David Lynch making a point on watching a movie on a mobile device, originally from the Inland Empire special edition, edited to fit the iPhone commercials theme.
Sure, you can't fully experience a great feature film watching it on a mobile device, you'd miss a lot of the emotions a movie can convey. But having the ability to read videos on the go can be great for other purposes than entertainment and art consumption, like getting informed or learning some skills.




via Kottke.

Labels: cellphone, cinema, emotions, interface, iPhone

Following this previous post describing a possible way to call or text your favorite contacts on an iPhone, I did an animation of how it could behave.
To keep things clear, I didn't add the symbol of a finger touching the screen, so here is a transcript of the actions involved :
- After unlocking the phone, flip it to launch the favorite icons screen.
- If you have more than a screen worth of contacts, tap the arrows on the side of the screen to navigate them
- Tap and stay on an icon to reveal the call/sms display. Moving up and release will launch a call, moving down and release will start a sms. Release in the middle neutral zone brings back all the contacts.

I'm very thankfull to Kontra from Counternotions.com who provided me with some good advices to get the interface where it's at. He gets all the credit for the move up/down to call/sms gesture, which is much easier and elegant than the one I had thought of at first.

Labels: cellphone, interface, iPhone, project, software, wish

Or how to call/sms your favorites with 2 click-and-drags on an iPhone.

The last update of the iPhone software gave the double click on the home button the same functionality of bringing up the favorites, but there is maybe a way to avoid these two clicks.

1. First click and drag : unlock the phone.



2. Rotate it anti-clockwise to display the favorites. It works to call the Coverflow interface when playing music, so it might as well work to call an action from the home screen. I guess. Anyhow, this is where the double click disappears.




3. Select one of the favorites : that's the second click (or tap, how do you call them...). As a result, the other contacts icons and names fade out a little, and two bars appear at the top and bottom on the screen to invite you to the next step.



4. Drag and release the icon of your contact on top to call (the result is a fade to the classic call screen of the iPhone), and on the bottom to send a text message (also fades to the classic sms app screen). Once the icon enters one of the area it changes color to tell the user ot has understood his call for this action and performs it on release (so it's always possible to change your mind even if you entered an active zone).




Recursive actions need to be simple so they don't get boring or tiring to perform, and this is what it's all about.
One limitation though is that it would work well if you have up to 10 favorites. Passed this number, I don't know if the interface sensibility can deal with smaller icons/names, and as I don't live in the US, I can't check for myself on the device. Maybe somebody can tell ?
On the other hand, 10 is way enough in terms of favorites as far as I'm concerned.

Labels: apple, cellphone, communication, interface, iPhone, software, tech, wish

This is the sixth post about a cell phone design project that started here.

Considering the amount of time I could allow in modeling, I had to make a choice between the solutions that were presented before. The Mies track and the leather track were, to me at least, the most interesting solutions.
The essence of the project is really expressed in the Mies one, as we're aiming at minimalism and simplicity from the start.
Getting the leather solution further was interesting because this object has a strong statement : you could own a well crafted object (and therefore more expensive) that is not tied to high end technology.

The Mies track

The green led is the visual feedback : it flashes once when a key is pressed.
The blue leds are for the reception level and the red ones for the battery level. A single press on them and they display the level by quarters (1 led = 25%).
The front is three sided to help navigating and choosing the right key to press.



The hold button is pressed "inwards" to unlock the keypad. It stays in this position to act as a sign. The "send/end call" button is just under it : in a single and well placed press, the user can unlock and answer an incoming call.



The bottom cap (incorporating the mic) protects the USB plug and the quick SIM card access.

The leather track

In this case, the light chamfer around the keys, as well as the stiffness difference between the leather and the metal, help the user to point the right key. No plastic in this one, metal only. Leather and plastic rarely feel right...



The hold button is a slider. When it's on the right, thus aligned with the buttons grid, the keypad is unlocked.



The back side can be uncovered to access the SIM card (U shaped cut in the leather) and to slide out the USB plug.


As a conclusion, here is a transcript of Orange's director of technology Norman Lewis about 3G, during the '06 Emerging Telephony conference (link to his talk) :

if every one of our customers, theirs families and their dogs had mobile phones and used them for 6 hours a day for the next 31.7 years, we would get our money back from what we spent on 3G licensing

In other words : a mobile phone transmitting voice only ? It may suits your needs, but not the telephone companies wacked business models.

