Ready for an e-ink cell phone? If so, head down to a VZW store and pick up the Samsung Alias 2 starting today for only $79. The phone sports a keyboard that, through the magic of e-ink, changes to meet the phone’s usage. It displays a standard number keypad when in normal phone mode and a QWERTY keyboard when in texting mode. Amazing. Too bad the phone comes with a horrid classroom-like theme.
I think this is a great idea, in theory. But with tactile keyboards, users develop a key placement memory.
As you change modes from horizontal to vertical on this device, your mind may be able to remap to the buttons visually, but the layout remains the same. I wonder how much of a mind fuck this is going to be using it over time…
Especially with directional buttons which are used often. I can just hear the users complaining “they used to be on the left! Now they are on the right!”
This is definitely a cool application for eInk (vs. the lame-o Kindle IMNSHO) but I still don’t think it’s right. Retail shopping price tags on shelves still win my favorite application for the technology.