MBX inside Samsung SPH-M7000

http://www.telecomskorea.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2089&Itemid=2

Functional design.

 

Neat, but it seems like you'd have a rough time tapping the top row of keys easily... Does the screen slide out any further?

 

neat , hopefully a flip phone comes out soon with mbx in it from verizon so i can support u guys

 

The display switches from the vertical standard for mobile phones when the screen is down to the horizontal standard for PocketPCs when the screen is up and revealing the keyboard.

The room around the top row of keys on the keyboard is at least as clear as the other rows, so it should be as functional as any device so integrated.


http://www.slashphone.com/news//?m=show&id=2085&page=3

 

In a strictly technical sense, sure, but only if you're talking about people who use a thin finger or device to come down on the buttons from an almost vertical position. This is, of course, how almost NO ONE would type on a pad like that.

Considering it's quite easy on most devices to overlap other keys but just press down on the one you want, you don't deal with strict "key edge" borders. Most people would type with their thumbs' center mass from a fairly parallel position on a pad like that (to maintain good grip and have reasonable typing speed), falling back to "index finger from above" if they want to sacrifice speed (and perhaps convenience, but that's minor) for accuracy.

This particular model basically forces "index from above" typing, as if you attempt to use your thumbs you will be hampered by your ability to get a good hit on the top row--especially if you have any thumbnail--as you have no room to overlap, and people wouldn't want to be continuously wedging their thumbs against the screen edge.

While a whole lot of people hunt and peck with one finger most of the time anyway, people still prefer to use their thumbs--even on small keys, so long as the buttons are designed to not mash together easily--and the type of people to whom a QWERTY setup is desired almost invariably type in a manner not as conducive to this phone design. (Certainly everyone I've ever met or run across in an office environment who does a lot of Blackberry-ing and the like.)

Basically, it should just have the ability to shift that screen higher. They could even make it have a two-stage position, so you'd only shift it up when you're on a roll and want the room. People who buy these kinds of devices are usually also careful with them, so you can give them a bit more leeway on the structural integrity front.

Some of this will depend on the price, of course, but the phone looks like it will be hitting fairly top-tier.

 

Might be wrong but I have the impression that this particular model due to it's protocol will be exclusively for Asian markets.

 

Fingers aren't rigid blocks of stone. The skin naturally gives a little under pressure, presumably enough to comfortably access the top row of keys. Samsung's generally pretty competent at ergonomic and aesthetic design.

 

Yes it's just for the Korean market.

Kristof,

Realise you won't be able to give specifics but does Imagination Tech get some advance 'warning' of new products containing MBX about to be launched?

Eldar

 

...and yet I repeat: "Who would want to continually wedge their fingers against a solid object every time they want to hit a top-row key?" That's simply uncomfortable, annoying, and gets in the way of one's typing pattern. And it's also completely avoidable for most people if they gave it, like, half a centimeter more room. (Excepting for people with long nails, who will have no choice but to hit those keys with their nail, as their thumbnails would get in the way still anyway, and every other finger couldn't do the "typing from above." They'd basically have to hit those keys sideways. But with nails that long, they have to expect problems all over the place anyway. )

It's not remotely an ergonomic triumph, but like I said much will depend on what they price it as. If they can bring it out as just "high quality normal cell phone" levels, then people can expect trade-offs like that. But if they are bringing it out at Blackberry or Treo-like levels, then they can expect to be held in direct comparison to the comfort and convenience of those types of devices. (And from what I've seen so far, phones with any kind of built-in QWERTY are on the high end.) The Sidekick I and II are built with texting heavily in mind and they have a somewhat similar problem, except their screen edge seems to be both a bit thinner and certainly more bevelled, but more importantly the top row of keys are exclusively numbers (and lesser-used punctuations), which are also the "least likely to get in the way when texting quickly." They do, however, show that one can certainly get away with a design that shifts the screen more than that even on an expensive device.

And that is basically my point.

The aesthetic design is great, but the ergonomics took a bit of a back seat compared to other text-heavy devices. If they can ship this for uder $200, then excellent! If, however, it's more in the $300-400 area as I expect... I think people's standards and desires for such a device are somewhat different than Samsung delivers here.

I also with they had one or two overlarge buttons the right hand side (when held in that horizontal screen position) for better use with gaming, but then MY standards are differet, too.

 

I have to agree with Cthellis until I get one in my own hands.

The reason is fairly simple. When using a finger to depress a button, a good portion of your finger actually overlaps into the space occupied by a button in another row.

 

I'd guess they know early enough; the opposite would be quite surprising. They obviously won't say anything until partners or their customers have announced anything.

I think I caught a picture of a Renesas mobile phone somewhere; don't recall the model number though.

 

The SPH-M7000 is conspicuously absent from mention in ImgTec's business update presentation.

 

has a linux been already ported to this device?

 

I think Samsung have had a rethink over the design hence it no longer features. Hopefully next year there will be more than one Samsung phone with MBX inside and maybe even usign their own S3C2460 SoC.

 

What do you mean by this? There are already HW-accelerated OpenGL ES Verizon phones on the market, just not with MBX. You writing games?

 

High performance is obviously something he's seeking in a phone to own.

 

I'm not sure if Linux is running on any MBX product yet. The most powerful, most non-Windows MBX handhelds I can think of are Fujitsu's, Mitsubishi's, Sharp's, and Sony Ericsson's FOMA 902i phones using Symbian OS.

 

The Pepper Pad runs on Linux (Linux 2.4 (MontaVistaâ„¢ CEE 3.1)) and have a Intel 2700G.
AFAIK is the OMAP2 processor the most powerfull processor for handheld devices. So all devices with this processort in it will have great graphic capability.

 

What model phones are they? I didn't know that any hardware accelerated OpenGL ES phones were on the market in the US...