Tag » iPhone

Virtual Keyboards

Virtual Keyboards

This article about virtual keyboards on iPhone and Android is a good case-study of how seemingly small changes can make or break a design.

It also contains this brilliant idea:

[David Pogue:] “Although you don’t see it with your eyes, the sizes of the keys on the iPhone keyboard are changing all the time. That is, the software enlarges the “landing area” of certain keys, based on probability.”

For example, if you type the letter «N», the next letter is unlikely to be «H», but quite likely to be «G». Accordingly, the iPhone will increase or decrease the target areas of these keys.

iPhone pictures

Just for fun, here are some pictures taken with my iPhone camera. Some of them are quite noisy (they really need to improve the camera), but I like them nonetheless.

Red Alert

Fro-Yo

Lock

Chandelier

Glass

Blinds

What will the next iPhone look like?

Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

Every year or so, Apple comes out with a new version of the iPhone. Last time, they added the much requested 3G and GPS. At this point, most people I know who own an iPhone (i.e. half the people I know) are pretty happy with it. So, apart from better battery-life and more storage space, what are some thing we can expect to see in the next iPhone?

  • Video.
    This is probably the most obvious improvement. Record video, post video to YouTube, and perhaps video conference via a front-side camera (already rumored for the 3G).
  • A real camera.
    The iPhone has already taken one gadget out of my bag (my iPod); now it’s time to replace my point & shoot camera. Cameras in phones have usually performed poorly because the chips and lenses are so tiny that they don’t capture light very well. It’s not clear that Apple has the in-house expertise to do something better, but then again, no one knew they could build a phone either :)
  • A better display.
    The current display is wonderfully bright and crisp. However, a screen with twice the resolution would reach 320dpi, better than print. Such displays are probably still prohibitively expensive, but Apple’s volumes could drive those costs down. Another possibility is using an OLED display, which wouldn’t require a backlight (drastically improving battery life).
  • A better keyboard.
    The Blackberry Storm innovated with a single button keyboard. I’m sure Apple engineers are working hard to discover a technology that simulates the tactile feel of keys in a satisfying way.
  • Everything wireless.
    Wireless audio via bluetooth. Wireless sync to your computer via wifi or bluetooth. Wireless music streaming from the iPhone to your Airport Express. Wireless streaming to the iPhone from your home computer. Maybe even wireless charging via a mat replacing the dock.
  • On-the-go.
    An iPhone connected to a friend’s laptop could let you log into your own account. On a Mac, you could run Safari with your bookmarks, Apple Mail with your mail, iTunes with your Music, iPhoto with your pictures, and so forth. On a PC, it could run a scaled-up version of the iPhone OS X, giving access to the same apps. And AT&T willing, the computer could even use the phone’s 3G connection.
  • Coffee-maker.
    I don’t expect them to fit a full coffee cup, but an espresso should be possible, no?

We may not see all of these ideas in the next iPhone, but I would be suprised if most of them weren’t there a few years from now. If you have other suggestions, post your  idea in the comments!