The Final Frontier in the Mobile Handheld Space
Today we have phones ranging from compact 2” display flip phones to squint-free 4.5” touchscreen smartphones. On the other end of the spectrum, the popularity of tablets ranging from 7” to 10.5” has been widely received. There is an obvious gap in the middle. The 5” to 7” mobile gap. With modern smartphones pushing their limits of whats ergonomically comfortable in the hand and the realization that full-sized tablets can’t make calls nor any more portable than a laptop, this small gap is emerging to be BIG, literally, in the future of mobile phone computing.
We all remember HTC’s attempt with the 5” Shift and 7” Advantage. Let’s not forget Microsoft’s attempt into this space, although not a phone, with its Origami 7” UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC), and Samsung with the Q1 and Q2 UMPC. Even the Toshiba Libretto with its dual 7” clamshell and the upcoming Acer Iconia Smart at an elongated 4.8” display are taking a stab at the uncharted territory. One company though has gotten closest but no cigar. The crown for the most popular “unpopular” phone-tablet to date inevitably goes to the Dell Streak 5, and it actually made it to a big US carrier but only had a small following. From a design and technology standpoint, these devices were the brave risk-takers, the fearless leaders, and the real innovators, showing the world what technology had to offer. Unfortunately in business, timing is everything, hence born to a market that was not ready and truly ahead of its time.
Left to Right : Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7", Galaxy Note 5.3", Galaxy SII 4.5"
Rise of the PhoneTablet
What was once called humungus, gargantuan, gi-normous, mother of a screen, the 4.3 incher has now become as common place as Apple's attempts at suing every company outting a touchscreen. A new era of smart Phone + Tablet will be born and it will be the future, like it or not. It is a natural convergence. Afterall, who wants to carry a smartphone in one hand and a tablet (with no cellular phone function) in the other? The 4.5" Samsung Infuse is one of the first to stand out since the 2 year old HD2, and word on the street that both HTC + Sony Ericsson are pushing 4.7 inch form factors. In the left corner weighing in at a hefty 5.3 inches, the most anticipated and just announced Samsung Galaxy Note rocking a Dual Core Exynos chip and less than 10mm thick, at this year’s IFA 2011.
These are definitely exciting times, but of course it's not all about screen size. Usability, performance, hardware, software integration, ergonomics all are deciding factors to the success and adaptation of these new gens. The acceptance of Phone Tablets are yet to be seen and I still feel the market is not ready for it, but I’m sure there will be many early adopters that will be estatic (as myself) to test this baby out. Interesting point here that designers and creative types may find the stylus worthy of a portable sketch/notepad. What will this new era of smart phonetabs offer in terms of technological advances? How will our lives and interaction with new software change as these tablets form factors become even more portable? This is a charge into a new mobile space where others have failed but the Samsung Note looks very promising indeed. So please take note Steve or Cook, this may REALLY change everything.
