Opinions, Products & Services
The interface debate, part one: buttonholics anonymous
By Rhiain on 23 July 2010
LONDON, England – Hello. My name is Ian and I prefer buttons on my mobile phone. That was the confession in last week’s Nokia Conversations’ newsletter. This week, it’s Rhi’s turn to stand up and bring a touch of class to proceedings as she confesses her hidden touchaphile. Sign-up to the weekly newsletter right now to read Rhi’s response and much more. Join us after the jump to read Ian’s confession in full.
Buttonholics Anonymous
Hello. My name is Ian and I prefer buttons on my mobile phone.
I was lucky enough to be able to interview some of the people working on the Eseries phones this week and – on reflection – I am afraid to say that I am part of the heresy. Buttons are better.
I know. I know. Terribly unfashionable. When I pull out my mobile, it’s almost as though I came out wearing socks with sandals.
I see your smirks when I press the green button to make a call. The barely suppressed laughter when I prod out my messages on the trusty QWERTY. The delight with which, at the sweep of your fingers, you show me the HD movie you shot at that really trendy gig with the band I’ve never heard of. When the inevitable phone-off takes place while I’m out with friends, it’s like I am back at school again – the boy with the haircut done by his auntie Jean while everyone else has highlights and a quiff.
Your touchscreen devices do, admittedly, look very shiny and minimalist. They look lovely. Really. Well done, you. Pictures look sooo much better on your phone than they do on my quarter-VGA postage stamp of a screen. And that app that you downloaded that makes your Twitter followers into 3D holograms while whistling the national anthem? It’s really clever. I am sure that you are also very successful and have an expensive car.
But listen, right. This is what I care about. Making phone calls. Sending and receiving messages and email. That’s it. And I can do that faster than you. I can also do it with one hand, should I be holding say, an umbrella in the other. Good luck with the rain on your very expensive electronics.
The rest is icing on the cake. I’m pleased that my phone can also take great pictures, do maps, the web (sort-of) and that it can play music. I’ll even concede that it probably doesn’t do those things quite as well as your Wasp T-12 Speechtool. But you know what? It doesn’t really matter. Before phones could do any of those things, life wasn’t intolerable. In fact, we managed just fine. Now they can: that’s dandy, but it’s hardly the second coming.
As for games and running a four-track sequencer: grow up.
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- The interface debate pt. 2: Touch of Class
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Tags | buttons, ian delaney, Newsletter, user interface
July 23rd, 2010 at 9:57 am
@Rhiain:
Is this article some kind of excuse, why NOKIA isn’t a good producer of touch-phones? Because there are people like Ian?
@Ian:
If you do not like touch-phones, don’t buy. But you, and people like you are going to disappear. For you is the E-series of NOKIA, but the market demand touch-phones. That’s why fruity company make huge profit. That’s why other companies like HTC, Samsung, LG etc. making more and more touch devices.
If you don’t like the progress – you can stay with NOKIA 3300, or even with stationary phone connected to the hard wire.
But your kind is minority right now. Fading out.
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Ian Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 am
You’ll see Rhiain’s defence of touchscreens in the newsletter. As a whole, we’re agnostic.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 10:02 am
Give me a meego phone without any physical buttons in the front. Something like n900 without physical keyboard, i hate keyboard that make phone bulky
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Nitish Kumar Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Well @ddd If you might have taken a look over now days rumored Nokia N9, then you can see that its not impossible reduce the same bulk.
I agree that the screen should utilize most of its size and no physical buttons should be on front like N97 and N900 was better in that area
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July 23rd, 2010 at 10:33 am
I don’t want to ‘manage just fine’. I want to be able to do all the other things.
Gimme a large touch screen with a pop-out full qwerty for when I need to write something longer than a few words.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 10:42 am
I think that 5800 has the right physical buttons. Physical call/end buttons are what I like a lot: you can call someone without looking at the phone. Just press green call button and say the name and voice dialing takes care of the rest. Does not happen with buttonless phones, you must always look at the display.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 11:05 am
I recently switched from an E71 to an Android based touchscreen device. I find that *almost* everything I do on the new device needs more tries, as the rate of error is *much* higher on the touchscreen device and the precision is bad (I spent lots of time with iPhone too and its the same).
