There is no such thing as an easiest to use phone

evolutionqy7

Right so i always had the perception that iPhone was the easiest to use. People always said it was easiest to use. But after dealing with a lot of people who bought an iPhone 4 reasonly i cant see where this "easiest to use" is coming from?

Like i dont see alot of difference in trying to explain to a person how to use a Galaxy S2 to iPhone 4 to Windows Phone 7 or even a cheap and cheerful handset. While most people do know how to use 50 quid dumb nokia that doesnt use symbian. I still havent came acros a person who would just pick either of the phones up and off they go with it.

So where does the perception come form~? I still havent found a first time buyer that just picked it up and they knew how to work it. Never mind work it, knowing the idea how to use one.

Havent found a person that knew what a user manual was either

So where does the fake perception come from?

Odaise Gaelach

A marketing department, I'd bet.

Alanstrainor

Didn't apple run a campaign with the slogan "it just works", i think this goes for pretty much all their products.

It's worked very well for them to be fair, it's just not necessarily true!

evolutionqy7

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Didn't apple run a campaign with the slogan "it just works", i think this goes for pretty much all their products.

It's worked very well for them to be fair, it's just not necessarily true!

Well it just doesnt work. I spend the same amount of time to teaching a person to use HTC, Samsung, Blackberry.

I mean apple and now microsoft push it that iPhone and WP7 are the easiest. But its just not, I never happen to get stuck on how to use a UI, i got a good advice from my god father when i was 5 to test all the buttons and find out what each does, this worked for me for all of the life.

Though People dont even understand how a touchscreen phone works. Nevermind the actual UI even if the icons have the title under it as it would have on a dumb phone.

And ive seen some business men that usually put some research into buying a phone but yet to understand how one works without some one having to explain how what where works.

BostonB

On some levels I agree with you. I know a older person, who while he can manage his windows PC ok if not brilliant, hes completely baffled by his iPad. The iOS isn't without its issues, like the way a link, appears the same as application icon. Or where Gmail on the PC displays it all in one panel whereas on the iPad there popouts, which to someone not used to computers these differences are confusing.

People on this forum, like us are used to these differences and they are transparent to us, but they are not for other people.

But in general, I find the iPhone/iOS easier because its simpler, less options. Whereas with Android there's almost too many options. Its can be a bit like using Gmail, then jumping into Outlook 2010. On the android phone I had, for example out of the box there didn't seem to be a way of jumping to the first panel from the last tone. Lots of little things like that, that I don;t notice on iPhones or iPods. In many ways my old Nokia S60 did a lot of things faster, if in wierd ways.

For any technophile, they'd probably prefer android because its not locked down or as simplistic as the iPhone.

kirving

Once you knew your way around S60v3, it was really fast and extremely comprehensive. You could do alomst anything you can on "modern" (iOS, Android, S^3, WP7)smartphones just as quickly and easily.

Processing power was an issue, but only when running lots of apps.


I would agree that iOS is one of the easier OS's to get used to, but I pick them all up pretty swiftly so I'm probably not the best judge.

There was almost no learning curve when moving to an N8 from an N85, bit I imagine it would be generally easy to pick up.

evolutionqy7

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Once you knew your way around S60v3, it was really fast and extremely comprehensive. You could do alomst anything you can on "modern" (iOS, Android, S^3, WP7)smartphones just as quickly and easily.

Processing power was an issue, but only when running lots of apps.


I would agree that iOS is one of the easier OS's to get used to, but I pick them all up pretty swiftly so I'm probably not the best judge.

There was almost no learning curve when moving to an N8 from an N85, bit I imagine it would be generally easy to pick up.

Well im not talking about us. We that sit around the Mobiles and PDA's section of boards generally are quick to adapt to phones and their operating system.

As i meantion there is no operating system that is easy for an "Average Joe". People dont understand what are these icons on the screen letting them choose various things.

The only phone that they know how to use is a bog standard dumb Nokia 1616...Even on that i have to show them a few things cause menus change from time to time and different stuff gets placed in different places.

No one knows what which icon does or how to use it. Even if it says messaging under it or any other app. Never mind them knowing what an app store is. I still have people that dont even know what the app store is even though its been on their phones for 2 years...

I mean there has to be an easier way to educate people on how to use a smartphone. I mean a decent phone shop would give em a quick few tips and show how to do the basic things but no shop in the country has the time to show how to do every and single thing. Lol most of the shops in the country just sell the phone and kick people out the door.

And i wouldnt call iOS simplistic. Its more dumbed down. The only way to remove some confusion from people is just not to give them the option that they would get confused over. But i mean this is coming to a point of being a joke. You got an app with a message icon on it, and it even says messages on it, yet you cant understand what it means?? seriously...this is just low low low standards.

Also why do OEM's even bother including a manual if people dont use it.?

srsly78

My mum figured out how to use the HTC Wildfire I got her. People that say Android is too complicated are talking rubbish. Sure Android has a lot of advanced features, do you think my mum knows about these? Hell no! Does she care? Nop. Does it matter? No!

BostonB

They should put a game/tutorial on them that takes you through it all.

When you started a Windows Pocket PC for the first time, it used to get you to do a few things like enter an appointment, cut and past, things like that, before it started up.

Most people don't need to know everything. Once they can make calls that all they want.

evolutionqy7

srsly78 wrote: »

My mum figured out how to use the HTC Wildfire I got her. People that say Android is too complicated are talking rubbish. Sure Android has a lot of advanced features, do you think my mum knows about these? Hell no! Does she care? Nop. Does it matter? No!