(Many thanks to Volker Weber and Steven Frank for their feedback)

Labels: cellphone, communication, phone, project, tech

This is the fifth post about a cell phone design project that started here.

Materials and finishes.

As much as the shape of an object, materials and finishes determines its personality. Stiffness, reliability, simplicity should then be the attributes of the material used in this case. Economics are usually also driving the choice of a particular material over another, but as this is some sort of a dream project, we'll stay pretty vague and just say that that a thermoplastic is the most appropriate material for this kind of object.

The last track chosen in the form factors part of the project was born considering the portability of the object, and the answer was to give a rounded shape to the object so it would be adapted to be carried in pant pockets for example. Materials can also respond to the considered context and induce a solution. At least it's what happened here when I realized that in the objects that I carry around, a lot of them use leather : my bag, wallet, notebook,... Personal taste is of course involved, but leather reaches the attributes cited above, is soft on touch and shape, gets nicer when it gets older, smells good and speaks of good craft by its own. A cell phone made of leather first got me to think of these oh so nice phone cases with a belt clip, but it sure could be better than this. Anyhow, the leather track was on.



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Labels: cellphone, communication, phone, project, tech

This is the fourth post about a cell phone design project that started here.

Form factors

First, about the scale. We know that the technology won't stop us from going really really small here, and that the ergonomics are the limiting factors.
Ergonomic aspects needing to be considered :
· the size of the device. It must allow you to hold it comfortably, and allow the speaker / mic to work nicely along the ear and mouth distance. The smallest phone I've used so far was as big as a credit card, and I used these dimensions as a reference.
· the size of the buttons, of course.

Semantics : it should look like a phone, as it's nothing else. It should say that it's a USB key too, as it's one. Other ideas to express : basic, solid, reliable, durable, fit.

As it's not designed for a particular brand, the branding guidelines that are usually getting into action at this point are, well, non existent. So we're left with a relative freedom here. That's one of the pleasure of the personal project after all.

Three different tracks came up so far to give a character to this object.

1. In a way, the functionality of this phone is nostalgic and backward looking, as we are refusing all the possibilities that technology is offering us but the ability to be wireless and compact. The Daddy's track.

Grandaddy's got one too.


2. The hard core nature of the functionalities can lead us to the modernist way, "form follows function and we're not expressing anything else here, ok yes we do but ya know..." The Mies track.


3. As it's compact, it's likely that the user will carry the phone in a shirt or pants pocket, so it could be a well rounded and soft object that will prevent the garment to be torn. The Tender track.


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Labels: cellphone, interface, phone, project, tech

This is the third post about a cell phone design project that started here.

Extending the interface

The settings of the phone numbers assigned to the keys and the ring tone adjustments are made through the other interface the phone offers through its USB abilities : the computer to which it's plugged in when need be.

Here is a mock ups of the interface that would appear on the screen once the phone is plugged in. I guess an auto launch of a dedicated app sitting in the phone flash memory is something possible, so you could use the computer based functionalities on any computer you could use.



It displays the battery charge level and the reception level, and an eject button so you can unplug safely the phone when you need it.
There is also a text field where you can enter a phone number followed by a "send" button to allow you to place calls from the computer, using its mic and speakers if they are recognized by the software. The connection to the network is still made by the phone which acts like an antenna. Of course, this makes sense only if you can't make a good use of VOIP while using your computer.

When you click on 'Memorized numbers" in the bottom bar of the window, you are presented an interface with which you can set the phone numbers to the key numbers.



You can add the name of the contact so you can remember which contact has which fast dialing key the next time you get to set them. Clicking "Collapse panel" resizes the window to its original appearance.

When you click on "Ringtones", you get access to their settings.



You can choose from internal ringtones, or choose a sound file to be played instead. The sound file is copied on the phone's flash memory when you select it. To set the phone on vibrate, just lower the volume fader to its lower position.

I've been thinking of adding the ability to send sms from this interface, but it would make no sense since you wouldn't be able to receive them when you're not connected to the computer. You'd be better using email in this case.

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Labels: cellphone, interface, phone, project, tech

This is the second post about a cell phone design project that started here.

The phone interface

What is the minimum required to place or receive a phone call ?

