5 things Google should do to improve Nexus One

A month ago I left my IPhone and I started using the Nexus One phone.

As developer, I’m very happy with my Nexus One, but I consider the IPhone is yet far away from a final user perspective.

You can tell me that the next list items are small details, but people in the software arena know “devil is in the details”

Here my 5 “details”

• When the clock alarm rings, the clock application can never lose focus!

In the Nexus One sometimes the alarm dialog disappears, when alarm is ringing for example if you by mistake (remember you probably were sleeping) , press the home button, or the back button the dialog disappears! You have to do 3 gestures in order to find and turn off the alarm.

I'm imagining my mother with her new Nexus one calling me because she didn't realize how to turn off the alarm! (at 7 am ;)

• Instant messages.

When a SMS arrives it should be showed directly with a pop up or bubble box! , In IPhone read the last message it is "zero touch away” it is in your screen, in Nexus It is 3 touch away

• The unlock way.

I cannot unlock the Nexus using just my free thumb finger, I feel uncomfortable using many fingers (index and after thumb) in my hand to unlock the Nexus. I don't know if Apple study the way people catch things, I just realize on this when I move from IPhone to Nexus.

• I have to scroll down in the Calendar application

It's is very important in mobile devices to respect some basic metaphors of real world things.

Scrolling in mobile devices should be avoided when possible. A calendar is quite similar to a book in real life, so make it similar in smart devices too.

• Communicate Effectively

The Nexus communication with the final user should be improved.

I talk about this in a previous post

I’m not an IPhone fan, but at this moment I preferring and IPhone over a Nexus One.

Do not install MyWi on IPad

MyWi is an IPhone application in order to create a WiFi spot using your IPhone. It works like a charm in IPhone but...

If you are thinking in using it for IPad, my advice: Do not use it!!

I did it, and my brand new IPad became a really big IPhone! , it changed my virtual keyboard to a small keyboard (like the IPhone one).

It was funny to see a big IPhone but actually

touch screen became unresponsive, so I restored again to the original OS. You always can restore to the original software using the ITunes Restore option.

Communicate Effectively

This month I switched from my IPhone to a NexusOne .

My idea is not to criticize one or the other, the idea is try to find the best of two worlds, and try to find what are the best practices for Smart Devices Application developing.

So in this post I'll focus in effective communication with the end user.

During the jurney to google IO I set my NexusOne to airplane mode for first time.

During the flight I entered to the official Twitter application for Android in the NexusOne, obviously I had no connection to my 3G.

When I tried to refresh my Twitter timeline the device showed me a ballon that said:

"Can not retrieve Tweets at this time. Please try again later..."

Very good! That is a good message, the problem was the end of the message

"Can not retrieve Tweets at this time. Please try again later [0/class.java.net.UnknownHostException]"

This kind of things is design for developers instead of design for users.

So, the first advice we all should remember:

Final users known nothing about our programming languages!

So communicate effectively, and be aware that the final user is not always a developer.

Smart Devices: "It is not a revolt, it is a revolution"

There is a phrase that says: "Each generation is experiencing a revolution in his lifetime"

In terms of technology this phrase seems to be totally wrong.

Clearly there are generations who have been living during:

• The PC revolution
• The Internet revolution

And now they are living two new revolutions, the social networking revolution and the Smart Devices revolution.

Living in a tchnological revolution is not easy, very often we didn't realize we were living a revolution, or if we realize we don't have enough agility to navigate the new wave that revolution bring.

We must accept, "It is not a revolt, it is a revolution!!"

In the world of business applications each revolution changes the way we think our applications, each revolution became a challenge but at the same time an opportunity to make our applications in a different way.

Smart Devices (Phones, Tablet, TVs, etc) are changing the way we are living, so they will change the way we create applications.

This will be a technical blog about Smart Devices, at first with focus in IPhone and Android, but for sure there will be new kids on the block like Windows Phone.