First Impression

[SirForgotHisPassword 0]

I mostly focus on the negative as anything else... if it isn't broken. Overall it's an acceptable phone but has some things that set it back. I am normally not particularly sensitive when I discuss things.

Loss of touch screen

After the first time it needed recharging the touch screen stopped working. A restart fixes it but it's not intuitive how to get it to reboot with loss of touch screen.

For a moment I was quite annoyed. The touch screen on my S5 didn't fail until half a decade and having been abused plenty.

I have to wonder if this is something that can frequently happen. The only saving grace in that case is that the phone at least reboots quickly to get over it.

Speaker / Jack orientation

This is really a problem in design for all devices where it's inherent to swap between portrait (one handed) and landscape (two handed).

You really if you think about it would want two devices in one. In this case you can just try using it in each position and see what happens.

There's lots of scope for debate with this but I think it's also important to be clear what the designer intended.

In portrait it's obvious when the phone is upside down (it won't flip this way).

However for watching movies then it appears it may be better to hold it in landscape upside down when you have no jacks in so you don't block the speakers.

I'm not sure if I'd like their to also be stereo speakers for playing movies in portrait or not.

The Keyboard

Lighting

Physically, two rows don't light up. I don't know if this is intended but it looks almost certainly like a manufacturing defect to me.

This raises a question of what can we do for repairs given that it's a small company?

Sliding

In terms of the sliding mechanism, I would suggest getting your hands on a HTC Touch Pro2. I had one a while ago. The slide out mechanism was very pleasant to use, just pushing it out with the thumbs once orientated. Even with it's double action movement, it's much more natural, quick and convenient than this phone. You don't really have to think about switching to keyboard with the HTC once you get use to it.

Layout

The other things are just what I might expect to struggle in the first iteration but the keyboard layout is where I think it really should have been done right up front.

Whoever decided on the layout doesn't appear to understand how the keyboard works or all use cases. They have basically really just produced a simplified keyboard that's like the popup kind more text message orientated.

It looks kind of like one of those keyboards you randomly get when looking up bluetooth keyboards and you get all kinds of knock offs.

A lot of people want a fully PC keyboard and there's really no reason for this one not to be able to offer that.

For some bizarre reason the function key is the shift key for symbols. If the shift key were properly utilised the function key would be free.

I'm at a loss to really come up with any rationale for this. To me it appears as though whoever did it was completely unfamiliar with keyboards.

There will always be a certain amount of subjective when shrinking things down into a limited space and compromising based on use case, etc.

In this case it looks like a rookie mistake instead. The keyboard is the main feature of the phone, what it's all about, so this really should have been heavily invested in.

It could be a lot worse but it could be a lot better as well, easily so. A missed opportunity.

My guess is there's conflict between a true keyboard and the kind you might expect with a messaging phone.

Also targeting users who aren't actually familiar with a physical keyboard from PCs.

That would be used for Escape, F keys, Insert, Delete, etc. You would then normally have those visible on the keyboard.

Many people will want this in a technical niche of wanting to be able to:

* Connect to a PC running remote access software such as TeamViewer, then able to use apps with a keyboard normally.

* Run software on the phone such as SSH which is sometimes heavily reliant on special keys.

* Type more efficiently more complex text than just SMS using the keys that assist especially in editing /navigation such as Home / End.

I really think this area should receive more attention. Caution should be considered when it comes to asking users what they want. They are not all technicians nor have the same use cases.

I'd potentially consider offering a range of layouts but matching PC should be a crucial option.

Other opportunities appear lost. It has displaced keys that would not have to be if it followed a more standard layout.

It might also consider things like one time sticky control keys.

If there's one experiment I'd really like to see, it's a half screen at the bottom instead and a visually programmable keyboard. Could even make a prototype for testing layouts.

Between given users it's 50/50 how much of the problem is having a physical keyboard versus being able to see the whole screen when typing.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by SirForgotHisPassword

[CornholioGSM 331]

about keyboard...can you please post picture of backlight? Maybe is really something bad in your keyboard.For me is backlight not good as was on motorola devices but is enough for me.

*edit....i have only ugly backlight on capslock led

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by CornholioGSM

[fire 14]

17 hours ago, SirForgotHisPassword said:

Sliding

In terms of the sliding mechanism, I would suggest getting your hands on a HTC Touch Pro2. I had one a while ago. The slide out mechanism was very pleasant to use, just pushing it out with the thumbs once orientated. Even with it's double action movement, it's much more natural, quick and convenient than this phone. You don't really have to think about switching to keyboard with the HTC once you get use to it.

Agree.  Sliding isn't easy has my HTC Vision or Samsung Relay T699...

As for backlight, can be good if it was brighter, or at least can be control in the settings...  I found it's too dark.

Edited August 12, 2020 by fire

[EskeRahn 5,459]

47 minutes ago, fire said:

Agree.  Sliding isn't easy has my HTC Vision or Samsung Relay T699...

The point is that it is NOT sliding - I do not have a good word for the motion though. It flips up like a dolphin jumping the water.

If you do an even horizontal push it will 'lock'. See this thread.

 

[Hook 3,017]

You adapt with time.  I struggled with it for a week or two.  Now I can pop it with one hand (I might even be able to do it as I pull it from my pocket, but I consider that too risky to try 😄 ).  It will become natural and second nature, trust me.  If a klutz like me can...