Software Everywhere — David Beers on Mobile Computing

iPhone speculation and analysis again dominates the Carnival of the Mobilists this week at Xellular Identity. Regardless of what you think about the iPhone, it's sure provoked a lot of thoughtful discussion about the future of mobile technology. Go check it out!

All the talk about whether mobile phone users will accept a touchscreen interface got me thinking some more. One concern is that it turns the phone into a two-handed device. Another is the messy fingerprints you'll have on your lovely screen. Here's an idea that might solve both problems: what about using a non-touch-sensitive screen but with a small touchpad on the back of the phone? You could do the same kind of cool interface but it would be operated by the index finger of the same hand that holds the phone. Some screens (I have the browser in mind) might even benefit from a mouse-cursor, which would be easier to point if your big fat finger wasn't covering up the link you wanted to click. But mostly you'd want to get away from the mouse motif and think creatively about how to represent the focus and how to make navigation of screens and menus snazzy, easy and smooth. A lot of what Jobs demonstrated would work just as well using a pointing device that wasn't located on the surface of the screen.

Not sure if I like the idea or not, but I think it has some possibilities. I like touchscreens, but they are also fragile, expensive, prone to wear and manufacturing defects, and the digitizer diminishes the screen brightness and contrast. I like my mobile phones to be more bulletproof.