Thanks to the great crowd at DevMob2010 in London last week, I’ve had some good feedback to my scenarios and segmentation diagram which was originally created in 2006 and is now updated and re-published under CC license. It should help as a stimulus for software developers thinking about the possibilities in the space between smartphones and netbooks and can help device designers to think about usage scenarios. Customers will also find it useful to pick out their own usage scenarios and to see what type of device fits with their requirements.
FEEDBACK IS ENCOURAGED. If you have thoughts, please add them to the comments section below.
During my session at DevMob I had a set of suggestions which I’ve added to the diagram. It was interesting to hear suggestions for the 8-10 segment which included Multi-touch/User gaming (many players, one device) and multi-person video viewing. Those are two models that the iPad is targeting very closely. We also added ‘Media Overview / Chooser’ to the 8-10 segment based on the need for screen space for an overview of images, album cover art or video’s.
Many thanks to all that took part in the sessions at DevMob and thanks to all of you that took the time to present and talk about your ideas in this space. I hope to see you all again at the next DevMob2010 and at other events in Europe.
Update: I’m experimenting with a slightly different layout based on feedback below. The segments have been re-drawn to represent a more fluid crossover point.
The upcoming Viliv S7 [Portal page] is currently at the #6 spot on UMPC Portal’s top 10 chart and is still on its way out the door to a consumer release. If the recently released and oft-glorified Viliv S5 [Portal page] and Viliv X70 [Portal page] are any indicator, the Viliv S7 is going to be a solid UMPC with good build quality. Setting it apart from the S5 or X70 is the fact that the S7 has a hardware keyboard while the aforementioned Viliv devices use an on screen keyboard with vibrating feedback for their default text entry method. While many claim to be waiting for their dream device which would be “an S5 with a hardware keyboard,” the S7’s keyboard is actually going to be the device’s biggest challenge.
What do I mean when I say challenge? Well for one, it is going to need to impress its users if the Viliv S7 is going to build a reputation as being a great device as the S5 and X70 seem to have done.
If you’ll come back with me to a time that seems not so distant, most of the original netbooks were released with 7” screens, and keyboards with diagonals not much larger or smaller than that size. Shortly after the first round of netbook contenders, screens increased in size from 7” to 8.9” almost unanimously across companies and eventually up to 10” which is around the area where the average user doesn’t feel they are compromising too much on screen size. Screen size is only one part of the story, however, along with the increase in screen size, keyboards were able to grow as well; up to a point where consumers felt that they could type nearly as well as on a full sized laptop.
Now here comes Viliv with the S7 which has a 7” screen during a time when netbooks are nearly always released as 8.9” or 10” devices. Now I know many of you realize that the S7 is definitely not a netbook, it is a UMPC, however, if there is a keyboard on the device, people are going to be dissatisfied based on how similar the typing experience on the S7 is compared to a full sized keyboard. This is a potential issue for the popularity of the device and especially for its word-of-mouth based marketing which is very important for a niche product such as a UMPC. If people come away dissatisfied with the keyboard, the likely result will be that this is the largest complaint about the S7 and instead of hearing people say (as they do now about the S5) “The Viliv S5 is great, it would be even better with a keyboard!”, you’ll hear “The S7 could have been a good device if only it had a good keyboard.” But unfortunately size isn’t the only potential challenge for the S7’s keyboard.
It’s the polar opposite of what you usually see on the portal. A mobile PC built around a huge keyboard with a tiny screen tacked on to the side. Obviously this is not quite your mobile productivity box (unless you want a kneck injury) but it’s an interesting option for the home. The video below was shot a few weeks ago at CeBIT in Hannover. After reviewing it, i’m quite sure that the RF ports you see will be for wireless HDMI antennas.
The big question now is what to call this category of devices. Sofasurfer?
My biggest complaint about many of the netbooks on the market over the last year is that some of them can’t seem to get the keyboard right. Even when the size of the keyboard is reasonable, there can be some problems with key placement, the biggest offender being the incredibly annoying small shift key on the Eee line of Asus netbooks. For someone who really types on a keyboard, and doesn’t hunt and peck, the tiny shift key, which is often on the wrong side of the arrow keys, is a major annoyance. Missing the shift key is one thing, but accidentally hitting the up arrow key causes a whole slew of issues that really get in the way of serious typing.
A few sites got news that Asus would be switching up its keyboard arrangement, and now we can see concrete evidence of this from some of the models being shown at CES 09′. Several new Eee models are featuring the updated keyboard which moves the shift key to the left of the up arrow and increases its size. Some of the new models include the new Eee T101H 10″ ‘tablet netbook’.
I have no doubt at all that this idea will raise the eyebrows of many an iPhone 3G owner. PimpMyUMPC blogger Valto has put together a presentation of a concept he calls the eXtendr. In the presentation you’ll see a slider keyboard but it you read the article you’ll see that it’s not just a keyboard idea. The concept could be used to carry speakers and batteries a bit like the original iPaq jacket and, more recently, the Digifriends MID. Because this is the iPhone though, it somehow seems to have more impact. Good work Valto!
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