Never mind the debates about which is best: clamshells, candybars, sliders, and so on. There's a wider debate going on - how large should a smart mobile device be? I argue that once you get beyond a certain size, you lose the 'take it everywhere' usefulness, you sacrifice robustness and you fail to achieve mass market sales.
Read on in the full article.
This article sums up why I think small-sized smartphones like the 6120 Classic or E51 are much more significant than devices like the N95.
A lot of non-phone-addicts I know take one look at pretty much any cutting-edge smartphone and say something like "no thanks, it won't fit in my back pocket".
Devices like the iPhone or E90 or N93 simply aren't on the menu for them, they will not buy a device beyond the size of a basic phone.
For those of us with human hands, I'd content that bigger is better (at least as far as useable smartphones are concerned).
I've just moved from an E70 to an E90. I loved the size and form factor of the E70 - but the screen (despite it's phenomenal resolution) is a bit on ht esmall side.
It's too soon to call on the size of the E90 for me, but initially I'd say it's at the top end of my personal size limit.
If we're going to see SatNav becoming standard (and that's probably a given), we'll need large(ish) screens for it to be of any use.
Remember the Motorola "brick" 😮
ah so thats why tescos are selling a pink 6120 now amongst its phone range.personally size doesnt really matter to me but form does.still owning the likes of a 6600 7610 6630 both n gages i find the pick up and usability important.like steve i love the e90(had one for a day but thats a long story)but now have a tytn2,maybe will eventually get to an n95 8gig but certainly the likes of the n78,n82,e51 will be pushed to the top of my shopping list soon.
we went to a party not to long ago and i had the tytn with me.the mrs forgot something so like the courteous man i am went back for it and in the process left the tytn back at home replacing it with my 6630.now what does that say about me haha.
krisse wrote:This article sums up why I think small-sized smartphones like the 6120 Classic or E51 are much more significant than devices like the N95.A lot of non-phone-addicts I know take one look at pretty much any cutting-edge smartphone and say something like "no thanks, it won't fit in my back pocket".
Devices like the iPhone or E90 or N93 simply aren't on the menu for them, they will not buy a device beyond the size of a basic phone.
Yep. I want a powerful smartphone, but I also want it to be small. For years smartphones been too large for my taste, but with the 6120 Classic I felt it was very revolutionary, at least for me. And now I'm highly anticipating the 6220 Classic, which got everything I could wish for. Well, almost, as I also wish Nokia would include it among their N-Gage compatible devices.
A phone that doesn't easily slide into the pocket is useless as far as I'm concerned. And I never seen the point of internet tablets either, such as the Nokia N810, cause if I'm gonna pack something in a bag, I rather go for a small laptop.
A Nokia E51 with video out, please - I really like this feature on the N95. I don't want to watch much on the device but with the capacity for storage and playback in such small devices, it's the ability to bring it with you in the pocket that counts for me - there's usually a TV about or a music system for music. I'm not sure what the limits are or will be for these phones but 8-16GB microSD cards makes for a few films and a load of music.
Exactly, its why I always avoided N series and usually went for the 6xxx series.
Like many people keep saying, the 6220 classic is going to cause hellva splash.
If the E90 had a faster camera or (preferably and) a better keyboard or (preferably and) if it could run Linux and Firefox with tabs and Noscript (noscript.net) then I wouldn't mind it being bigger.
The N810, The EeePC and the Macbook Air are close competitors of the E90 but they still require a separate phone (E90).
Nokia came out with a smaller version of the 9500 and perhaps they will come out with a smaller version of the E90. But if it had Linux, I would opt for a bigger version. Linux in an E70 would also be a killer app.
the 6220 classic looks ideal but for lack of wlan which i'd find hard to go without now (i could lose a bit of camera for more wifi!)
Finally someone with some sense about phone size. And Steve, did you know that the touchscreensize of the N800 matches the N95 phonesize! As such it there is but one conclusion to make. Put all the freaking buttons on the side or on the other side 😉
snoyt.vox.com
Well, almost, as I also wish Nokia would include it among their N-Gage compatible devices.
I would be VERY surprised if Nokia didn't make the 6220 N-Gage-compatible.
Just to make it clear, the N-Gage compatibility list is never final, Nokia's said they're going to continually add new devices to it as they're released. The current list is just the starting point.
They've also said they will definitely be adding non-Nseries S60 devices to the list, which I reckon means the 6220 and 6210 and perhaps all future S60s too.
For those of us with human hands, I'd content that bigger is better (at least as far as useable smartphones are concerned).
Good point, and if a billion people a year are buying phones then there's bound to be a very very diverse range of customers. We're never going to see a perfect phone that suits everyone.
