Opinions
The interface debate pt. 2: Touch of Class
By Ian on 29 July 2010
GLOBAL – Last week, Rhiain shared my slightly tongue-in-cheek newsletter piece in defence of button-based phones. Most of you told me I was wrong (and worse). So this week, we have Rhiain’s spirited defence of touchscreen devices. “They are the future,” she suggests, which ought to be embraced. But how well do her arguments stack up? Let’s find out.
Touch of Class
Last week, Ian made a brave stab at defending mobiles with buttons. This time, Rhiain picks up the gauntlet in defence of touchscreen devices.
Touchscreen devices have been eagerly embraced by the public over the last four years with good reason. They are the future.
It’s claimed that if what you care about most is making phone calls, then a device with buttons is a better choice. Why would that be? Do the buttons somehow make you more eloquent? Do they imbue the device with some sort of AI that takes you directly to whoever you want to call? I don’t think so. It’s a red herring.
Similarly, it’s suggested that buttons are better for messaging. I would suggest that people claiming this have not tried a modern touch-sensitive device. Things have moved on a long way since your Palm Pilot in the 1990s. Modern screens are perfectly capable of rapid, accurate text messaging and email for three reasons. First, the size and resolution of the screen is much greater, so you end up with a larger keyboard than you get on a QWERTY device. Second, manufacturers have devised all sorts of ways to provide feedback, which increases your accuracy. Plus auto-correction works a lot better nowadays. And third, we’re now seeing the arrival of multitouch, capacitative screens, allowing for gestures and faster typing all-round.
But this isn’t what really makes touch screens great. The important thing is that the interface to your phone is totally malleable. One moment you might be drawing with a soft pencil in a sketching application, the next your finger is rolling a bowling ball down an alley. Application designers aren’t restricted by the hardware in any way: they can simply create the user interface that’s best for what it needs to do. The best examples here are games: useless with buttons, better with touch.
And because the screen is twice the size of your button-based dinosaur, you can actually see what you’re doing. Not just with games but everything. I can see twice the number of messages in one glance, view emails without scrolling and spend half as long tapping through my address book to find a contact.
I think the button brigade are simply resistant to change. The world’s moved on: we have colour TVs now. Mobile devices can now do almost anything; be almost anything. Don’t be afraid of change: embrace it.
Note that you can get these pieces first – and more – by signing up for the newsletter.
image credit: woodleywonderworks
Related posts:
- The interface debate, part one: buttonholics anonymous
- Poll results: Touch and/or Type
- Poll: Touch and/or Type?
Tags | buttons, capacitive, qwerty, touchscreen
July 29th, 2010 at 9:52 am
I understand the two sides of the fence, both arguments have their ups and downs but otherwise a very logical debate.
However, the bottom line for me here is for us to choose w/c ever works the best for us. Like for example; if you wear gloves all the time then a capacitive touchscreen is no much use at all. Okay, given that there are also Resistive screens, but somehow the trend is now more in favor of capacitive ones.
Same goes for buttons, if you are more into games and the like then a touch based is certainly the way to go (think accelerometer).
But the most important thing is; whichever way you go choose wisely.
Cheers!!!
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Suyog Reply:
July 29th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Fully agree, choose what suits you best !
Dont just buy because some else is saying something.
Touch, Non-Touch and hybrids all have future and its better future where we all have choices than “one size fits all” argument.
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July 29th, 2010 at 10:56 am
“Buttons are the future!” “Touchscreens are the future!”
These are both pretty meaningless statements since there will be both in the future just as there are both in the present. Buttons work well better than touchscreens for lots of people who do more typing than relaxed viewing with their handsets.
As long as buttons offer a better solution for enough people, they will thrive as a feature on handsets.
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July 29th, 2010 at 11:42 am
the time will show if one the 2 will die. but nokia should make a lot of changes on there touchscreen devices. i like my X6 but the touchinterface is not as good as it could be. less tecinteresstet ppl will not stay by nokia and buy that phones if the touch GUI will not be better. look at android and ios. why can they do and nokia not?
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July 29th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I don’t agree that touch are the future.
They might be but not in current form, where ….
1. if Capacitive is fast then that need calibration
2. if portrait mode is comfortable for one hand, then it makes the keys so tiny that un-usable for normal hands and if its capacitive then may God help.
3. If bigger screens are good for messaging, then what use of them if keys take whole of the space and you left with little space like calculator screen?