It seems that touch is the way of the future, but to me this is determined mostly by the “cool factor” than by practicality. I suppose cost is a factor too, I suppose is cheaper to manufacture a device with a screen and 2 buttons than a more complex one with a keyboard.
I’m pretty much sure that if Apple would have used a resistive screen with the option of using a pen, everyone would have praised that approach.
During all their history humans were using instruments for everything they do (that’s why we write with pens and not by putting our fingers in ink and writing with them). We use pens to write and mouses to interact with computers. Sliding fingers on a glass screen feels to me as the *least* intuitive, *least* efficient, most error prone way to get the job done on a device (tablet, phone).
I find a keyboard or a pen-driven touchscreen device better, faster and more precise in 90% of the situations than a finger driven multitouch device. Actually, except for pinch-zoom, there’s nothing in the finger-oriented UI that I find better suited to interaction than a pen based or button based UI.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 11:22 am
I don’t understand discussions like this one. Since we’re all different, people have different needs and tastes, and it’s good for every manufacturer to deliver devices that match the requirements of both groups.
If you’re fine with a touch screen – be happy. If you prefer a keyboard, choose a mobile phone having one.
There are certainly situations where a touch screen is easier to use, for example when scrolling long lists. It’s just great. But sometime it doesn’t work and you need to try again.
A keyboard is more accurate, you can be sure that something happens after you pressed a button.
Both come at a expense: You might be slower with a touch screen, while your screen is smaller with a keyboard. This is about priorities and choice. And it’s great to have one…
For me, I like both, that’s why I got a N900 – which is bulky and heavy. But you know what: I don’t care, I like using the touchscreen, and I love using the keyboard to write texts. The N900 allows me to be online all the time, chat w/ wife and friends. It’s a question of the use case.
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Nitish Kumar Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Probably your view is most perfect and matches with the view of article and mine too. No one denies the attraction of touch, but its same like you want company of hot girls, but many a times, can’t stand whole life with them. Touch screen are something like those hot girls to be very frank
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July 23rd, 2010 at 11:29 am
I’m sure you could’ve made your points without coming off as condescending and bitter or tilting so hard at straw men. Oh, and a luddite to boot. Yeah, way back when we hunted using spears and life was hardly intolerable, was it? We should all go back to living in caves really, and how about returning to living standards where your life expectancy was roughly 40 years?
Oddly enough, for most day-to-day uses I can use my touch-only phone one-handed (!) fine. Calling, launching apps, whatever. I’m sure this is all a hallucination, though, since it doesn’t fit with your self-righteous, smug view of people who have the temerity to move on with technology. Android and HTC have treated me so much better it’s not even funny; leaving my E75 phone behind was like breaking free of an abusive relationship filled with day-to-day frustration and lag because Nokia loves cutting corners on processors and RAM.
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Nitish Kumar Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Didi, we are not talking about using it one handed, its about blind typing.. its about careless fanatic usages… technically our fingers can’t judge that they are on right places or not with a touch screen like flat surface without looking at the screen.
Its not about being backward when one says that he likes non-touch more, its about usability and one should not be offended with that. There are pros and cons of both the sides, and Nokia N900 like devices might have a mid way between them, but still if you ask people, who has to use their phones for more than 10 hours daily talktime.. then they can’t opt for a touch screen and if they opt then in your way.. I should say that they are immature kids falling for fashion more than needs…
When you eat regular food than fast food then you are not backward, its about needs
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:09 pm
This article has no right or wrong, so there is no need to be so sensitive, to be mad at ian. it’s his opinion.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I agree with Ian and those like minded people who have written recently about this , Steve on Allaboutsymbian, Nitish kumar said same things.
Those who say you are going to disappear @yann, I strongly object this kind mentality of “one size fits all”.
We are not saying touchscreens are no-no, all we are saying that touch screens are not “only” thing, they are one of things.
Right now in smartphones only Nokia and Blackberry seems to listening to this and making really good non touch phones.
Also remember guys , why dont you argue on points rather than just get hysterical? Both have pros and cons.
Suyog
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yann Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:32 pm
@Suyog:
Please, see the numbers. More and more touch phones are selling every month. Yes, i’m standing behind my words, that people that dislike touch phones are fading out. You can see it in the statistic.
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Mark Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Ok, yann, link us to them.
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yann Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:11 pm
See the sells of iCrap.
Is it enough?