Although I don't have large hands, I am a huge fan of big buttons on phones, it makes them more accessible not just to people with bigger hands but people who are nervous about technology. Big buttons are somehow friendlier and simpler-looking. Buttons ought to use as much surface area as possible, there shouldn't be any borders around the buttons.
When I did the 6120 review for AAS I praised pretty much everything about the phone except the buttons, which were a bit on the small side, and didn't go right to the edges. It was the same problem on the 6110.
Fortunately the 6220 Classic and 6210 Navigator seem to have learned this lesson and have buttons which stretch right to the edges of the phone, very much like the 3110 Classic.
And Steve, did you know that the touchscreensize of the N800 matches the N95 phonesize! As such it there is but one conclusion to make. Put all the freaking buttons on the side or on the other side
An interesting point. If touchscreens can occupy the entire front of a device, then something similar to the N800 could indeed be a competitor to the N95.
The N810 is getting closer to this, it has most of its buttons in a slide-out panel rather than on the front of the phone. I bet the next tablet goes even further in shrinking the area around the screen.
i'm another power user who prefers size over doitall form factor. I have smartphone 6120c, pocketpc hx4700, umpc everun, laptop thinkpad and desktop. My experience has taught me that there are certain thresholds to that device shall not exceed, to be usable in certain scenarios. Here it is -
1. Smallest. the phone that you can use with one hand and never think of its weight. I would say that it is limited by weight. Something around 130g. And i'm against touch screen in such device cause it makes me think twice how to carry it, also reduces one hand usability. This size is not good for prolonged internet use, but should do well for news reading, photo blogging, chat, im, voip and navigation
2. Pocket internet device, limited to 300-350g (think MID, N810), you can carry it in the jacket pocket, tank trousers or travel pouch with your tickets and credit cards. Good for everything except typing and office content creation. Leisure Travel and entertainment device.
3. laptop - shall include keyboard since the only reason to choose it over mid, is ability to type longer texts. I also see little rationale to have it smaller than A4 (think macbook air), since whenever I'm out and about doing business, I still carry some a4 papers with me. I would also take it with touchscreen, but that's my personal preference.
Hey Steve,
Thanks for sticking up for E90!
To me many Nokia phones could go on a diet. N96 ain´t exactly thin and narrow either at width: 55 mm, thickness: 18-20 mm. E90´s 57 x 20 mm doesn´t feel much different then. It´s the 4" screen on E90 that makes the big difference compared to N96´s 2.8".
But of course that adds 3.1 cm to the length which keeps many people from getting the brick. Ah yes, and there´s the weight factor. 😉
I´d hoped Nokia was moving towards N76´s razor -to coin a phrase 😉, thinness. It´s a great size for a smartphone. It´s also reliable and quick. Let´s see more of those. My son loves his!
Happy Easter 😊
I agree on the part about the large buttons. Very important for me for ease of use. Thats why I used to love the n93. Not that I hate it now... 😊
After long waiting for the right phone I bought an E70 in Nov 2006. Then as E90 came out, I doubted if my decision was right. Having a look at the E90 I have to say: No, this is not what I want to have as phone, it's just too big. Now my trouble starts. I am looking for a new phone because E70 only accepts max. 2 GB of storage card. The Wikipedia in german already takes 1.4 GB, and I want to have some space for pictures and movies and similar, and I'd like to have at least 3-4 GB space for my music (OGG/Vorbis). The E70 despite the memory card restriction is exactly what I want:
- 320x240 is not enough. 352x416 is much better
- The QWERTY is fantastic while being not bigger than another phone
- There is no touchscreen (this is important for me, don't like 'em)
- WLAN is wonderful e. g. to get pictures from the card (using WebDAV via Apache/Raccoon)
I'd be willing to spend quite some money for my next phone if it fulfils my needs, but I don't see any device that comes even close to it. Sadly I expect that Nokia won''t update the E70. It would be ok to have a firmware update for support of SDHC or another device in the E70 form factor (but more resolution than that 320x240!). My opinion is that Nokia made the decision that the market for such a wonderful device just isn't big enough. That's very sad if true.
There's one thing that the smartphone won't be able to achieve in the next 5 years. Big screen (800x4800 with a sensible PPI) and a decent input mechnism. Keyboards are good, but still make smartphones too big to be 24/7 devices.
Video, Internet and input are the three things that phones have a problem with and so, for the same reason that an Archos 605 exists, or an iPod touch exists, there will be optional companion device to choose from for those that want them. MIDs, PMPs, UMPCs, PNDs. Midgets, if you like! They're not just desired by geeks but by people that want a specialist device.
Steve.