On the other side, touch screen are sure great for games and sketching kind of applications. Gestures could do great things if implemented in innovative ways. Type corrections are good but have to go long way…
And in this whole argument, we are missing the point that we are not talking about any multi-media devices, but we are talking about Phones, whose primary concern is calling and that function should be as faster as possible, which current touch devices are not caring much about.
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July 29th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
The one thing I hate about touchscreens…fingerprints!!!!
I’m already anal about keeping my phone screen clean and clear all the time. If I had a touchscreen I would drive myself nuts and have to be committed to the funny farm.
You know what I would like though…make a Nokia Aura where the bottom button screen is actually made of 12 very tiny screens that are buttons as well. Best of both worlds. The buttons can be anything by changing the images but they are still buttons.
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July 29th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Non stick screens anyone? Or is a there a niche for screen wipes?
So what comes after….. projector phones where you poke and prod mid air……..
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July 29th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
You are basically saying that touchscreen is good because of the larger screen. I do like the larger screen, but a nice keyboard can always beat a screen keyboard. I have a N800, and I want to buy a bluetooth keyboard to use with it… But I must say, I didn’t like the N810 keyboard very much, and even the N900’s keyboard is a bit too narrow.
Some screen keyboards are nice. But I think there will always be people who prefer to have a nice physical keyboard in their pockets. Touch screens may be the future, but qwerty keyboards are an immortal classic.
As for gaming, the best is still to have a proper game control,
as in the Gameboys, PSP, etc. (depends on the game, of course)
And let’s not forget side buttons! I cannot live without physical buttons for volume control and camera shutter and other stuff. This is one area that Nokia’s “purely” touchscreen devices do very well.
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July 29th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
it would be coool if a device have both touch screen and buttons. just like the leaked product rumored to be the n8 variant.
so cool!!
and so thin!!
i have an n97, and i love it. having a coool tilting touch-screen, and full qwert keyboard is cool.
now i know most people will tell me that n97 is rubbish, i know. it WAS rubbish. it was slow and annoyingly buggy at first, but if you put in some custom firmware, hack it, and spend some time modding it, it’s great)
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July 29th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
I got my first smart phone in 2005, 6680 and I had 1Gb of internet as an add on. Once I discovered MiniOpera it transformed my mobile experience and I became a walking advert for Opera Mini. I used it with my N73, N95, 6220 Classic and more recently on my N86 8GB. Then I won an X6 in a Comes With Music competition. One of the first things I did was download both Opera Mini and Opera Mobile but to be honest I rarely use them. The Nokia browser has improved so much and with the touch screen I find it so much faster to use the Nokia browser than Opera Mini or Mobile (which still crashes 8 times out of 10 on every phone I’ve used it on). I resisted touch screen after a few plays with ones belonging to friends and had no interest at all in iPhones. But with the capacative screen used on the X6 I can type messages just as fast if not faster than I ever have before. The larger screen is just right for me and I never really liked sliders so unless there is a huge leap forward in button technology I’ll be sticking with touch thanks.
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July 29th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
It seems to me that SOME Physical buttons will always be needed (maybe not full QWERTY, but some). With my Nokia E71, I know where all buttons are and can safely dial with barely a look at the phone WHILE Driving. I DO NOT TEXT, EMAIL, ETC.. while driving, but do often dial a number when traffic is safe. I know Hands-Free is coming along, but with background, road noise, etc… not sure it is there. Remember folks these ARE still phones, as well as Cameras (many folks want a Physical Camera button as well). But as with many things, Nokia is missing the point. If you have the APPLICATIONS people want (Flash, Silverlight, whatever is coming down the road, etc…) then much of this other debate that you are getting wrapped up in is POINTLESS. I am going to use an American Phrase made popular a few years ago. I not calling anyone specifically stupid here, BUT :
IT’S THE APPLICATIONS STUPID
Once Nokia realizes that THEY have to partner with the Vendors (Adobe, Microsoft, etc…) to make sure that those vendors are working (and Nokia/Symbian is helping) to bring those applications to OLDER, CURRENT, and FORTHCOMING phones (where-ever possible), they will solve much of the frustration Nokia users are experiencing. The last week or two I have been reading this conversations site and feeling frustrated because you are tap-dancing around the important issues (N8 features, timelines, cost, Carriers, Countries, etc…) and expecting us to be happy with the side issues.
