Sixty phones
news and opinions about Nokia Series 60 Symbian phones and other high-priced Finnish trinkets
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
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Andrew Orlowski generally likes the device, but finds bones to pick regarding the Series 60 user interface:
"It's always been a curious hybrid of old and new, but requires too many keypresses and some strange combinations to achieve simple tasks. Common operations are buried deep in folders. The hangup key returns you to the phone screen, but obviously this can't be used during a phone call." (Try using the exit button)
"The misleadingly named "Menu" key has been shunted out of sight on the right hand edge of the device, and is now called the "Applications" key." (Strange and probably a bad move given the importance of this function).
He adds: "Nokia can claim that far more many people use its Series 60 than own iPods: over 20 million have been sold, and it predicts 240 million will be in use in a couple of years time. But while it's a nerd's delight, the UI represents an obstacle to mass market adoption: it's time for some real innovation, or a new paradigm such as the wheel-assisted horizontal scrolling used in the iPod."
I wonder if this is true or just one man's opinion? I feel this way about Series 40, not Series 60, but that is just my opinion. I wonder how many S60 users (not geeks, but the real people who buy these phones) have problems with navigation. I'd love to read a Nokia usability study (I'm sure they exist) on this subject. ¶ 10:01 AM
"It's always been a curious hybrid of old and new, but requires too many keypresses and some strange combinations to achieve simple tasks. Common operations are buried deep in folders. The hangup key returns you to the phone screen, but obviously this can't be used during a phone call." (Try using the exit button)
"The misleadingly named "Menu" key has been shunted out of sight on the right hand edge of the device, and is now called the "Applications" key." (Strange and probably a bad move given the importance of this function).
He adds: "Nokia can claim that far more many people use its Series 60 than own iPods: over 20 million have been sold, and it predicts 240 million will be in use in a couple of years time. But while it's a nerd's delight, the UI represents an obstacle to mass market adoption: it's time for some real innovation, or a new paradigm such as the wheel-assisted horizontal scrolling used in the iPod."
I wonder if this is true or just one man's opinion? I feel this way about Series 40, not Series 60, but that is just my opinion. I wonder how many S60 users (not geeks, but the real people who buy these phones) have problems with navigation. I'd love to read a Nokia usability study (I'm sure they exist) on this subject. ¶ 10:01 AM