Well there are always and always will be people who know and want to learn how to use things by themselves. The problem is that group of people are a small minority.

Looking in the big picture its just scarry that the young generation and especially the current 20-40's generation havent a clue how to use a smartphone. If their having difficulties with a simple thing like a phone right now. How is majority of people life evolve or downgrade as the technology evolves more rapidly?

BostonB

A lot of so called technology is mindless time wasting crud. Video calling, facebook, twitter integrated, angry birds etc, but no smart dial, or warnings when your outside your plan until 5 days later, no flash, no autofocus, no zenon flash, no flashlight. No protection on the camera lense. Etc.

srsly78

You can blame the Irish carriers for some of that. In the UK vodafone send you a text when you are about to hit your limit, works very well. Does vodafone do that in Ireland? Not a chance.

evolutionqy7

srsly78 wrote: »

You can blame the Irish carriers for some of that. In the UK vodafone send you a text when you are about to hit your limit, works very well. Does vodafone do that in Ireland? Not a chance.

That's cause their damn greedy. They think if

evolutionqy7

srsly78 wrote: »

You can blame the Irish carriers for some of that. In the UK vodafone send you a text when you are about to hit your limit, works very well. Does vodafone do that in Ireland? Not a chance.

That's cause their damn greedy. They think of short term. Not long term customer satisfaction. All networks here are the same. Don't know how can they be loosing money the likes if 02 and especially Vodafone with the amount their charging for the services

drunkmonkey

BostonB wrote: »

A lot of so called technology is mindless time wasting crud. Video calling, facebook, twitter integrated, angry birds etc, but no smart dial, or warnings when your outside your plan until 5 days later, no flash, no autofocus, no zenon flash, no flashlight. No protection on the camera lense. Etc.

+1
Have to agree most of this new smart phone nonsense we can easily live without. There's a lot to be said for a €20 nokia phone. Does what it says on the tin.
I'm slowly been driven demented having to update this, check that email, somebody just tweeted. Feck off and leave me alone. Just want to be able to talk and the odd text. The rest of the life sucking stuff is only a waste of precious time.
Iphone will be getting the door shortly when I find a replacement that's not a smarty pants phone but still quality. If I could afford one of these i'd nearly buy it http://luxedb.com/the-limited-edition-tag-heuer-meridiist-gulf-phone/ , it's got no apps, no touchscreen, no 8mp camera but hey who cares. It looks easy to use.

drunkmonkey

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

That's cause their damn greedy. They think of short term. Not long term customer satisfaction.

Ahh 3 Ireland do send you the text, It's the others don't.

evolutionqy7

drunkmonkey wrote: »

+1
Have to agree most of this new smart phone nonsense we can easily live without. There's a lot to be said for a €20 nokia phone. Does what it says on the tin.
I'm slowly been driven demented having to update this, check that email, somebody just tweeted. Feck off and leave me alone. Just want to be able to talk and the odd text. The rest of the life sucking stuff is only a waste of precious time.
Iphone will be getting the door shortly when I find a replacement that's not a smarty pants phone but still quality. If I could afford one of these i'd nearly buy it http://luxedb.com/the-limited-edition-tag-heuer-meridiist-gulf-phone/ , it's got no apps, no touchscreen, no 8mp camera but hey who cares. It looks easy to use.

Well some people need it. I can't carry around a laptop, Mifi modem, camera, pmp, games console and a phone in a pocket.

krudler

srsly78 wrote: »

You can blame the Irish carriers for some of that. In the UK vodafone send you a text when you are about to hit your limit, works very well. Does vodafone do that in Ireland? Not a chance.

you can check your minutes on the phone itself, the website and the automated system on the customer care line, as well as be notified by text if you go over or are charged anything that your minutes dont cover (by O2 anyway) how much more handholding do people need?

Theres a simple reason why theres no such thing as an easy to use phone, and its not the phones fault, its people's. People are stupid and lazy who think everything should work how they want it to without actually figuring it out themselves.
Its actually a waste of time printing manuals for devices as 99% of the time people never read them, or throw them away as soon as they open the box, then ring customer care whinging thats it takes ages to get through to fix an issue you could have figured out yourself in a few mins with a quick look at the manual. I had a woman one day who said she'd go into a shop to get them to enter her puk code as she "wasnt good with phones" I mean you enter a number and press "ok" to accept it? seriously? thats harder than making a trip to a shop to have them do it for you?

conor.hogan.2

The iphone is the easiest to use.

But that is not to say it is so easy anyone can use out with no problems.

As for pointless technology and being inundated with all this connectivity, have some control

evolutionqy7

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

The iphone is the easiest to use.

But that is not to say it is so easy anyone can use out with no problems.

As for pointless technology and being inundated with all this connectivity, have some control

As I said its now. Haven't seen one person to pick it up and knowing how to work it

krudler

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

As I said its now. Haven't seen one person to pick it up and knowing how to work it

give an adult a V-Tech kids laptop and they'll probably stare at it for a while trying to figure out how to do stuff on it too, doesnt mean its not easy to use once you get the hang of it

I see this a lot from working in IT. Many "average Joes" seem to have a mental block when it comes to technology. For some it's plain fear, they don't understand the device or OS so are afraid to touch it in case they damage something.

I recently went from a Nokia N86 to an iPhone 4. I miss some of the things about the N86 but nothing major, I got the hang of the iPhone fairly easily. Got the hang of it quicker than I did with Windows Vista that's for sure.