Your response may be “Managment isn’t giving us that information”. My response to you is, go grab them by the lapels and slap them in the face and say “Go read the posts from previous Nokia owners who feel Nokia is: slipping by the wayside, into obscurity, tired of defending to others why Nokia USED TO BE BETTER, etc…”.
It really is just that simple. Tell us what is going on, good or bad (if there is a problem with the N8, let us know) and let us decide.
It is being published that Blackberry 6 OS is now looming (WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO CONTINUE TO WAIT AROUND FOR NOKIA when they have SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS passing Nokia by).
This will be the last rant I make for a while, but no one at Nokia can say that they haven’t been warned about user expectations and frustrations.
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July 29th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
This a s dumb post with weak argument with no point
Just built more of devices similar to the likes of the N97 (big touch screen + qwerty with D-pad).
Evolving technology will make the N97 form factor thinner and more space efficient.
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July 29th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I actually think the opposite. The games are at their best with buttons. I wanna see you trying to do a move in street fighter, or in a beat em up, or even in a platformer with a touchscreen.. It’s not meant for gaming. Buttons are here to stay. Have you ever seen a gamepad or joystick without buttons, with a sensitive screen on the left for moving, and one on the right?, no.. no sense.
Ever took a photo without a button trigger on a phone?. Always blurry.
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July 30th, 2010 at 10:53 am
I think a track pad on the back of the phone might a good idea. Save masking the screen with your own hand. Also sides of the phone act as scroll bars. Helps keep screen free of clutter.
By pressing and holding a certain key down, you can still give your phone a voice command…………
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July 31st, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Let’s have a proper discussion on different types of touch screen. Capacitive vs Resisitive
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August 2nd, 2010 at 4:41 am
hello Nokia team,
buttons are complementary to touch screen, like keyboard shortcuts are usefull in addition to a mouse for computers.
The pad of my N97 is usefull as a tabulation key in HTML pages with fields !
A keyboard like on N97 enables to have a complete screen to watch and edit, without any space taken on the screen for a virtual keyboard ! It is said above that touch screens are bigger, so show more. But when the half of the screen is taken by a virtual keyboard, where is the improvement ? Nowhere actually, sorry to have to mention and to prove this.
Resistive screens are pratical ! Up to now capacitive screens are not practical : NO USE OF STYLET TO DRAW, and NO USE OF NAILS : a lot of women can’t use capacitive as their nail thouch the screen and prevents their finger to touch it properly, and YES there are some multi-touch resistive screens like : http://www.stantum.com !! And they are cheaper than capacitive screens and use less electricity. You could make two series of a phone model : one with resistive and one with capacitive, as people want that because there are a lot of marketing hype about them.
Bye.
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August 2nd, 2010 at 12:27 pm
The last week or two I have been reading this conversations site and feeling frustrated because you are tap-dancing around the important issues (N8 features, timelines, cost, Carriers, Countries, etc…) and expecting us to be happy with the side issues.
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yann Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:43 pm
You’re right about that.
I asked @Ian two times, how to suggest a topic, or to write a article, but no answer.
Also all NOKIA employees here, conveniently avoiding to answer on serous questions.
1. When will be available N8?
2. Will N8 be upgradeable to Symbian^4 or MeeGo?
3. Why the hardware is so ancient, compared to phones like Galaxy S, iProne/devices in the same class as N8/? Also this phones are already available.
4. Why all defenders compared N8 with 3GS/phone released more than a year ago/, but not iPhone 4, who is the real competitor?
—
Z. When to expect competitive as a hardware and software phone?/something based on ARM A9 architecture like OMAP4 and fully changed UI/
BR
yann
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Shinigami Reply:
August 6th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Z: expect it exactly a year after competing devices go on sale. And it will be said “our device is Oh So Good because it has 1-2 features those phones didn’t have a year ago”.
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August 2nd, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Secondly, the touch screen is certainly big games and writing kind. Gestures could do great things, if implemented in innovative ways. Type of repair are good, but we must go a long way.
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August 2nd, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Hybrids are definitely my favorite, and I am willing to sacrifice thinness of the phone in order to get both the keyboard, multitouch screen AND good camera(!).
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August 4th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I prefer buttons a very nicely designed button seems much classier than a touchscreen too
I like touchscreens they have their place and their uses and they can be better than buttons in many instances however they, still, are not better than buttons to me especially the wonderfully designed ones that have had thought put in to them.