Mark Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 4:36 pm
No, it’s not. You said that QWERTY and keypads were dying out.
So prove it.
Didi Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Funny you should say that, seeing that Meego–you night have heard of it–and the Blackberry OS6 are very much built for touch interface.
Ian’s “opinion” is at best petulant. Your attempt to deflect from how tiresome he sounds by calling people hysterical is not helping his or your case.
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Nitish Kumar Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I am not sure, but something wrong with blog. My Comment is deleted now. Don’t know why..
Anyway, I already written over it as @Suyog mentioned.
@yann no one here is saying that we are against touch, but its our own preference and denying that is same way.. when someone says “Hold other way” and if we call views of All About Symbian off, then probably we shouldn’t be arguing you at all.
Think about getting some urgent personal message in some meeting while your Director might be saying something and you are sitting right in front of him with other people, with non touch phones, you still could type a short reply.. may be only yes or no or wait and sent it without even looking at the screen. With a T9, I could have type this whole big comment without even looking at the screen..
As about numbers, then sure you may check that too.. but don’t come back bragging that its not about low end phones. non-Touch still are high in numbers. If you are not sure, then confirm it.
Again, I will say, its not about liking and not liking .. its about usability… its a status symbol to buy a touch to show off, but when one has to get a serious work done, then he could only rely on a non-touch. Blind typing is non-existent for touch and if you are not aware that how important that is.. then probably you just started using phones few weeks back
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yann Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
@Nitish Kumar
Please, read carefully what i wrote in my first comment:
Is this article some kind of excuse, why NOKIA isn’t a good producer of touch-phones?
Then think and tell me would you refuse using device like N97? There are lots of such phones on the market. And if you didn’t “start using touch phones with qwerty few weeks back”, you can make blind typing.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Which is faster – DOS or Windows?
What do customers prefer – DOS or Windows?
With touchscreen, you’re always at the mercy of waiting on the screen for something to happen/fill out, and unless some amazing graphical button appears with Press Me written on it, people don’t know what to do.
The iPhone is so wonderful. Hopw do you turn Bluetooth on? Gee I don’t know. I’ll ask somebody who’s got one…….
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Andy Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Well it’s Windows for fancy everyday use, but if you want it to get some work done then command line (although I’d say linux rather than DOS) is what you need.
It’s the same with phones. Fancy touchscreen for out and about socialising where flashyness is better than battery life and usability, QWERTY for work.
I’d prefer something between the 2 like my N85 with media buttons and numeric pad, that hides away but can still be used when on a motorcycle, but it seems like the days of such phones are over sadly.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:24 pm
This makes me wonder: Will there be touch-free S^3 and S^4 phones?
What those need is a “touchscreen-emulator” so that all touch-only-apps work on touch-free-devices without any restriction (and work for the creator)!
Bye.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Why does S60 3rd Edition need to be “quarter-VGA?” I’m not a big touch fan, but I am a high-resolution fan. Blackberry’s can do 480*360, even Nokia’s used to do 412*352.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:39 pm
I prefer buttons too. If N8 instead was like a new N82 candybar, I would buy it instantly. But N8 is a touchscreen, so I probably won’t buy it.
Too bad, I would like to see a new Symbian candybar camera phone with xenon flash.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
lol! nokia n8 and nokia n8-01 with qwerty two choice of people that nice
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July 23rd, 2010 at 1:40 pm
it was alright,i mean keys are not bad but why cant they attach large screens with them?something like e90-why could it not be launched now?nokia stops these trends.i am sure they will be back with this kind of sets once somebody else makes them popular again.
and why did nokia removed the pencil key from all its sets?that was the single most gr8 thing about nokia handsets and they removed this,but what is the reason?
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July 23rd, 2010 at 1:52 pm
I prefer buttons too, but then again I primarily use my N86 for photos, gaming, and music/podcasting in my car, not web browsing or calls.
So being able to skip tracks by being able to feel the buttons without looking away from the road is great!
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July 23rd, 2010 at 1:59 pm
The better option for those like Ian (olfashioned) and people like others (touchgeeks) is the N900 or N97.
I am right between you guys thats why I understand both trends.
And you are right Camuscasio, this is just another conversation. Ian opened his heart & soul for us to know him and tell him our thoughts!
