Lightning Look at 5 Mobile Touch UIs - iPhone 3G, Samsung Behold, G1, Blackberry Bold, Nokia 5800
Written by Glenn Letham
Saturday, 03 January 2009
So, you want a touch UI mobile device. I’ve been checking out some of
the latest touch UI mobile devices lately, curious to see who’s coming
out with what and what features are being offered. To date it seems
it’s tough to find that one touch device that offers everything. I’ve
looked at 4 touch UI devices (+ the Nokia 5800) this week, some of the
quick observations made follow:
Google (Android) G1
- touch action is a bit “clunky” (ie. hit or miss), slow network
(T-mobile, no 3G), brutal camera (although 3.2 megapixel) , small
number off third party apps, nice track ball action, large slide-out
QWERTY keyboard, slightly smaller than iPhone with a 3.2″ display area,
Bluetooth and WiFi enabled plus an added microSD memory slot is a nice
feature. First impression is that I’d stay away from the very first
Android mobile device but the future is likely bright and there’s
plenty of room for improvement. One reason why you won’t find many of
these in use… T-Mobile shops (mine anyway) don’t keep them in stock,
therefore users must order them… this is a brutal move! Also, T-mobile
staff don’t seem very knowledgeable about G1nor are they eager to push
this device.
G1
Apple iPhone 3G
- fast network, excellent touch and swipe UI, poor camera, no video,
delicate (ie. don’t drop it!) awesome app shop, nice acelerometer, no
extra memory card support, WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, large 3.5″
display. No surprise, the iPhone is the device all others must live up
to!
iPhone 3G
Samsung Behold (SGH t919)
- T-Mobile now offers the Samsung Behold (T919) touch mobile device.
One of my biggest gripes about Samsung is that they don’t seem to
provide WiFi along with most of their devices… a big strike for me.
This sharp looking device offers users a similar experience to the
iPhone (ie. touch QWERTY keypad) along with an impressive 5 megapixel
camera which also supports video capture as well (nice!) The behold
comes with 180MB internal memory and external memory supported via
microSD (up to 16GB) A quick hands-on demo provided me with a look at
the touch action, a nice clicking action takes place when you tap an
icon (I like that) although there wasn’t that fast, smooth swiping
action that you experience with iPhone (perhaps I didn’t dig deep
enough though). Overall, a sharp looking device with a decent touch
action, however, I’m not sure what kind of applications are supported.
Note: Samsung also has a touch UI F700.
Samsung Behold
Blackberry Storm
- the first Blackberry with touch UI is available to consumers via the
Verizon Wireless Network. The device sports 1GB internal memory as well
as additional memory via MicroSD card. Users will find a 3.2 megapixel
camera with video recording capabilities (same as Bold 9000) along with
internal GPS. Communication via Bluetooth is provided as well as WiFI
(I’m assuming this although not verified via documents yet). Like all
Blackberry devices, corporate communication tools is a real strength of
this device. My guess is the Storm may become the #2 most popular touch
device real soon!
Blackberry Storm
One last touch mobile not seen by me yet is the Nokia 5800 Express Music.
This Symbian OS (9.4) device sports A-GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera, stylus
and touch input, Bluetooth and WLAN, 3.2″ display screen, MicroSD card
support (16GB) and offers users a wealth of supported Symbian
applications. Real strengths are likely the available apps (although no
central app shop) fabulous music player, and excellent camera (with LED
Flash). This is a very fashionable device although you won’t be able to
buy it in a shop, rather, you’ll need to hit an online shop (BestBuy or
other online mobile shops) or a Nokia flagship store. The device was
recently featured in the latest Batman movie.
Nokia 5800 (Express Music)
Are you in the market for a touch UI mobile handset? If so which device? Feel free to send comments to info @ lbszone.com
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