Humanized and rigorous smart phone software design

Note: This document is non-corrigendum and may include small amounts of typos

If it comes to smart phones, iPhone and http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/11210.html"> Nokia is two guys who have to mention, iPhone is engulfing the global market share of smartphones, and Nokia The giants still dominate a large part of the United States outside the Twitter @ kcome brother that Nokia's failure in the United States market is a mystery, maybe that man will think of Palm-Pre and Android, well, I think the Palm era has passed, Android Times have not come yet.

I used my friend's iPhone for two weeks, in fact, not much research, compared to the Nokia S60 system I know more about it. Forum always see the iPhone and Nokia users because of different aesthetic criticism, but I have two companies mobile phone software design ideas have a strong interest.

Nokia's acquisition of the Symbian system has always been known for its rigorous, Nokia in the human-computer interaction on the phone has been devoted a lot of research, such as which key on the phone what menu should be transferred under what order in the menu list are carefully Designed. After using the rotten home Motorola cellphone accidentally deleted several contacts (and the music player does not automatically even the next capital), I changed the Nokia cell phone. Since then accidentally deleted contact things never happened, Nokia's menu design, always make it easy for you to find the most needed features, he will never delete the contact as the first menu, and did not delete the confirmation . In short, I like European style of doing things.

For the iPhone, I have been afraid to do what evaluation, because I am still learning from him. If Nokia designs mobile phone software through rigorous logic, the iPhone pays more attention to human feelings. Nokia is good at using sophisticated logic, complex and orderly solution to the problem; the iPhone always find a way to find the ultimate simple way.

Web link design

Nokia S60 network link design:

Nokia defeated Motorola when it entered 2G and became the world's dominant mobile phone. Symbian in the design of network links, give full consideration to each program for network link customization rights, because at that time in Europe may be like now in China, mobile Internet traffic tariffs are still high, users need to fully control each Program's web link, so as not to be charged high costs. And Symbian system each load hundreds of KB (specific unclear) more than the attachment, access to podcasts, set Pushmail operators are prompted when they may charge high fees.

In this case, S60 third edition of the network link is designed like this:

In general, each program will have optional access point settings: Each time you ask for an access point, user-defined access point, the former each time you link the network open the access point selection list, which is set by the user Access point, if the access point is invalid, also opens the access point selection list. This gives users complete control over the network links and traffic used by each program. Because Hong Kong wifi and its popularity, so some Hong Kong version of the software will have set "preferred access point" and "alternative access point." You know, every software has a separate set of such settings, you may have imagined some use will encounter the trouble.

Now I am using Nokia N97, he is using the S60 fifth edition, to see the fifth edition of the network link is how to design it? First of all, in the N97's setup there is an option called "Web Hosting", and I'll show you what they do:
Network bearer mode: This is an access point cluster. The access points in the cluster can be prioritized. Different access points are reusable in different clusters. When the default access mode of a software selects a cluster, it can not Then choose a single access point. Cluster can be new, edit and delete;
Access point: is a network access, you can use it alone, you can put it in a cluster, and define its priority in this cluster.

I think you should see here, the fifth version of the setting is more complicated than before, but it is really much easier to use than before, you can set up a way to carry the Internet link, so that the level of wifi higher than GPRS, so that they It will automatically switch, and give priority to using wifi, this is not what we want function.

So how does the iPhone design this web link?

There is no concept of network hosting methods, nor do you need to set access points for each software zone. The iPhone automatically assigns priority to network links:
WiFi> EDGE> GPRS, I think if plus 3G should be such WiFi> 3G> EDGE> GPRS
Each program uses such a set of links, no separate access point set. In other words, when we are at home, iPhone automatically connected to WiFi, all programs are using WiFi, when we in the subway iPhone automatically connected to the EDGE network, all programs are using EDGE, do not need us to do any burdensome settings jobs.

Nokia is using a rigorous, complex and methodical approach to solve the problem, while the iPhone, from the humane, to find the easiest way to achieve the goal.

Which of these two web links are designed to be better? If the complexity and simplicity can solve the problem, then to make technology easier is a designer's eternal mission ah.

Had wanted to "sync" as a second example, but the space is too long, do not write, the conclusion is: iPhone using Exchange synchronization is quite cool, and S60 synchronization, than the network link design more Your battered 100 times.

Source: http://glif.cn/2009/07/smartphone.html