Posts Tagged user interfaces
New Window’s Smartphone – You Will Love It!
Sipping an Espresso and reading the newspaper I waved at my friend Greg, a male real estate agent, chatting away on his cell phone. I thought about what a multi-tasking society we’ve become, how I hardly ever sit just doing one thing anymore and neither do most of my friends. We can talk, schedule business and social activities, and eat and drink all at the same time. We’re more efficient for it and now have more leisure time than we used to.
I watched Greg pressing buttons on his cell and got curious. It looked like one of the new smart phones I’d heard about. Greg has always been one of the first in my circle of friends to get something we all aspire to own. He purchased a home first, a laptop computer, an at home gym, a mountain bike, and a timeshare in Hawaii.
Pulling up a chair Greg got this Cheshire grin on his face as he ordered a double espresso and flashed his cell phone proudly. I couldn’t help but exclaiming, “This is the tiniest Windows ever!” To which he chided me, “Bob, you made it sound miniature like the phone has no power.”
“Ah contraire. I mean it is the Microsoft Window smart phone, right?”
“You betcha! So you’re as excited as I am. This is great. You just have to get one. There are only two models available in the U.S. There’s Samsung SCH-1600 and the Motorola MPx200. I have the Motorola model.”
“Greg, is it better than using my Nokia cell phone with its’ graphical user interfaces, applications, utilities, games, internet access and PC connectivity?”
“Absolutely!” While flashing his cell phone at me Greg said, “The Windows Mobile-based smart-phone contains the Microsoft-class user interface, like you use on the computer. It has all the great functionality inherent in Windows. Heck, I’m getting ahead myself. I want to explain why this is the greatest thing ever and you have to have one Bob.”
“Oh, Greg. If I listened to you every time you said that I’d be broke.”
“Bob, this is different. This cell phone will help your business and your floundering social life.”
“Thanks a lot, Greg.”
“Well it’s true. You do need to get out more than just to the coffee shop.”
“Ok, point taken. Is the phone like my Pocket PC?”
“Bob, it’s similar on the hardware side. It has 32MB of RAM divided into storage and program space. An SD Card slot can be used for additional data story.
“Ok. Mr. Technie, you’re starting to sound like me. Now let’s talk about features. You said, it’s similar to my Pocket PC, how so?”
“Some of the features you’ll recognize like the program list, Inbox, Contacts, Calendar, Internet Explorer, ActiveSync, File Manager, Tasks, Voice Recorder, MSN Messenger, Favorites, Calculator, and Games. But, there are big differences with the Windows Smartphone, which make it a lot easier to use as a model device. With your Pocket PC phone and some smartphones you have a touchscreen or a joystick. These Windows Mobile-based units (Samsung SCH-1600 and the Motorola MPX200) are designed for one-handed use. This is a big, big plus. Everything you need you can access by pushing buttons. There are no pesky pop-ups, pulldowns or overlapping windows.”
“So are you juggling with your fingers a lot when use the the phone?”
Greg laughed. “No. I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not some clown. It’s easy to use. Most of the features I just access with my thumb.”
“What’s the screen like?”
“It has the usual Speed Dial, Call History, and but the menu is customizable. You can custom select nine items by either scrolling down, pressing enter, or punching in the number. The Motorola MPx200 display is 2.2 inches diagonal with 176 x 220 pixel resolution. The footprint is 3.4 x 1.8 inches and is an inch thick and weighs 4.2 ounces.”
“How about readability and functionality for entering appointments and things?”
“My Motorola MPx200 comes with all the standard phone features: speakerphone, profiles, conference calls, ring tones, including an incredible integration with the Contacts database. I love how the Windows Mobile-based smartphone integrates with Outlook. It works the same way it does with a Pocket PC. Lots of times I use it for emailing project details to clients. With the Inbox I set up direct access to my POP3 but you can also have set it for access to an IMAP4 mail account, or use AT&T’s Office Online for an extra fee.
“Greg are there any features which surprised you?”
“Yes, the mere existence of a Windows Smart cell phone still comes as a big surprise. But in answer to your question, I’d have to say the audio, it comes in stereo. The Windows Media Player 8 supports MP3, Microsoft’s Windows audio and video formats, WMA and WMV. The SD Card is big enough so I can listen to music for hours.”
“Is the Motorola a GSM phone?”
“Yes. It also uses GPRS and has a SIM Manager,which is a big plus for traveling overseas.”
“Wow, Greg this all sounds great. So, why aren’t you using the phone now?”
“Bob I do need to sociliaze speaking of which, I need to call my date.”
Same old Greg.
Source: Pen Computing
Tags: cell phone, gsm phone, mobil, mobile, phone, phones, pocket pc phone, rates, samsung, smart phone, smart phones, smartphone, smartphones, touch, user interface, user interfaces, windows mobileRelated posts
Do You Know the Best Features to Have in a Smartphone?
Smartphones have come a long way since the early days. Today’s Smartphones are faster, more useful, easier to use, and cheaper than yesterday’s Smartphones. However, the first thing you have to determine is your price range. A smart phone can be extremely cost effective or be exorbitantly priced. However, most users do not need any thing more expensive than an iPhone, as the iPhone is utility packed and has, for the most part, set the upward limit on reasonable smart phone prices. Expect to spend $300 on an iPhone, and about $200 on its closest competitors, such as the Palm Pre, Android G2, or Blackberry Storm.
The first and most important quality to look for in Smartphones is the intuitiveness of the user interface. The user interface is something that you will have to deal with each and every day. Most users who are happiest with their Smartphones made their decision almost solely based on their feeling toward their Smartphone’s user interface. While many users consider the iPhone’s interface to be king, many people in the business world actually prefer the Blackberry’s user interface, while those who are more computer savvy tend to prefer the Android. This largely comes down to personal preference, as today’s most competitive Smartphones all have fairly good user interfaces. Make sure you give every kind of Smartphone a whirl. If you can not use it for a few days, at least play for it for a few hours in the store.
The next quality is hardware. This includes the amount of storage, screen size and resolution, type of keyboard, processor and core speed, and quality of the camera. If you are planning on having your smart phone double as a music player, it is important you choose one with 16 gigabytes of hard drive storage or more. Most new Smartphones will either have this amount of storage, or much less. If you are uninterested in using your smart phone as a music player, then you want to focus on the processor and core speed and size and resolution of the screen. A large screen with a high resolution is great for being able to read emails clearly, reading eBooks, watching videos, using applications, and even playing video games. Most Smartphones have graphic acceleration, and there are a lot of video games being released that have superior graphics. The last hardware quality to watch out for is the keyboard. Some Smartphones have physical keyboards, while others have touchscreen keyboards. Many users greatly prefer the physical keyboard and can not stand to use a touch screen keyboard. Again, this comes down to your personal preference.
Finally, you should make sure your Smartphone’s carrier offers reasonable rates and service in your area. Most Smartphones are tied to a single carrier, some of which are more expensive than others and offer better quality. The quality of a provider’s service will vary city by city, so make sure you stay up on which cell phone service providers are offering the best, most affordable service in your city.
Tags: cell phone, cell phone service, iphon, new smartphone, new smartphones, phone, phones, rates, smart phone, smartphone, smartphones, touch, touch screen, user interface, user interfacesRelated posts