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August 6th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
I have tried various modern touch-screen devices and I still prefer buttons for both making a call (or going into the call log) and typing text, messages, names, links, anything.
Why?
Because they click. They move. They give feedback touchscreen+vibration can never give. Because when I press a button, I know for 100% it worked. Its not the same with the screen.
Besides, having 3 buttons under the screen allows me to accept calls or reject them without accepting or silencing them without taking my gloves off.
While I don’t mind screen keyboards for entering text, I do prefer clicking buttons.
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August 16th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
I got my first smart phone in 2005, 6680 and I had 1Gb of internet as an add on. Once I discovered MiniOpera it transformed my mobile experience and I became a walking advert for Opera Mini. I used it with my N73, N95, 6220 Classic and more recently on my N86 8GB. Then I won an X6 in a Comes With Music competition. One of the first things I did was download both Opera Mini and Opera Mobile but to be honest I rarely use them. The Nokia browser has improved so much and with the touch screen I find it so much faster to use the Nokia browser than Opera Mini or Mobile (which still crashes 8 times out of 10 on every phone I’ve used it on). I resisted touch screen after a few plays with ones belonging to friends and had no interest at all in iPhones. But with the capacative screen used on the X6 I can type messages just as fast if not faster than I ever have before. The larger screen is just right for me and I never really liked sliders so unless there is a huge leap forward in button technology I’ll be sticking with touch thanks.
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August 17th, 2010 at 12:29 am
The bottom line: would you ever buy a computer without a keyboard? Of course you wouldn’t. We’re all using the *buttons* on our keyboards to post on here. It’s not totally the same with phones, but the basic point is there – for those who need to input significant text/numbers, a real keyboard/keypad is essential. Have you ever had a flat membrane keyboard for you computer? No, of course not, because it’s not PRACTICAL. Someone, someday, will probably come up with a capacitive/resistive touch keyboard, but the success will be limited due to the lack of sensory perception through the fingers, particularly with regard to where the fingers actually are on the keyboard. No way I could type as effectively with a membrane or ‘touch screen keyboard’
Touchscreens are great, but it’s horses for courses; I, like many phone users, will always prefer a tactile ‘real buttons’ input method to input email or sms text. Also, try finding an entry in your phonebook on a touch-screen device WHILE DRIVING – terrible, especially on a rough road. A keypad enables you to find an entry by FEEL alone, assuming the keypad itself is tactile enough, and that beats the bluetooth phonebook interface of the car itself – convenient but takes too long.
Don’t get me wrong, touch screens are great – I have a Sumsung Jet – great for relaxed web-browsing and watching movies, but due to the impracticality of it, it’s now been relegated to a simple back up phone for occasional use for watching films or taking photos.
To summarise:
Touch screens – look sleek and cool, great for movies, web browsing, displaying camera images and general content-orientated use. Also good for people who don’t like T9 and are happy to input text with two hands and who don’t mind looking up and down a lot while walking.
Keypads – great for those want to input significant text in the minimum time and who, in the car, prefer to interact with the phone rather than a steering column/stalk interface. Also easier to input text while walking.
Finally, let me pre-empt some return comments:
1) I don’t find voice dialling 100% reliable and now just prefer to use the phone directly.
2) Some people will surely say “I bet I can input text on my touch screen qwerty much faster than you.” And indeed, you wouldn’t be alone in this sentiment as I quote Rhiain’s original text: “I would suggest that people claiming this have not tried a modern touch-sensitive device. Things have moved on a long way since your Palm Pilot in the 1990s”. Well, I never owned a Palm Pilot. My response, Rhiain, with T9, I can do around 40 words/minute. Use an iPad if you like, but I bet you won’t beat that figure. And, try that while walking on the street and see how practical it is – try not to bump into anyone!
Last comment – anecdotal: Think Michael Westen (Burn Notice) texting under the table ‘get out now’… His associates would have been dead if he’d owned a touch-screen!!!
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August 28th, 2010 at 10:24 am
why nokia shuldn’t emphsis on Qwerty botton as well as tocuh screen as in N900,we really miss carl ziess lens and xenon flash with high mega pixel,good touch interface,affordable price and much flexibilty.learn lessons from Samsung,Apple and htc.beside mobile accessaries are not easily available in south asian market like nepal.
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