Happy weekend everybody
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July 23rd, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I personally regret the passing of the rotary dial for numbers, with its delicious sense of anticipation and suspense; and the tethering of telephones to a wall socket, for the focus this brought to the task of conversing.
As for buttons on mobiles, meh. And why are touch screens always flat? I want a cylindrical screen, with buttons on the ends.
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Ian Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Rotary dials on a mobile would be well weapon.
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suyog Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Hey , someone has removed my comment, if it was done because of links in it , I request you guys to put it back by removing links again.
Please do it so that my point is put across here.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Hello everyone,
I am not here to argue.
But I would like to register to the team at Nokia that I too prefer a Qwerty keypad to
a touchscreen only handset.
Before purchasing my current E72, I considered buying the I9000 Galaxy S, and the iPhone 4.
As a heavy SMS/MMS/Email User I was interested to see if touchscreen could deliver what I required.
But after just two days of a week long trial of an iPhone 3GS, I realised touchscreen only handset’s are not for me.
My choice then had to be Qwerty, which I narrowed down to either the Bold 9700 or E72.
After some intensive instore, hands on sessions, and reading of indpendent reviews I selected the E72.
As a Qwerty Or Bust customer I am pleased the future is bright for Qwertyphile.
Because apart from Apple, all the major players, along with Nokia, have a Qwerty sliding, touchscreen smartphone model coming up.
I look forward to seeing what Nokia will produce in the high quality material finish expected of the E Series, and above.
But I plead to the team at Nokia to include both Super AMOLED.
And to increase your pixel densities to at least 1024×576 (16:9).
Reading the fighting words of Anssi Vanjoki, and the voice of reason/reality check that is Tomi Ahonen’s blog, gives me hope for Nokia.
And seeing how Nokia still dominate the global handset market, and how strong RIM have become.
There most definitely is a market for Qwerty handset’s.
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Nitish Kumar Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Very true.. its just that for developers, its easy to design products for a big screen.. games would be attractive, gallery would be awesome and media experience will blow you.. as the current generation using their phones to be online more than to be on call, so bigger screens with more readability became obvious choices even if they suffer from cons, but pros of apps and other awesomeness trying to make up for that.
But its up to manufacturers that they could raise some screen size for non-touch and for developers that they think of Gravity kind of UI’s which could things more effectively even from the small screens.
Anyone could check offices that how many people using non-touch screen and could check colleges that how much using touch.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Lol.. some of the folks even here are so silly; the whole story is OBVIOUSLY written with a tongue in cheek and some of you guys are all offended and “is this an exuce for Nokia”.. LOL LOL.. indeed: grow up!
:p
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July 23rd, 2010 at 6:26 pm
QWERTY touchscreen sliders are where it’s at. The new ones are pretty much becoming the best of both worlds. I played with an N97 mini at a store recently. Pretty much the perfect form-factor. Great keyboard, perfect size. I don’t really want a resistive touch screen, or a soon-to-be outdated version of Symbian, though. Similarly, I have to (begrudgingly) give Motorola credit for the Milestone. They managed to make a nice, thin, well-made qwerty slider.
I keep trying to type on touchscreen phones here and there. Be they Android, iPhone, HTC… I just don’t like it. The amount of errors associated with the complete lack of tactile feedback are just too annoying. I can type way faster and with way more precision on my E71.
So, the battle for my next phone is being fought between Nokia and Blackberry. The rumoured N9 slider (or whatever it’ll actually be called) looks pretty much perfect. As does the rumoured Blackberry 9800 slider. Both should have a capacitative touchscreen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. And both should have a nice, shiny new operating system. Until one of these are released, or something equally good shows up, I’ll be sitting tight with my E71.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Which is why i love the N900, an ok touch screen with the best QWERTY in a phone. You get the best of both worlds. The keyboard on the droid does not even come close.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 9:42 pm
We need more phones to play with in the shops! When I was a kid, we always went to town & played with the toys without buying anything…
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July 24th, 2010 at 11:09 am
I think Ian has a point, don’t be mad at him, it’s his opinion…
when it comes to devices with buttons, Nokia really comes on top, with durable and really responsive qwerty buttons…
I, myself like buttons because I can really feel what I am doing, although the screen resolution could have been better, a qwerty phone with the same pixel density as the 5800, and a slightly larger screen would be a winner, also a slimmer one…
With Nokias resources and R&D, it’s not impossible.