· A power button to turn on the device
· A standard keypad
· A send/end call button
· A speaker and a mic, of course

It's a mobile device so it needs :

· A hold button so you don't dial a number while the phone is in your pocket.
· A way to know your battery charge level
· A way to know the reception you're getting at the place you're at

A screen ? No. Why ? As said, the aim is to stay very basic and simple. We could use phones without screens for years, why couldn't we anymore ?

But we need visual feedback for some actions like :
· Dialing : to confirm a key press gesture
· Connection established : yes you are slowly & surely eating your monthly plan
· Battery and reception levels as mentioned above.

The no screen manifesto prevents the use of a contact list, but we'll deal with it buy adding a memory key that can be used to fast dial up to 10 numbers.
Knowing that you'll lose only 10 numbers if the phone dies instead of the never backed up 76 ones you could have on a regular cell might help to accept this limitation. Or, consider that you won't need to play Dr. Kawashima to train your memory because you'll need to know all your numbers by heart.

Finally, the USB plug and its protective cap.

Schematically, here's what we end up dealing with :



Just to confirm that we didn't forget anything, let's run a scenario of placing a call from the turned off device.

1 - Check that the hold button is unlocked
2 - Press 2 seconds on the power button
3 - Continuous blinking signal from the reception level display to invite you to enter your pin number. If nothing happens, charge the battery by plugging the device to the nearest usb port around.
- - - - Starting from now, every key press will be confirmed by a single blink of a LED.
4 - Press the four digits of the pin number and dash symbol to validate.
5 - Three long blinks from the reception level display then information on the reception level confirm you accessed the network.
6 - Dial the number you wish to call and press the send/end call button.
7 - Once the number has been reached, the visual feedback LED is continuously on.
8 - Have a nice conversation.
9 - End call by pressing the send/end call button.
10 - Lock the phone with the hold button.


If the number you wish to call is one of the 10 memorized number of the phone, then the 6th stage becomes :

6alt - Press the memory key followed by the number of your choice.

When someone tries to reach you :

1 - The phone rings
2 - Check that the hold button is unlocked
3 - Answer call by pressing the send/end call button.
4 - The visual feedback LED is continuously on.
5 - Have a nice conversation.
6 - End call by pressing the send/end call button.
7 - Lock the phone with the hold button.

If you can't or don't want to answer the call, you can stop it from rigging by pressing the power button once.

Turning off the phone is as easy as pressing 2 seconds on the power button.

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Labels: cellphone, phone, project, tech

Here is the first of a serie of posts about a cell phone project I've been working on. The idea is to document the process leading to the definition of the object and its experience, and hopefully get some constructive comments about the ideas pushed here.


One of the current negative comments from cell phones users is the clutter of functions shipped with them. These functions are unnecessary to many users, but they have no choice but dealing with them daily. Even if it means that it will cost them more money, add confusion in the user interface. Good start to make a customer happy.
Some people want to take pictures, send 50 sms a day, surf the web or send emails with their phone, but some others have a cell because they want to place and receive calls while they're on the road, just as they would do with any basic land line phones.

In a MobileMonday Paris conference I attended last year, there was a very interesting presentation of the latest advances in mobile phone chips, describing all the features you could embed into them. I asked the guy to give me an idea of the room needed to get the GSM, dialing and memory capabilities in a chip. He couldn't find anything small enough around him to answer my question but his little finger's nail. Today's technology is able to bring you the basic cell phone functionalities in a Bic pen cap, aside of ergonomic issues. There is no technical obstacle preventing us to build a simple, compact and robust cell phone for a basic use. Sounded like a good design project to me.

One of the high tech devices I enjoyed the most because of its small size is a Phillips USB key that is also a digital camera. Sure enough, the image quality is crap (good crap though), but I had it in my pocket everyday for a year and a half without noticing it, and I could take loads of pictures when I felt like it. No preview, unusable viewfinder, but all I want now is a new battery so I can use it again because the original one has died.
Anyhow, 1+1=2, and a USB key phone made its way. The USB feature is resolving the charger issue (you actually don't need one), and provides a new functionality that will be described later.

The brief is simple : design a compact USB device enabling the user to have wireless vocal conversations through a cell phone network. Nothing more. It's tempting to add features, but no, let's stay very basic and simple, even if it's just for the sake of this exercise.

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Labels: cellphone, phone, project, tech