Nokia Internet Tablets: "Now what?"

Now that CTIA is over and the Nokia Internet Tablets have the trifecta of device options, it is time to go after the "Average Joe Consumer." There's no time to become complacent.

I love my internet tablets, try to share the joy with others, and support the concept thoroughly. I think OS2008 continues with significant advances and shows improvement with each successive release. With all that in mind, I will say this: There's no way the current tablet software will catch on with the mainstream consumer.

Here's why:

Point One: Compete even without competitors
Internet Tablets are a new class of device that sit between a phone and a laptop. For those who don't read TabletBlog regularly, I call these "secondary devices." Joe Consumer needs be convinced on two points before he would buy an Internet Tablet:

1. Yes, I need a device other than a phone or a laptop
2. Yes, the Nokia Internet Tablet is that device.

I've been blasted with "apples to oranges" comments when I compared the N800 to the iPod touch and when I compared the N810 to the Eee PC. The comments are correct: They're all wholly different devices. The comparisons were made, however, because they ALL sit in that "secondary device" space. There are advantages that the Internet Tablet has over both, though: The iPod touch (and iPhone) are not open to regular developers (ask a real developer what he thinks of the iPhone SDK) and the Eee is not a "pocket device." The Internet Tablet needs to provide strong web browsing, Email, mobile music/video, and GPS functionality or risk being passed over for stand-alone MP3 players, super-portable computers, or GPS devices.


Point Two: User Interface
Too often, I see Joe Consumer or any other member of the Consumer brood pick up an Internet Tablet (either my own or one at a trade show) and look at the home screen. The first reaction: "Now what?" There's a globe, a few people standing around, and scene from Q*bert. I want to set up my Email. What do I do? Compare this to some competitors:


Above is Apple's holy grail. Looking at the face, we see 15 buttons with pretty icons and text labels. The primary features of the device are RIGHT THERE. The single button takes Joe to the home screen always. That's style of user interface is but one option.

Sony went a different route with the Mylo COM2. The main interface has a scrolling list of primary applications. Easy to understand. Easy to navigate. Looks good. No confusion on what to do first.

Finally, the Asus Eee PC has a tabbed interface of up to 15 applications per tab. While not every item is in an intuitive tab, there are only six tabs from which to choose.

The iPhone, Mylo COM2, and Eee PC all have one important thing in common: The primary applications are presented to the Mr. Joe C. right away. There's no hunting for the right application. This is something OS2008 needs if it expects to appeal to Joe.

Point Three: Desktop Harmony
You can bet everyone who buys an Internet Tablet already has a PC. Why is it that there is no desktop software for managing the Internet Tablet? Nokia understands the strength of desktop software but will need to provide comparable software for the Internet Tablets to make them user-friendly enough for consumers. Say Joe gets a new portable device with media playback, Email, and web browsing. He wants to load 80 songs, 10 videos, and 5 podcast subscriptions. He also wants to load in 30 bookmarks and his huge Email contact list. How long would all that take on the Internet Tablet? Too long for Joe!

Point Four: Performance in primary applications
There are four primary purposes for the tablet.

• Web
• Email
• GPS
• Chat

I'd include VOIP in there but most people I've talked to do not consider that to be a huge selling point (yet.) With each of the four primary functions, there are failures strong enough to scare off Joe and his family. The web browser needs faster scrolling and rendering. The Email client needs to be ditched and replaced (which is happening.) The GPS should have much faster satellite times and at least include a 3 month trial of Navicore so Joe knows WHY he'd have to pay extra for a subscription.

Then there's chat. The bundled chat client is terrible. The contact list is ugly. The presence settings are not intuitive. The chat windows seem to open another application (complete with lag time) when a contact is sent a message. Let's not get into the webcam discussion again either. This device would have a greater market appeal if it allowed users to send instant messages (and voice and video, if possible) to any of their contacts at any given time. Pidgin Messenger comes closest. You already have someone working on Pidgin in-house, but you need to keep ahead of the OS update curve so you can keep the software in the device "out of the box."

Point Five: Earn the "wow" and keep it.
Rating systems on major web sites may give a number of stars, a rating between one and ten, or a count of "thumbs up" and "thumbs down." Real consumers don't work that way. Normal people do not take their phone out of their pocket and call it a 7.2 out of 10. The rating system I personally use is "wow" or "meh." The rating is also fluid: I've had some "wow" devices turn "meh" and vice versa.

The software improvements I mentioned above are the key to keeping "wow." When I load the default media player or chat client, I drop down to "meh" quickly. When a web page stalls in rendering or does not scroll fast enough, I sometimes "meh" out loud. I am forgiving of these instances, but Joe Consumer is not. If Joe Consumer's experience goes from "wow" to "meh" in the first few days, he's taking the device right back to the store. There will be always limitations to every product - but make sure those limitations are not met in the normal and intended course of using the device.

Conclusion
Before I get hate-mail from many of my readers and friends, I know what you're thinking. For the last 2.5 years, I have been an outspoken fan of the tablets - writing one hack, editorial, link, or how-to after another to help people get the most out of their tablets. I have recently had a number of conversations (mostly in Vegas, Dallas and Brazil - thanks!) that helped me gain some more perspective. I still love the tablets but cannot look at them through rose-colored glasses anymore. The next step is at hand: This technology is ready for the normal consumer. The hardware, design, price-vs-feature options, and engineering are all sufficient to break away from the "geek market." The software, on the other hand, needs to play catch-up if it expects to hold Joe Consumer's interest.

This editorial is a fluid work. Things will change and comments made by readers like you shape the opinions stated above. Keep your comments flowing.