@Steve Litchfield
A bit of a personal question but how small are your hands? In the Smartphones Show, every device looks so big when you're holding them. I'm a guy with average height (5'11"😉 and build and the N95, the E90 and even the N810 feel very small in my hands.
Maybe you should turn off the spam filter??
:tongue::tongue::tongue::tongue::tongue::tongue:😉
well, for me e61i is the ideal size. wide enough for a 2.8 screen, and a comfortable qwerty key. but thin enough to fit into my trouser pocket or shirt front pocket. it actually replaces my pack of cigarette every now and then...but when o when are they upgrading it?
I now think 2 devices is a must. Yes use your smartphone for day to day use but you need something bigger for comfortable web browsing or more serious data entry. For me my old E61 (yes I must upgrade some time and the so easy to use Asus eee (deliberately not done anything more than use the default configuration) is an ideal combination. Well at least when I'm using the free WiFi in a hotel in Alderney watching a gale and hoping the little 15 seater plane will be flying to Sothampton today!
I'm still loving the size and everything else about my old E61. People invariably take a look at it and ask how I can possibly carry such a brick. But how can you possibly ignore the huge screen and fantastic qwerty keyboard. It is a little broad but quite flat and IMHO fits in my jeans pocket just fine. Just gotta do something about all those scratches!
I have the 6120 and it's the best phone I've had and as soon as the 6220 is available I be first in line for one.
I think the weight of the phone rather than the size is important to me.
I would be happy to change the keys for a larger (touch) screen as long as the weight remains under 90 grams; (this weight seems to be the cross over weight between a smartphone and a pda phone; to me anyway.
I think Nokia have got the balance right with the N82. It falls into the slips easily into my pocket category and still gives you quite alot of power.
Works great alongside my N810 😊
The iPhone has the ideal form factor, big high res screen, no front area wasted to buttons, and thin to be easy to pocket.
Ah, I was waiting for someone to mention the iPhone 8-)
Actually, I agree, the iPhone has a pretty great size and form factor, it certainly hits *a* sweet spot. But it falls down in the one-handed use/robustness stakes, in my opinion.
After trying several phones, I've come to the conclusion that the SE W660i (no smartphone unfortunately) got the "perfect" size for me (102.0 x 46.0 x 14.0 mm) and weight (93g). The Nokia 6120 Classic is reasonably close to that, while the 6220 Classic is slightly larger, yet lighter.
I don't care about the height of the phone much, but the width should be small (46mm), and it shouldn't be too thick or too thin (14mm is ideal for me). Too thin makes me unable to get a good comfortable grip around it, and gives me worries it might break, no matter how sturdy it is.
krisse wrote:I would be VERY surprised if Nokia didn't make the 6220 N-Gage-compatible.Just to make it clear, the N-Gage compatibility list is never final, Nokia's said they're going to continually add new devices to it as they're released. The current list is just the starting point.
They've also said they will definitely be adding non-Nseries S60 devices to the list, which I reckon means the 6220 and 6210 and perhaps all future S60s too.
Macboy wrote:The iPhone has the ideal form factor, big high res screen, no front area wasted to buttons, and thin to be easy to pocket.
I carry my phones in my trousers' front pocket. For me, the iPhone's width makes it "unpocketable" despite its thiness. There's lots about the iPhone to love, but I find the N95 eminently more "pocketable".
I can just get my E90 in my jeans front pocket, but I do have to sit down carefully....
Hi all
Well personally i will always choose function over form but that doesn't mean i want a bland brick either but i really think we have become spoilt and for some reason view petite devices as a good thing they may well be for some devices but defiantly not for all like smart phones.
Now as some that has been involved in Mobile's since launch in the UK all of today's devices are small as i remember the first Motorola Portable the 8000S that also needed at least 3 battery's and and in car charger to make it through a day and the battery was bigger than most of todays phones.
I also remember the huge transportable phones many of us used mainly for the larger battery life, and remember well my Toshiba Libretto's.
Now my E90 has more Ram, faster processor, larger Screen and is much faster in operation and has Multimedia skills that trounce it. All of this is in a much smaller package to, for me i have never kept any device in pocket so as long as it has a nice case that sits on my waist comfortably that is all i need.
The E90 can easily be used as a phone whilst closed but when open the 4" screen and full QWERTY is a good trade off for the extra weight and size of the device IMO.
Marc
> but I find the N95 eminently more "pocketable".
And I find the N95 a beast compared to the 6120 which is the most pocketable phone I've ever had.
And the 6220 Classic will offer an N95 in a 6120 sized package. Hurrah!
Speaking of which where's that 6220 review we were all promised over a month ago!? 😊