A top Android phone maker has released design information suggesting that we may see further device innovation soon, changing that long-standing notion that touchscreen interfaces have to be flat.
News in today’s tech media shows off data from Oppo, a firm which creates Android-powered smartphones, in the form of a new “waterfall screen design” where the screen picture wraps around the edges of the device.
For a while now, users have been hearing about new forms of interfaces that will not be your standard flat glass screen now common on both Apple and Android devices.
Some, though, are asking questions about the design and how it would work practically. For example, will the sides be part of the touchscreen?
“This undoubtedly looks cool, though it does raise certain usability concerns,” writes Sam Byford in the Verge today. “It’s not clear whether the extra screen area will be touch-sensitive or whether Oppo is doing anything to avoid accidental input, for example. The phone’s edges also don’t have enough room for power and volume buttons, so Oppo will have to find somewhere to relocate them. Curved displays can be divisive, so an even curvier one may not be everyone’s cup of tea.”
A raft of comments on the Verge story also illustrate common user concerns – for example, that your fingers will accidentally brush against the sides of the device and create unintended user events.
“I absolutely HATE holding these things; Samsung or iPhone, the curved edge is DUMB! So many accidental screen manipulation, it’s so frustrating,” writes Plazmic Flame.
“Just because you can make something doesn’t mean you should,” writes JFitzgerald.
And the list goes on.
Is this a welcome interface change? We’ll see, based on adoption.
In another way, this type of interface may be competition for the emergence of wearables like smart watches and other small devices that will enable certain specialized kinds of input and output.
We’ll keep bringing you some of the newest designs in device technology as we ponder a more digitally connected age where more of this stuff becomes the norm.
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