UI’s on Mobile Devices
I’m not big on making predictions when the new year starts, but there are a few things that I become hopeful of. One thing that I really hope to see is more competition and innovation in the mobile device arena regarding user interfaces. It seems that with the advent of the iPhone, it’s sparked some liveliness in other mobile manufacturers. One of those manufacturers is Microsoft, who’s currently working on Windows Mobile 7.
What seems interesting about Windows Mobile 7, is that they are adding touch and motion gestures, which can make the user experience quite pleasurable. One thing that some phones companies don’t understand, is that just because a phone UI has touchscreen doesn’t make it a good experience. Touching the screen to open an application has been around on many phones for a long time. Then once you’re in that application, it’s back to the crappy UI that was present before. I’d like to see a little more than that.
What makes the iPhone such a pleasure to use, is the experience of using that touch screen once you are inside of an application, and the interaction with that application. This is what Microsoft seems to be doing with Windows Mobile 7, and I am confident that they will get it right……at least a little bit. I’m also confident that Google will do a good job with Android as well.
Overall, it seems that the mobile arena is headed in the right direction, but more innovation is definitely needed, so hopefully we will see some interesting products this year.