Introducing the myPhone

Every time I pick up an iPhone, I am delighted and disappointed in the same breath.  Apple has completely nailed the UI, and the industrial design of a new breed of "smart phone".  The iPhone is so intuitive—so pleasurable, it's addictive.  But I can't get over the fact that a design like this can't support a tactile, usable keyboard.  So—I've mocked up something in the hopes that one day—someone will figure out how to combine the amazing experience Apple has delivered, with a totally usable keyboard that doesn't take up 3/4 of your screen when using it in the horizontal format.

Enter the "myPhone".  Imagine taking the best slider design out there, like Nokia's N95, then adding a responsive trackball similar to the Blackberry Pearl.  Yes, you would add some thickness to the iPhone design.  This may turn off some Apple die hards who place a premium on the simplicity and elegance of Apple's designs.  But I have to believe that someone out there—someone can provide a UI experience similar to what Apple has achieved without sacrificing the ability to enjoy tapping out lots of copy on a responsive QWERTY.  And what about copy and paste?  Currently the iPhone doesn't support this.

I may be dreaming, but a design like this could really enhance the mobile Web experience.  More input.  More interaction.  All of the touch screen magic would still be there.  All of the accents such as the chrome.  The trackball could allow for one hand operation—I know this because I do it on my Sideckick all the time.  Actually, if I had something like this in my hands, I might use both my thumbs and index fingers at the same time.

I don't know.  Many feel that Apple's design is perfect.  For me it's close. But I can't get over the typing experience.  It's just not good when you compare it to much larger, tactile QWERTY's.  There has to be a way to make this work.  Are we ready to go to all touch screen even when it doesn't feel right?  Am I the only one who feels this way?

This isn't a criticism of the iPhone.  It's a brilliant piece of art and technology and extremely well designed.  I may cave in and get one—I don't know how much longer I can hold out.  But innovation sometimes happens when a need goes unmet.  So far no one has nailed the mobile experience for me.  I can't believe that I would be alone in this.  The "myPhone" pictured above would also be able to take video, and allow you to edit certain documents.  Imagine putting that little keyboard to use on a word doc or presentation when you are on the go.  And imagine how good the mobile blogging experience would be.

Last week, Karl Long who works for Nokia  conducted a virtual brainstorm for the perfect social media phone.  I added my 2 cents and honestly, the iPhone is pretty close with the exception of a tactile keyboard, video and a higher resolution camera.  So if there is a mobile company out there who has something like this on the drawing board, please count me in as a beta tester.  If you can figure out how to make the slider design thin and responsive, and duplicate Apple's multi touch UI—you might just be able to give Apple a run for their money...

Or I could just be smoking something.  Want some?

Comments

[phil gillman]

interesting -- I thought the tactile thing would be a big issue for me before getting the iPhone, and when first using it, but now I'm finding it isn't at all. I seem to be learning how to touch type just fine with two thumbs (even w/ two fingers at times) and the audible feedback. I am guessing that this is not for everyone (obviously DA seems to feel this way right now) but I am still rather surprised that it has become such a non-issue. It makes me think that tactile feedback is less of a requirement in human object interaction than we assume, given sufficient time for remapping of habits.

[phil gillman]

of course, expecting users to go through the trouble to remap their habits requires the level of brand loyalty that few companies have managed to nail... Will Apple be the one to do it?

[Sam Grant]

Hi David. Interesting post. Personally, I'd love to kill the keyboard - on my Mac and mobile. The Qwerty format isn't intuitive, just habitual and pretty restrictive.

Folks who are lucky enough to own an iPhone say that it's so intuitive they didn't know they could type so fast until they had one.

After years of typing on tiny keyboards and devices, I would love to see a new way to interact with my well-used communication tools.

An appealing alternative view comes courtesy of Jeff Han, as posted on Michael Seaton's blog earlier today.

http://www.theclientsideblog.com/archives/adjusting-the-pitch/one-step-closer-to-minority-re/

[DA]

Hmmm,

I can't figure out why exactly I miss a keyboard so much. What if laptop designs changed to multi-touch slabs. Should everything move in this direction?

Just doesn't work for me. A great design solution for those who don't mind the loss—but there must be an alternative solution for for "keyboard people" like me. :)

And will you look at all that screen you get back when the virtual keyboard isn't covering up 3/4 of it? You can actually type and see the entire screen at once!

[Oran]

Don't forget the Apple patent on adding a pressure-sensitive touch interface to the _back_ of the iPhone... that way your finger doesn't hide anything (you see exactly where the cursor is), and you now have the concept of mouse-over to play with. Perhaps 10 years from now they can even add tactile feedback to such an interface!

[Roger von Oech]

@DA: Maybe if you went to work for MacDonalds as a cashier for a week, you'd get used to the touch screen!

[David Polinchock]

That's why I've been such a big fan of the Nokia 9500 -- although it is somewhat big, yes I know! -- and I'm looking forward to the Nokia E90. I have an iPhone and I'm still using my 9500 to do all of my writing. What I really don't understand about the iPhone design is that they let you go into landscape mode for Safari, but not in e-mail, where the larger keyboard would really make a difference. Hopefully it'll show-up in the next version of the iPhone software.

[JamesK]

And make it work with RIM's push email and you can call it an iFrankenBerry. I'd buy one.

[DA]

"And make it work with RIM's push email and you can call it an iFrankenBerry. I'd buy one."

