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Smartphone Screen Real Estate: How Big Is Big Enough?
MojoKid writes "Aside from the terrible nickname (it sounds like a term for the spoiled offspring of fabulous people), phablets are somewhat controversial because they seem to be the epitome of inflated phone sizes. A lot of people wanted bigger, and this is 'bigger' to the extreme. A larger screen on a smartphone is attractive for obvious reasons, but surely there's a limit. So how big is too big? If you're not into parsing out the particulars of form factors and use cases, here's a really easy way to figure out if your phone or phablet is too big: Can you hold the device in one hand and 1) unlock the phone, 2) type out a text message with your thumb, and 3) adjust the volume with the rocker without using your other hand? If not, you might need a smaller phone."
..and it fits perfectly in my breast shirt pocket. I don't put phones in trouser/pants pockets ever since I broke a screen of one by doing so.
I love the Note as its large display makes a great GPS device when in its car holder.
The main thing I want in a smartphone now is enormous battery life as well as the features. I do miss the days when you could charge your phone once a week, but not so much I'm willing to go back to having a basic phone.
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
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The criteria presuppose that you *want* to be able to use your phone with only one hand. I am mal-coordinated enough that I can only use my phone with two hands, no matter how big or small it is, so surely the criteria for me are: 1) does it fit in my pocket? 2) can I hold it up to my ear and make a telephone call comfortably? 3) can I hold it in one hand and use it with the other comfortably? 4) is the screen large enough that it can display what I want to see at a reasonable resolution?
Can you hold the device in one hand and 1) unlock the phone, 2) type out a text message with your thumb, and 3) adjust the volume with the rocker without using your other hand? If not, you might need a smaller phone.
None of the above points are arguments for/against screens of any size. All of those "problems" can be solved without even thinking about the size of the screen on a device.
1) unlocking schemes for phones can take on any number of different forms, not all requiring you to swipe from edge to edge to unlock.
2) usability of the virtual keyboard has nothing to do with screen size, but a matter of placing it in the correct location on the screen
3) adjusting the volume on a phone has nothing to do with screen size, and everything to do with placement of the rocker button.
... whatever
Those are some of the dumbest, most arbitrary reasons to tell someone their phone is too large - is he/she being paid by Apple? I want a phone with a screen large enough for me to read web pages comfortably and not need a tablet. I would be fine with a 7 inch phone - not everyone has the hand size and lifting strength of a teenage girl.
"Too big" is when not enough people will want to buy it to make it worthwhile to produce.
Anything else is just subjective.
To me, a 9.7" tablet is too big, but iPad's continued sales prove that this is merely my subjective (minority) opinion.
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The number ONE question should have been:
Can you comfortably phone someone or receive phone call without resorting to earplug?
Just got my a GalaXy Note ll two days ago. writing this with the stylist. Way better than typing. I was worried that hand writing was on its way out, but this is great.
But the iPhone 4 is just the right size for me. The 5 feels already too long. I'm worried that if Apple jumps on the 'my phone is bigger than your phone' bandwagon I'll be left with no replacement, as all the Android small phones are el cheapo versions with slow hardware.
Btw, I'm male, and I don't have particularly small hands. I can reach around a 4-4.3" screen with one hand, I just don't want one.
I apologize for the lack of a signature.
My preference is still the iphone up through version 4. After that it gets bothersome to carry and use. I'm still reluctant to get a 5 with it's 1/2" longer screen. The old dimensions were just about perfect.
I have a company-issued Galaxy SII. It sits unused on my kitchen counter, calls forwarded to my iphone. I can't stand the SII's size -- and it's really not that much larger than an old iphone - maybe 1/2" all around. I think it's excessively large. I used it almost exclusively for a month and gave up on it. This time any "cool" value of being "different" (android vs. ios, anyone else vs. apple) was destroyed by the way the phone feels in my hand and pocket. Sorry. It just doesn't work for me, and I honestly feel it's the extra size.
It's not like I have tiny hands or anything -- and I'm sure everyone's different -- but I don't want a big phone. I'm sure there are others who think the same thing.
As for the satnav argument presented before, meh and double meh. Why should I put up with the compromises of even a large phone when I have a perfectly good top-shelf TomTom with humongous screen and a speaker that makes itself extremely intelligible at 65% volume even with the music going fairly loudly? That's something neither of my phones can do. For every job, a proper tool, yes?
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
How about another metric:
Can you dial a useful number without looking at your phone?
On a trusty old nokia 3310 (or similar) I could unlock, dial the last used, dial the top number in my phone book, dial emergency services and various other tasks without looking. There are few circumstances where this could be very useful (or save your life).
I dont think i could do it on any smart phone.
writing this with the stylist. Way better than typing.
Ouch. But I do agree with you.
#4 Can you buy a bluetooth headpiece and pair it with your phablet?
If so then the first 3 arguments are moot. I think most people who are buying them recognize that in most cases the "ablet" portion is more important for them than the "ph" portion but don't want to have a phone and a tablet.
What if phones came in a range of shapes and sizes so you could choose the size that suited you.
If only we lived in such a world...
NB: Samsung links for illustrative purposes only - different sized phones are available from other manufacturers - I believe Apple will sell you a rather fine phone if you believe that there is Only One True Phone Size. Odd, because Apple offer every other product line they do in a range of form factors...
Seriously folks - the right size of phone depends on your personal priorities. If you're a heavy voice/txt user then maybe a smaller, thumb-friendly phone is for you. If you only send the occasional voice call or txt, but want web, email, navigation, games in your pocket then phablets are more attractive. The Galaxy Note II is about the minimum size to be useful with a stylus and/or split screen multitasking - but maybe you don't want to use those (Samsung's split-screen multitasking is impressive, but I admit that the only reason I ever use it is to show people how impressive it is...)
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
There are phones of every size from 2" to 8" (and even 10" with a bit of hacking).
Some people call a lot, some don't
Some people text a lot, some don't
Some people read a lot on their phones, some don't. And some have good eyesight, others not.
Some people spend a lot of time in transit, some don't
Some people have big hands, some don't
There's a right size for every customer and use case.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
Just got my a GalaXy Note ll two days ago. writing this with the stylist.
Yes... we can tell :-)
(Hint - try enabling 'complete recognition' - this is squirrelled away under Settings > Personal > Language and Input > Samsung keyboard > Handwriting - I find it more reliable and makes catching mistakes easier).
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.