Nokia's community blog has opened up the
crowdsourcing floodgates, at least in theory. For "Design by Community," users will be able to vote on smartphone features via a series of sliders, although within an arbitrary point allotment system. A new poll opens next week for size and shape, followed by materials, operating system (Symbian or
MeeGo being the only choices, unsurprisingly), and so on in the weeks that follow, with the last poll starting April 26th. After that, a concept sketch will be voted on and later rendered -- but no plans to ever have it made into an actual retail product (boo). We can't exactly say we understand all the selections here: why is a touchscreen keyboard less ambitious than T9 text entry? Does saying capacitive is more ambitious than resistive serve as a
subtle hint of trends to come? What in the world is the difference between hot key and one touch? It's interesting to see how
X6,
N900,
N97 all come out as a Perfect Mixes, while last year's E75 and the more recent
C5 all straddle the "less than ambitious" line. Oh, and just so we're clear... a 5-inch, 21:9 ratio display without touchscreen but
with a touchscreen keyboard is a perfect mix. Go figure.
[Thanks, Pratik V]
posted March 18th 2010 7:49PM
Smart move.
@Techno1q
The results just came in: http://yfrog.com/9fscreenshot20100319at421p
@Techno1q
Yeah, good market research at a pretty low cost.
Nokia's on the fast track to complete irrelevance.
@FlockesVictory
Oh really? Do you mean Nokia, the most successful cellphone company in the world?
@FlockesVictory
I wish my company was irrelevant with a 44% of worlwide marketshare
@Pguard Yeah and selling more than 1 million phones every single day. Many people in the States don't grasp what a dominant player Nokia is.
@all you guys
he didn't say "on their way to Bankruptcy", he said irrelevance, which is true. just because they sell a lot of crappy clam shell phones doesn't mean they are relevant in todays Smartphone market (outside of Europe)
@Addyct So irrelevant that even Engadget covers their every move.
This is terrible.
So, according to this, a 4 inch 16:9 capacitive device with a QWERTY keypad is "too way out there"?
yeah, tell that to the Droid I'm holding...
@Addyct
Your Droid is 3.7". Measure the Droid you're holding.
@Almo
I'm quite aware, but there is no 3.7" stop on that slider, so I rounded up.
@Addyct : Yes, it weighs too much for anyone but fat people to carry in their pocket comfortably.
@Addyct So 3.7" is not quite 4". You fail, smartass.
@Addyct My N900 is 5inches... I mean, its 3.5 but, I rounded up.
Well, looks like I ruffled some fan boy feathers...
It's really that far of a jump from 3.7 to 4, eh? And even if it is, is what I said wrong? The author of this didn't seem to think so, since the picture up at the top says the exact same thing I said, except in clever photoshop language.
@Addyct It seems what the "fanboys" said really disturb you right mate? But what do we know? We are "fanboys"... Maybe you should be more mature and not be so easily disturbed by this.. ;)
@Addyct
No, it just seems you're wrong. Man up, son.
@MarkAnderson oh good lord, fine
3.7 =/= 4
Happy?
The point I was trying to make still stands.
Jesus, the Literal web strikes again...
@Addyct
how about this , son.
http://i44.tinypic.com/a0uiyo.jpg
its ENGADGET for godsake ! dont you know they try to make Nokia look bad , all the time ?
@Nokia N900
to be honest, Nokia does a pretty good job of that on their own, they don't need Engadget's help...
@Addyct I just did that exact combination (before I read your comment: great minds) and it said perfect combination!!
Where are the sliders that increases the communication from the vendor to the customer regarding the horrific shortcomings of support and decreases the unreasonable number of ridiculous firmware versions that creep out so slowly, some unbranded handsets are left without updates for months and months and months (particularly in the UK)
But seriously, folks..
And I only use Nokia handsets (N97 and N900 most recently)
I was hoping the site would have radio buttons for more specific features or something. The options the sliders give aren't really that groundbreaking or interesting.
The options are extremely limited it feels, but on the other had Nokia doesn't seem like the type to think too out of the box.
4.3 thin device with a slide out keyboard, keeping it as thin as possible with a battery of at least 1 day. HD2 + Keyboard it's all up to engineers if they can do it.
People need to realize that they're voting on a CONCEPT that Nokia should make....not any final product.
