We have designed two interfaces to support one-handed thumb use for PDAs and cell phones. Both use Scalable User Interface (ScUI) techniques to support multiple devices with different resolutions and aspect ratios. The designs use variations of zooming interface techniques to provide multiple views of application data: AppLens uses tabular fisheye to access nine applications, while LaunchTile uses pure zoom to access thirty-six applications. Two sets of thumb gestures represent different philosophies for one-handed interaction. We conducted two studies to evaluate our designs. The first study explored whether users could learn and execute the AppLens gesture set with only minimal training. Participants performed more accurately and efficiently using semantic gestures for directional navigation than abstract gestures for object interaction. A second study gathered user reactions to each interface, as well as comparative preferences. With minimal exposure to each design, most users favored the tabular fisheye interface.

It should be interesting to note, this study was done years ago (maybe 5 or more) through Microsoft Research. And the outcome? Have you seen SCRYBE? And that is only the beginnin. This is the next generation interface for desktop migrating to mobile and more. Note also the reference to one handed gesture based interaction. The concept of ‘gesture’ is coming online - with one of our first previews being the Minority Report virtual gesture-based interface, and now the iPhone. As new systems of interaction come online it will be even more important for the learning curve to be little to none (or a standard established early on) and for UI designers and product manufacturers to truly embrace simplicity and intuitiveness at the highest level.

About the carrier. Cingular is a big disappointment around my way in terms of coverage and signal. They offer really good plans for the roll-over minutes but in terms of alternate communications a company like T-Mobile is crushing the comp. The market is continuing to polarize along the lines of white-collar business and urban/social communication. You’ve got Sprint, Verizon and AT&T (Cingular) and on the other side there’s T-Mobile, Helio and surprisingly Alltel to some degree. Trouble with that is many of us do a hybrid of business communication in a more socially-based means and language. It’s not unusual for me to text, IM and email far more that a voice call. That is where the iPhone would be mad choice but it would need to be on a provider whose service is geared for it’s non-voice powerpack of goodies. The annouced provider, in my opinion, isn’t.

I could do crazy amount of sleep-deprived communication with this tasty device, just please do tell me I have to go Cingular! Aw man.

It’s a question of “stable” versus “unstable” environment. Steve says,“You don’t want your phone to be an open platform,” meaning that anyone can write applications for it and potentially gum up the provider’s network, says Jobs. “You need it to work when you need it to work. Cingular doesn’t want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up.”

Interesting. In the Newsweek interview, the comments were pretty interesting - debating the ability for a rogue ‘widget’ to take a network down.

I used to carry the unlocked SE P910a and while it is true that various downloads/widgets/applications caused my phone to ‘crash’ repeatedly (I uninstalled the faux OSX skin due to errors) I am interested in this concept that someone’s self-installed program on an independently ‘open’ device can truly bring a network down.