Keep up the good work Nokia, not all is lost!!!
Rage much?? Arrogance?!!?
Also to those who wrote negative comments, tell me how you wrote your comments?? Probably with a computer using a physical keyboard with buttons?? Right?? Unless you used your flashy touchphones to type your comments…?!?!?
So look at yourself first before you judge other people so that you won’t be embarrassed at yourself in the end…
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Didi Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
That’s funny. I typed my first comment on my phone, and provided you possess the level of literacy necessary to read it, you might notice my first comment was relatively lengthy. Swype is great, as is–sit still, please, this might be technology too new for you–voice input integrated throughout the OS. Text to speech is a lovely little thing.
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July 24th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
i absolutely couldn’t agree
more. I wouldn’t swap my e52 for iphone/ android or any touchscreen. I just love the e series devices
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July 24th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Mr. Didi
Point here is not whether touch or non-touch is best as both have their pros and cons. What some people miss here is there are many people out there who prefer non touch. They just dont like pure touch screens.
So we need to understand that there is scope for both as well as hybrids. Noone should say “you will diappear” just because they dont agree. That’s real arrogance.
We will see in next 2-3 years , both touch, non-touch will be there. as well as hybrids.
Suyog
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Nitish Kumar Reply:
July 24th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Very true. Its really disappoint that how people take things so personal that what they think is fashion and future, while others are backward… obviously they inherit the attitude
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July 24th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
@yann, dude, this sucks!! Whoever says that physical qwerty gonna disappear is the biggest idiot… Tomorrow, more and more people are gonna use mobiles as a substitute to their laptops… This touch hype is part of evolution, can’t you see it? We started with T9, moved on to qwerty, now touch and next hype is hybrid but the industry will settle with the best form factor only after evaluating all the forms! Let’s see, you have candybar T9, Candybar Qwerty, Clamshell, Swivel, Hybrid…. Give the industry and its stakeholders a fair chance.. I have money and I can afford and iPhone unlocked any month with one spare to give to the needy, doesn’t mean, I am gonna spend my bucks on that.. Am a messaging guy and qwerty suits me. Don’t see that disappearing!
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yann Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 11:34 am
Would you deny touch phone with full qwerty like n97?
And tell me when i said that qwerty will disappear?
I said that touch phone become more and more popular and non-touch phones became smaller part of the market.
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Andrew_b Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
@Ashutosh Yes, the reason why touchscreen only phones are popular right now is probably because they have limited capabilities and need to use ‘Apps’ to perform many everyday PC functions. Apps are written to be ‘finger friendly’ but are OS/Device locked. As these phones become more powerful and capable they will begin to replace the PC/Laptop on a day to day basis and so use of a qwerty keyboard will be more logical. More Apps will migrate their functionality to be browser based so that they can be OS/Device independent
I predict an iPhone with a qwerty keyboard at some point in the future, it is inevitable.
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July 24th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
I think the solution is simple. Nokia could meet both needs like sony ericsson did a while ago.. a detachable keypad on a touch phone!! You put it on, the screen becomes smaller and querty works perfectly. You detach it and walla, a touchscreen phone as normal..
Sorted!
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July 26th, 2010 at 8:50 am
I only consider QWERTY smartphones when I make my purchases. They have worked faultlessly for me since 2005 as the most useful communication and content creation tools that I own. Touchscreens are cute to look at, but I find them annoying to work with.
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July 26th, 2010 at 9:37 am
“When I pull out my mobile, it’s almost as though I came out wearing socks with sandals.”
Funny you should say that, Finland is the home of (big, white, fluffy) socks and sandals.
I prefer buttons. (I’m wearing sandals without socks.)
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July 26th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Buttons and Touch is the way of the future.
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July 26th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Why worry? Nokia will satisfy both world..touch enable for the touch lovers, qwerty for the qwerty lover and last but not least, the numeric keypad…
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July 26th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Though……. The X6 has a capacitive touch screen. It is very sensitive. Turn it to portrait mode and input text T9 style. Very fast. Just like when I do my shopping at the self service checkout.
Would Half Qwerty speed things up in landscape mode?
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August 27th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Probably your view is most perfect and matches with the view of article and mine too. No one denies the attraction of touch, but its same like you want company of hot girls, but many a times, can’t stand whole life with them. Touch screen are something like those hot girls to be very frank
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