're putting all their efforts into this, does that mean that those of us who aren't interested in a touch interface but simply want better PIM apps and simpler connection handling are going to be disappointed?
This is just a demo of handling the touch interface on S60. Its ok, but as some of the commenters mentioned, the paradigm of just doing with a finger what is already done with a slew of button presses isn't the way to go. This was only a demo though, and surely someone has to be there speaking about "taps to execution" in regards to this. The best types of UIs are the ones where you think and go, not where you think, dig, navigate, and go.
I'm with you in saying that the applications need a good bit of massaging as well, they aren't my idea of a good user experience or relevant user interface either. Doing both at the same time shouldn't be an issue, but then again, you don't want an issue of disconnected UI methodologies as Nokia has in several apps on their Internet Tablets with OS2008.
With a wide range of platforms at Nokia's disposal, there's still place for something better than S60 Touch.
Imagine N8xx tablets loose weight and gain GSM - and there you may have a strong open-source-based touch-screen competitor to googlophones and iphones...
If only there was a decent handwriting recognition system a-l� SonyEricsson's JotPro...adapted for a finger-writing...hmm...😉
Yes, a smaller N810 with GSM would be some exciting, not the N96 or this so yesterday S60 touch UI. Even Sony Ericsson has better offerings this year (Sony Xperia X1)
I have to say that I'm disappointed by the decision to stay consistent with the old s60 interface. I was hoping that Nokia would more bold. This is only going to slow penetration of Apple, Danger-MS.
Its not to say that I like the iPhone, I don't. And I definitely do not care about the eye candy - the commenters are idiot as that is the last part of the UI to go on. But the decision to keep it consistent with the old s60 interface is causing s60 to get very bloated - completely against Symbian philosophy.
For example, how many navigation methods are there on an N95? Its getting ridiculous.
I would go for a S60 4th edition and completely rework soft key and touch versions for a new uncluttered interface.
Then again I don't run Nokia.
>> the commenters are idiot as that is the last part of the UI to go on
Lark you show a complete lack of understanding for software and the industry.
First of all, as I mentioned Apple 'eye candy' is functional - it guides the user and I don't think it's an after thought at all. Optimizing the transitions so that the UI flows smoothly while music is playing for instance is a big job which requires coordination across many software teams. You can always tell when it's an afterthought rushed through by marketing (and people like you who insist that it's as easy as icing a cake really don't help the industry).
So i fiercely disagree with your stance and your churlish ad hominem attack exposes your narrow mindedness.
>> I would go for a S60 4th edition
There is no 4the edition since the number 4 is considered unlucky in some cultures.
In my culture, all non-prime numbers are considered offensive and un pure but not everyone shares the views of my people.
>> completely against Symbian philosophy.
Symbian's philosophy is to make as much money as possible - Symbian is an OS provider and as such does not design UIs. It does not dictate which apps should go into a product or what the keys should do.
>>stay consistent with the old s60 interface.
I don't think there is anything consistent with s60 interface.
After seeing this video, i guess ill be getting a Xperia X1. What a disappointment.
Guys and gals, I've posted a pretty thorough article on Nokia's MWC stuff to http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=2480&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 - feel free to check it out.
I'm still not convinced about touch screens. I think they are OK as an addition to keys/buttons but I have no interest in a touch screen only device.
The iPhone may have had some early success but how much of that was down to hyped sales? It will be interesting to see what the iPhone sales will be like over the next couple of quarters. I notice its already disappeared from larger advertising links on the Carphone Warehouse front page and I have so far only seem one person in the real world using one.
People are happy with using keypads with their mobile phones and I'm not sure they want to change not matter how great, simple and well designed the interface is.
As long as I can remember people have been designing alternative input methods for computers rather than the old fashioned keyboard but they have all failed mainly because they are trying to solve a problem that does not exist i.e. a keyboard does the job very nicely thank you. I think that touch screens on phones may well fall into this category.
As long as I can remember people have been designing alternative input methods for computers rather than the old fashioned keyboard but they have all failed mainly because they are trying to solve a problem that does not exist i.e. a keyboard does the job very nicely thank you. I think that touch screens on phones may well fall into this category.
For me, a smartphone browser where I have to jump from link to link to link ad nauseam, because the damn thing has no touchscreen where I can tell it "this link, please" is in dire need of a problem solution.
rbrunner wrote:What about the mouse? I take away the mouse of your computer and watch how you cope with keyboard only, and you're welcome.For me, a smartphone browser where I have to jump from link to link to link ad nauseam, because the damn thing has no touchscreen where I can tell it "this link, please" is in dire need of a problem solution.
But a mouse does not replace a keyboard it complements it. It also depends upon how the user interface is designed, you can design a system that works well without using a mouse but I agree that most websites weren't. I'm sure as time goes on sites will be designed that are more mobile device friendly. However as I said above I can see touch screen being useful in addition to a keypad just not on its own.
> slow
Unfinished code - optimisations are applied last.
> iPhone transitions
Unfinished design. Limit to how much they can infringe Apple patents.
Also, do you think with the 3G iPhone coming out later this year, and touch one of the key selling factors of the iPhone, that Nokia would be sensible to give the game away on any fancy stuff they did have? Surely better to make Apple think they haven't got anything special up their sleeves.
Chill out people! Wait and see....
rbrunner - you're right, touch screens are not there just to do away from keypads, they are solving more fundamental problem - how to adapt analogue entity (human) to a digital entity (bits and bytes).
Our muscles are analogue so it's more natural to draw, point, scroll with a rotating wheel, flip and rotate with your fingers, not with "Rotate" button.
There is some inertia of user expectation, aka Status Quo, some standards in Mobile UI but it can be seen that analogue navigation wins over multiple clicking.
Those who are bold with a great vision, win.
The more resemblance to real-life objects behavior, the better. Less adaptation, less "paradigm shifts".
I'm beginning to think that a proper way to scroll a Word/PDF document would be "flipping pages right-to-left with a flick of a finger on a touch screen", than "try to place a mouse pointer inside a predetermined area and then click Down and Up the left button without moving the mouse in between those two".
It's just that we got used to limits of the Status Quo.
Printed text input is something different than navigation, and there may not be an easy winner, at least not without a proper voice recognition.
For mobile devices I find it pretty fast and convenient to use a proper handwriting recognition system. It it almost as good as a hardware keyboard. Then again, for many years we have not seen a proper development of handwriting systems which allow full-word recognition, last noticeable effort was by Paragon circa 1994 in Apple Newton. Most (I've seen many, but may be not all?) systems allow you only to spell letter by letter. There IS a place for improvement...