I agree with moving the speaker, but IMHO adding more buttons would quickly become confusing for those who rely on tactile feedback alone to select the right button.

I'm also 1,000% on board with Msaunby's remarks on the user interface: we really need something else than a "kewl" redo of a desktop user interface. His remark about pop-up instead of drop-down menus shows how fundamentally wrong a desktop interface is on a touchscreen.

Finally, a universal screen rotation utility would be nice, and it ties in with you remarks on the hardware buttons: for most people, playing games with the D-pad on the left side is nearly impossible; being able to rotate the screen 180 degrees might help, at least a little.

I like the first one. Two extra buttons that could be user-customized would be great!

I'm not keen on having the speaker on top or of no face buttons. (Despite my wanting a True Video iPod like that, I remain skeptical about how such a beast would operate in practice.)

Good work!

Thanks, I am working on another sketch for a game/phone version as well as a more detailed idea of a UI solution for the "all-screen" version. I should have it up in while.

I don't want to make it look like the "True Video iPod" so much as I think it's about time we had an all-screen mobile device that lets the touch screen UI do the work of the hardware buttons. I don't know how everyone else uses the 770, but I'd say I use the touch screen to control things around 98% of the time. Every so often I give the screen a rest and use the face buttons and D-pad, but not enough to have all that space taken up by them.

I think the next sketches will help it all make a little more sense.

Here's the new sketches as well as the first ones to keep it all together.

DC I agree with the wasted real state of the side buttons. All screen is the way to go for me as well.

I also don't like the protruding bottom. It looks like it is like that just because of the cover. Since I barely use the cover, it becomes unsightly.

My other hardware suggestion is a bit different from all of the above. Use an Intel processor instead of the arm, like this one mentioned here. The idea may not be so far fetched when taken together with the news of a Nokia-Intel partnership.

Finally for right now, going completely out of the box. I always thought of a design like my money wallet. With the folding done sideways to support a 800 x XXX design. After all, we may do away with our wallets sooner than later.

If that design works out, then making the tablet a phone (with bluetooth headset) would be a must. One single device substituting your wallet, your phone, your notebook. Ok you'll still have the headset, but they could also be the keys to your car and we are all even. You will need a headset to use your phone while driving in California after 2008 anyways.

Phew!!! that will teach'em not to ask me no questions...

Granted there are times when I use the touch screen too, =DC= but I am pretty sure Nokia intentionally designed the 770 so that you can operate it fine without the touchscreen at all.
--Like when I am maemo-mapping my way around the Bay Area, accurate pin-pointing on the touchscreen is IMPOSSIBLE (and kinda dangerous too). I rely 100% on the buttons when I am operating it with one hand (like in the car), or when I am walking, because it looks very silly indeed to hold the 770 with BOTH hands while walking.

....dead nerd giveaway!!!!

I like your ideas very much otherwise!

dcarter

I use the buttons a lot too, would hate to see them go away, and could use a couple more...

Thanks for the feedback. I guess my ideas aren't best for everyone, but then again, neither is the current design. I just hope Nokia decides to create multiple variations of tablets for people's different needs.

Interesting observation. So, how exactly do I select items from the sidebar on the desktop screen without the touchscreen? How do I select items from the toolbar (top right)? Even selecting applets from the desktop requires me to go through the menu.

My Archos PMA430 was indeed designed to be operated without the touchscreen, but only accidentally (the AV400 media player has the same layout minus touchscreen). The 770 -- and trust me on this -- was not.

Now that I think of it, Karel is right. It would be cheaper and more efficient to just emulate the hardware buttons through software. That way, the only buttons you would absolutely need would be the power/standby button and the zoom toggle or scroll wheel. And I think once touch screens become more advaced, allow for multiple simultaneous "touch" events. A lot of the advanced touch screen actions work well, we just need to incorporate them into the UI more with an all-screen device

What we already have:
- drag-and-drop
- tap-and-hold
- tap-and-drag
- double tap

What could be possible:
- tap here [hold] and tap there [much like shift key functions]
- tap here once and then tap there [much like caps lock function]

if their incorporating upnp features, increased battery life would be good.