2-3 parallel solution to choose by the user? Re: Any alternative ideas to fullscreen popup-messages?

[Michael 'Mickey' Lauer]

Heya,

> I think many users could live with popups,
> but I would like to choose a solution that
> would not nag me with full or havesize popups

Do you have a viable alternative (except full undo/redo capabilities,
which would be desirable, but takes a whole lot of memory and/or
disk)?

>> Let's distinguish two types of popup-dialogs:
>> 
>> a) informative (i.e. battery low, incoming sms, sms sent)
>> b) confirmative ("Mickey calling. Answer / Ignore / Reject?", "Do you
>> want to remove all contacts?")

> b) I hope incomming call will not interupt me to do what I'm doing 
>    now

D'oh. That surprises me a bit... after all, the Neo is a phone, so I
would think incoming phone calls should always popup [in default
profile]. What do the others think?

>> Right now, we're leaning towards (ab)using the bottom status bar (in
>> openmoko-language called 'footer') for informative dialogs and using
>> half screen (480x320) popup dialogs for confirmative.

> - I guess a third 480x210 is to small?

Probably, yes.

> - could it be transparent?

Not on v1 hardware. There is no way the composite render extension
will work with an acceptable speed on a s3c2410.

> - will it passiv so that I can go on typing my email/chat 
>   and my external keyboard return will not activate the
>   default of the pop up?

I don't think we want "Do you really want to delete all contacts" to
be a non-disturbing passive dialog.

>> What do you think?

> I think for several application I would like to have 
> *no* popup just a screen inverting flashing like with GNU
> screen  and maybe a 1-3 pixel red or inverted frame around
> the whole screen - mabey with fast inverting flashing 
> mayby with vibra or sound alarm... but a chance to 
> to continous with the full screen.

Let's talk more concrete. Can we come up with some examples which are
asynchronous notifications requiring a confirmation (otherwise they'd
just appear and disappear on the statusbar)? Do you really want e.g.
the "incoming phone" confirmation dialog behave like that?

[more notification strategies]

> When I work with my laptop and the phone rings,
> I can finshed what I'm doing and pickup the phone
> then - the same freedom would I like when computing
> and phone will be together in a smartphone.

> Could you understand my point?

I understand your point, I just think that this kind of thinking is
not what the majority of smartphone users wants.... or is it? Guys?

> So in oposite to comercial products we have to chance
> offer 2-4 different design solutions how to work with
> the device.

Absolutely -- that's freedom. Giving hard- and software to actually
try new paradigmes in the real world might exactly be the revolution we're after :)

-- 
- Michael Lauer <mickey at openmoko.org>                   http://openmoko.org/
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