For the perfect mix I selected:
- 5 inch
- capacitive
- QWERTY
- On/Off Switch
- 16:9 screen ratio
Basically a Dell Mini 5 with a QWERTY keyboard!!! That's all I wantz!!
@Plazmic Flame
except it's running meego and i'll be happy.
And it had better have ovi maps like every other nokia phone coming out.
@Plazmic Flame, 5 inch screen is way too big to be pocketable, and I wouldn't shake a stick at a capacitive screen. Otherwise me agrees...
@Plazmic Flame And of course its too much to ask Engadget to realize this...
But whatever Apple concept comes out is met with "excitment" and "complete guide".
Go figure..
@Mr w00t
Apple hasn't put out concept videos or concept demo devices since the 80's. Could you name 1 Apple CONCEPT device?
@Col Forbin who said about videos?
those "patents" are also concepts.
they just become real when a product comes out... before that, everything is vaporware.
@Mr w00t
Your first Post was to Troll, your second Post was just ignorant!
1. You cant patent ideas/concepts. You Patent methods!!
2. I dont think you know what Vaporware really means. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware
If you dont know what Surveys, Concepts, Vaporware or Patents are PLEASE dont Post. Dam, I hate trolls!!!
@Col Forbin Patent laws are different everywhere in the world...
US and Europe have many different little things that might invalidate a patent...
This your "patent methods" is just plain BS cos a method might be an idea depending on the judge that you case will fall...
And just because I actually make sense in what I say you get the panties wet? Tell me where I talked about videos please and you will be fine... Before that stop being a rat ass red neck and put the gun back under the bed okay=?
About trolling and stuff like this... Grow up a bit okay kiddo, you seem to have a penis stuck in your ear and not in the place you really want. Dont get so agressive cos a post in a blog...
Everyone vote 3 inch, non-touch, standard keypad, on/off only, 4:3 now!!!
@CaptainPlanet to my original argument: it would suck if 4chan got ahold of this...
@CaptainPlanet
You realize that by saying this, you have sealed Nokia's fate, right?
@CaptainPlanet You missed a prime opportunity with "The Power is Yours!"
@CaptainPlanet
"And no, the plan isn't to actually make the product - this is about creating a concept (we can't aim to better the might of the Nokia design team - their knowledge runs far, far deeper than ours)."
Just release a 4'' capacitive display, and move on. Next blog post, they will ask us to choose the radio chip (DFE-BMR4489, "not ambitious enough")
You can make a successful product designing by committee, but the only way to make a great product, a game changer, is to have one person with a clear vision. (no I don't like Apple or SJ, but this method would just give you a product with a bunch of features and little real design substance)
@jurrasix
Which smartphone was designed by one single person? Honest question. And the source please.
@WickedEast its more about a single persons vision. Instead of the collective visions of us, the consumer. I'm not citing anything specifically. And this is more of a design philosophy in general...
Hardware is one thing. There's a software side too. For example, as nice as a physical keyboard is, I rather have a good touch keyboard with great predictive than a crappy physical one. I rather have a more intuitive touch-based UI than a half-baked one with a D-pad. Focusing just on specs is only a small part. After all these years of putting out a gajillion phones with various forms, do you think Nokia would have an idea of a good design already? Apparently not.
Nice idea, Nokia - let's hope you listen to us.
16:9 4.5 inch capacitive touch display onscreen keyboard and quite a few physical buttons.
Would have been quicker to type "HD2" (or "Supersonic")
This just focuses on hardware specs, which are irrelevant if the OS isn't intuitive and fun to use.
They were surpriced how popular this became.
Unfortunately they didn't check the sliders with some outside party who would have noticed the oddities. Not only the non touchscreen phone with touchscreen display, but the way the screen ratio and screen size sliders are positioned. You can make a big screen 4:3 phone, a huge device, or a 3" 21:9 device, a tiny one. Both are way out there as phones, not some middleground they were expecting.
3" 21:9 touchkeyboard phone would be estetically intresting. Not practical, or a good smartphone, but nice to look at and carry. Doubt anybody will make one.
I'll be interested at whether they go Symbian or MeeGo.
This is a rather novel idea to go about finding and creating the perfect phone.
Only thing i see standing in the way are Apple's patents on just about every mundane thing in existence
@chosenone1
Not even Apple can stop Nokia. I'd love for Apple to try and pull an HTC Lawsuit on Nokia and see their asses getting handed to them moments after.