Texrat | # 31 | 2009-10-27, 20:29 | Report

You highlight a critical adoption point here.

Who is Nokia intending to win over with the device?

How beholden will that demographic be to usability they currently enjoy? How open will they be to new paradigms?

I daresay if those new paradigms reduce expected functionality, that's going to hurt Maemo's chances.

If, however, novel, unobtrusive means are developed to provide the rich functionality that smartphone users have come to take for granted, then the N900 will prosper.

But the reflex reaction of "we decided this feature you rely on doesn't have the value you perceive" has me concerned.

Texrat | # 32 | 2009-10-27, 20:31 | Report

We customers are always wrong.

Rushmore | # 33 | 2009-10-27, 20:37 | Report

First off, I am a N900 fan- I wanted the N900 yesterday , but I am considering a lot of people's perception based on forums and people wanting to dump their current phones for the N900.

Does the N900 have out of the box?

1. Missed call or message notification on home screen
2. Direct phone access on home screen (since no phone buttons)
3. Can you save phone calls as contacts
4. Does the web browser highlight phone numbers for quick tap calling or save the link as contacts
5. Does the texting app highlight phone numbers for tap ann call
6. Voice dialing
7. Conference call (hands free calling)

I already know it does not have portrait for text and it is being worked on now, but it still will be an issue some will still be "shocked" about.

I really think Nokia does not appreciate how big the N900 could be with just a little more phone centric love.

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Last edited by Rushmore; 2009-10-27 at 20:43.

GeneralAntilles | # 34 | 2009-10-27, 20:44 | Report

This is easy, somebody just needs to create an applet.

Turn on autorotation (opens Phone when you're holding the device in portrait at the home screen), press the power button and tap "Phone", begin typing a contact name, add contact shortcuts to the desktop, or add Phone shortcut to the desktop.

Hum? Do you want call recording or . . . ?

Not that I know of, but I don't think I've ever needed to grab phone numbers from the browser. Ovi Maps can serve for yellow pages stuff.

Yes

No.

Oh, I don't think this is the issue at all. It's just that both time and money are finite things.

Enyibinakata | # 35 | 2009-10-27, 20:45 | Report

Well, not providing filtering in this context is a very bad decision and you should admit it as such.

It does not take a genius to work out that scrolling should be reduced by basic techniques such as filtering or use of tabs where necessary. The iPhone (and I HATE to mention it) achieves this by imposing alphabetic filtering atop scrollable lists e.g. contacts, songs etc - irrespective of its kinetic scrolling abilities.

Your somewhat stubborn stance does very little to improve the usability of N900 and I hope filtering is added to the bugzilla list.

Texrat | # 36 | 2009-10-27, 20:49 | Report

1. I have been getting email, IM and SMS messages. Have seen nothing about missed calls-- but maybe there's a feature to enable? Anyone?

2. No. You have to click down, and possibly scroll the desktop depending on your layout. But you can set your phone to where tilting it to portrait mode brings the phone up-- although often that requires a jiggle followed by a 2 or more second delay.

Lack of one-touch phone activation is an issue for me. Just one more button at the bottom of the face plate, Nokia. It would also aid in orienting the device in the dark (as probability would insist, I get it right half the time).

3. Yes, and merge with existing Contact... but that's about it. Contact organization currently leaves a LOT to be desired IMO. A lot of functionality missing there.

4. I have not seen that it does but can't say for sure it can't.

5. Same as 4.

6. Do not know yet.

7. Do not know yet.

mrojas | # 37 | 2009-10-27, 20:50 | Report

The problem is that "better" or "worse" seems to be awfully subjective here.

I love the tabbed log of S60 (and related shortcuts, like pressing the green call key takes me to my dialed calls and only to them).

One thing that is attractive from Nokia solutions (for me at least) is that they are supposed to be less impositive on the customers (unlike Apple "my-way-or-your-way" style).

I guess someone can design a new call log interface that emulates S60...

Edit: I am going to add a bit of perspective here. It is not that I want tabs per se. I want a way of classifying the types of calls on the log, be them received, sent, missed, etc. Tabs provided that classifying capabilities. Filters could too.

A plain list, don't.

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Last edited by mrojas; 2009-10-27 at 21:00.

GeneralAntilles | # 38 | 2009-10-27, 20:55 | Report

Then hopefully it'll be open source and usable for Mer.

Nokia's continued demonstrations of their incompetence is one of the main reasons I'm always baffled by people clamoring for more built-in stuff. Better it be delivered by the community and, thus, open source and hopefully somewhat sane.

mrojas | # 39 | 2009-10-27, 20:56 | Report

I couldn't leave this without a bravo!

Nokia needs to be very careful with their own echo chamber.

Texrat | # 40 | 2009-10-27, 21:02 | Report

I just don't get why it even has to be a controversy.

Right under the Phone menu, add a tab layer. Each tab will contain just an icon, one for each call state/type (sent, received, missed, voicemail, etc). Have one tab represent all-- or better yet, clicking a tab filters for that selection but swiping a finger across all tabs clears filters and refreshes display to show all.

Simple. Elegant. Intuitive. Nonobtrusive.

Come on UI team. Seriously,

Oh, and don't get me started on the fact that I can't access the functions displayed on the Phone menu bar (bluetooth, updates, etc). Grrr.... don't display them if I can't access them!