Notices

Feel a bit bad requesting an app when I have no idea how hard it would be to code... but I feel the N900 phonebook/contacts interface is one of its least impressive (though perfectly functional) areas.

I'd like a carousel style app to display contacts rather than our current options of phonebook list / static desktop icons.

What I'd ideally like to see is something like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRmUr6ajygE

"UltimatefavesPro" currently out on the Android platform - fully customiseable carousel.

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Mzl...eature=related

The images & video carousel from the N73 Symbian platform. (shown from around 2:44 on the vid)

Anyone got something like this in development? Any assistance much appreciated!

Thanks for highlighting this - reminds me of SPB Mobile Shell for Symbian.

For all it's power and performance, Maemo5 lacks that most basic prerequisite for a modern device - an easy, attractive and intuitive UI.

We can bang on all day about Linux, multitasking and all the cool stuff that only a small section of the public can master, but these features and abilities of N900 are unlikely to survive if a future device does not sell big numbers.

Like it or not, for a device at the top end to sell, these flashy transitions and processor-heavy UI's are almost de rigeur, even over basic functionality; that is how iOS has become so popular, after all.

If the features we appreciate on N900 are to be included on future (i.e. Meego) devices we must accept we are in a minority and campaign to include such mass-market trinkets to broaden the appeal of Meego beyond the currently limited reach of Maemo.

There is no reason why N900 could not be a highly suitable testing ground for such UI layer apps if they were written with Qt so they could be rolled out on future devices.

are you serious? the UI in general is really good. finger friendly, easy to get a hang on etc.

you probably are referring to certain apps that aren't polishded at all?

Agree with you both here - love the Maemo experience on N900 (and much prefer it to my fiancee's HTC Desire) just feel the phonebook/contacts is one area of the UI in need of a bit of "prettifying" up a bit.

The UltimateFavesPro app in particular looks great & would be handy for more than just contacts.

ahhhh don't get me started on that 'fingering in public' issue again.
If I am tempted to finger something it is certainly not something I would do in public, anyway.

referring to OP first post:
Claws runs rings around the Modest email,
but that is mostly already done.
The contacts/phonebook portion was born brain-dead,
and deserves a proper, well-publicized and final funeral.

NokTok went off on a bit of a tangent but said it rightly,
we the enthusiasts can only hope whatever device we
hang our sails on will have the basics right so the market
will support the device economically.
Having adequate firmware with an open source OS is an 'almost'
but the teeming masses that plunge over the market cliff every day
are what powers the firm that makes these marvels.
Without the minimal basics they will not buy and if they do not buy
our platforms end up becoming noteworthy historical studies
rather than the dynamic forces of innovation we like to see.

The basics are
* visual design (appearance),
* basic utility (phone/communications functions),
* cost (economics).
which the market perceives to be a phone first... ...with other stuff being mere fads.
Many of us look at it another way around, with appearance
being not as important as being able to coax the device into
doing something utterly useful rather than being just a piece of fashion bling.

Having said all that, I second the motion -
a ui-friendly contacts db or something would be nice
(that could integrate with claws, I suppose - Modest is an abortion).
I think first of KDE: Kmail and Kontacts (with telephony thrown in)
but KDE would be such an absolute PIG it would kill the machine even if it could run on an ARM.

The first rule is establish what it would take,
so I guess I need to read up on how that is done (not my forte, to be certain).
We can already see that
Maemo will still be 'the only game in town' for another year anyway
at the very least so perhaps there is time to tune this.
A vcard integration I suppose, judging from the claws manual.

I am perfectly serious, and not referring to unpolished apps. Let me qualify:

I am supremely happy with the standard N900 UI. i want to get frm A to B as fast as possible. Swappolube and Overclocking enhance this and all but remove the transitions that I personally regard as superfluous.

However, I fear I am in a minority. Away from these hallowed pages the market is very much for these handheld 'special effects', to wit: iOS and Android.

How many times do we hear Symbian (still a very capable and efficient OS) criticised for being dull or uninspiring by some Apple or Android-myopic journo-pundit?

My experience of phone retailers is that the sales staff are more impressed about what 'looks cool' than what can be delivered.

Beauty is skin deep - that's why if you peel an apple you lose the taste and substance. Trouble is, most smartphone buyers are pretty shallow themselves.

My concern is that if Meego does not appeal to th mass market enough, we may never see another device like the N900, and I think that would be a shame.

@NokTokDaddy,

I think there's got to be some sort of happy medium. I'm not a programmer and therefore can't be taken completely seriously, but I do believe there can be a balance between efficient, practical design and eye candy. I think the kind of eye candy I'm talking about is quick, attractive transitions that give some sort of context to the OS.

I think the page sliding transitions that are in most modern mobile os's give people that subliminal context, like when you click next the new screen slides in. Also, like on the N900, menus tend to slide in from a certain direction and not take up a whole screen. If they just popped up, I think people would have a more difficult time getting used to an OS. It makes it seem a bit more abstract.

But I would say it's easy to go overboard on the eye candy. For example, the blur effects in Maemo.

I'd like to see an effort like e17. Lightweight, efficient and beautiful design is entirely possible.

@tushyd:

I think the "happy medium" could be a device where you could deliver all the cool stuff as mentioned above - carousel / 3D-effect displays (had those on Symbian years ago!) and transitions/effects AND have the ability to turn them off for improved performance (as in Ubuntu)

Having seen some of the promo videos for Meego I am concerned that it will fail to catch public interest if it does not deliver a distinctive, attractive, intuitive and above all inspiring UI for the masses.

I know these are only early demonstrations pf the OS as opposed to UI layers to be applied by Nokia, etc, but Meego could be the last chance for our (minority) interests)