I am so laughing my ass off on that one. It totally is a Frankenberry. But I would buy one too! LOL.

David, the Nokia E90 is pretty sweet. But at 1200.00 ouch! I'm not suprised you don't use the iPhone for typing—you are spoiled with a good phone QWERTY—as am I.

Roger, gosh your McDonalds example makes the whole "multi touch" thing less sexy. I'm going to forget you used that as an example... ;-)

Oran, I saw the patent as well. I think Apple realizes that out of the whole experience, the typing doesn't live up to the rest of it in comparison.

[Lori Magno]

David: Nice additions. I am loving my iPhone, yes there are things it could do better. This is a rare instance when I was compelled to be an early adopter, so I am remaining patient until Flash arrives, until there are games and most especially when I can copy and paste text. Until then I'll just have to settle for iPhone doing my laundry, feeding the cats and guiding the Red Sox to another World Series. xox

[Alex Nisbett]

Aha! Your myPhone, David could well be slightly different from my myPhone which I'm sure would be different again from my sister's myPhone.

What I'm excited about is Mass Customisation and that to me, is what 'myPhone' really talks to and, I believe, could be the next innovation around devices.

We've done it for cars, for houses, for Suits, for most PCs for ages; so why not cell phones?

Want a higher res camera? No problem. Trade the radio for a few more pre-loaded games? OK. A larger memory, certainly if you're willing to pay (I am). Want me to pre-load all your settings? Sure. Non-slip rubbery finish? Why not. Slide out 'real' keyboard like David Armano? You bet.

So yes, flippery apart, mass customised 'myPhones' would be a great - no more 'almost the perfect phone'.

Can't wait ;-)

[DA]

Alex, I swear—that customization idea is so nutty it just might work. ;-)

I kid. Actually I think you are on to something. I hope some mobile designers are reading this... ;-)

[Doug Meacham]

Love the conversation here. Alex, I'm a big proponent of mass customization, but at least in the US market, the carriers aren't going to support that unless someone comes along (perhaps Apple?) and disrupts their business model. You see they rely on you wanting to upgrade your phone to that new model at the end of the contract. A truly customizable phone platform would seriously impact that model and their revenue stream. Don't get me wrong; there are lots of reasons why this would be a great idea, including the current environmental impact of obsolete phones, but it's a market with virtually no competition; therefore, no reason to change.

[DA]

Doug,

Good point. I should have said that I hope the carriers are reading this, as unfortunately they have the power (especially in the US)

[Pete Deutschman]

one major missing element on the iphone is the lack of Flash compatibility. That is what the industry is waiting for....

[Jack Cheng]

After the first couple days the keyboard on the iPhone seems good enough. The way the key pops after you press it, along with the audio feedback does a decent job of tricking your brain into thinking it's responsive.

There are people + companies working on haptic technology that simulate physical keys by creating a small vibration when you press on the screen. I believe Apple has a couple patents in this area.

Also in regards to customization, Schulze and Webb did a really interesting project for Nokia involving a metal phone concept that you could remold on-the-fly.

http://schulzeandwebb.com/2005/personalisation/metalphone.html

Great stuff. I love those guys.

[Arvino]

Despite everybody loves for a keyboard (keyboard indeed would be truly useful external addition to the iPhone), my additional thought is perhaps someone at Apple later on could help add "stylus" capability into the device. That way, people on the go could "jot down" and "annotate" their picture and document faster, quicker and much more intuitively in standing and/or sitting position.

By having the keyboard, the stylus and the touch interface, the iPhone device is now complete, highly powerful and effective to enable people to do things in the most natural way possible that fits their context of operation.

With such "complete" interface, the iPhone would be ideal for portable entertainment purposes (where people scroll alot for information), as well as for daily mobile-business-activity purposes (where people "type" and "jot-down" alot to enter and "modify" data).

A couple of days ago, I happen to write some "thoughts" on one portable device, and -- in some part of it express why "stylus" might still be important and relevant in modern system interfaces. An ugly draft and unfinished "write up" about such thoughts could be found here:

http://arvino.typepad.com/digital_living/2007/07/htc-touch---gre.html

My 2 cents.

[Christian]

hey, i had the same one two weeks before:)
http://www.cjung.info/wordpress/?p=114

[Abe Burmeister]

How much time have most people here typed on an iPhone keyboard? I was a skeptic holding out for the 3G and yeah maybe a tactile keyboard. But after 5 days in the wild the review convinced me to pick one up.

Biggest surprise? After a couple days I could (and can) actually type faster than I could on my Treo. Yes I miss the tactile feedback a little bit, but Apple has done something very few previous commercial touchscreens have, build a real system for strong visual feedback. There will always be merit in physical keyboards, but the huge pop up letters you get when typing on the iPhone are a real typing improvement, and pretty much counterbalance the lack of physical keys. Factor in that the actually act of clicking is much faster and lighter than on a physical keyboard and you get thumb typing pretty close to on par with a Treo or Blackberry.

[DA]

Abe, in fairness I did not have 5 days to give it a try—and in the end it might not be enough to keep me away from it. But how do you feel about the horizontal experience when the larger keyboard takes up most of the screen and you can only view a sliver of it—that doesn't bug you?

PS, I was never a fan of the Treo QWERTY. My Sidekick is one of the more spacious on the market—so I am spoiled.