mTrends - mobile media lifestyle trends - m-trends.org

I keep re-reading Yasmin’s blog entry on the „sensuous gear“, aka the iPhone announced last week. A one of its kind post, worthy of an editorial. Just as Rudy in his post I have to admire how Steve presents or rather evangelizes to his ‚followers’. Maybe Nokia should think about inviting more ‚followers’ to their next Open Studio event instead of just having journalists that sit there like dead fish. Some more excitement in the audience would surely not hurt.

I have two things to say on the new iPhone, one good, one bad. The bad one first: I have to admit, I was very excited during the webcast. But thinking about it afterwards, I have my doubts if the usability of the phone will be great. One button, that’s it. Sounds simple, no? But I think quite the contrary is true. Take a look at the picture in Rudy’s post. To use the phone, you need both hands. What I really like about my current phone is that I can do everything, really everything, with just one hand. Also, when you watch a video you have to hold the phone as it’s not a clamshell or, I don’t even dare to hope, has a mechanism like a Nokia N93 to flip over the phone to watch videos in landscape mode while the phone sits on the desk. Have you ever tried to watch a video while holding the phone? Well, I did and after 5 minutes it’s no fun anymore. So despite the cool show, I have my doubts on its usability.

And now to the good part: No matter how good or bad usability will be in the end, Apple has created such an excitement that even the hardest critics of the mobile Internet came running to me with gleaming eyes proclaiming that they want to have one. In that sense, it will do more for the mobile Internet than all devices we’ve seen so far together. Well done Apple!