Tonethephone

TerraNet breaks the numeracy barrier

The perceived wisdom is that you can't sell a mobile phone to those with no numeracy sales. Yet Sweden's TerraNet has just devised a handset interface where numeracy isn't a requirement.

Nuance promises T9 Nav any day now

Rating: Predictive search available now as beta

An extremely impressive demonstration of how Nuance´s T9 Nav software (inherited from Tegic) was given to me by Nuance senior vp, Robert Weideman.
He demonstrated how the software could do discover local content on my Nokia N95 very quickly and efficiently.

Danger to be acquired by Microsoft

Rating: It´s all about social networking apparently

I was extremely puzzled when I learnt that Microsoft was going to acquire (for an undisclosed sum) the mobile software specialist firm, Danger.
Microsoft´s Robbie Bach muttered something about social networking at the press conference and the press release which arrived today spells it out more succinctly.

Old farts need better UIs not special designs

 At this time of year, it's common to hear that old chestnut – "Handsets are far too complicated these days. All I actually want is something to make and receive calls with." Hence the operators respond to this by commissioning handsets that boast unbelievable battery life figures and sport very few buttons.
So, do people go out and purchase such handsets in their thousands? It's my firm belief that they don't. I'd argue that such handsets don't sell well. It's a UI problem not so much a design problem.