What would my dream phone be like? Presenting the JK Phone

dreams5I test a lot of phones.  Sometimes it seems like I have used every phone in existence, although the reality is far from it.  Right now I actively use three different smartphones, all with different strengths and weaknesses.  Each time I use a particular phone I find myself thinking how I would change it if I had the power to do so.  I do this often enough that it points out to me that, as good as many of these phones are, they always seem to fall short of what I would want in my dream phone.  That thought process has me ruminating on what my dream phone would be like if I could build one for myself.  Here’s what I would like for my perfect phone.  I know we’re all different so you will likely not want a phone like this, but here is my perfect JK Phone.

Handset

You have to start with the physical design of the phone to get the dream phone going.  The most important aspect to the JK Phone is to have at least a 4-inch touchscreen with multitouch.  I want to be able to do many different things with my phone, and a large screen is the starting point for that.  I want to be able to control things using touch, and I want to be able to see as much at one time as possible.  That means a big screen.

My dream phone is going to be different than the dream phone for many folks because I don’t want a hardware keyboard of any kind.  Not a QWERTY, not a T9, no keyboard whatsoever.  I am happy using the touch-screen for light text entry as long as the software keyboard is done right.  It won’t be good enough for heavier data entry duty but I have a solution for that that may be surprising to many.  More on that in a bit.

I want the handset of the JK Phone to be thin and light but not overly thin.  That sounds strange, but I want the phone to fit comfortably in the hand for extended periods and that means a slightly rounded back.  It needs to fit my hand, and totally thin, flat handsets don’t do that.  I don’t want the handset to be too fat nor too wide, just big enough to fit that nice screen and slightly contoured to fit the hand.  That’s not too much to ask.  This will also give slightly more room for a battery that is as big as possible.  That’s also important when data usage comes into play, and I’m willing to give up just a little thickness to have it.

The only buttons I want on the front of the JK phone are the SEND/ END buttons to control phone calls and a couple more.  Those first two are a must for me as they make the phone function better.  I also want a BACK button that will come into play with the web browser but it will also take me back one level of the OS no matter what I’m doing.  The goal is to provide the most utility with the fewest controls.  The last thing I want on the front of the handset with these three buttons is a little trackball.  This can go a long way to making it easy to get around menus, dialog boxes and the browser.  Make it clickable to perform actions and I’m all set.

Two more buttons will be on the side of the JK Phone along with a camera button.  The camera button will work as most do, click it and start the camera app, click it again to take a picture.  The other two buttons are the Email button and the Full button.  The Email button fires up the messaging app to get typing some email and the Full button will fire up the Full interface.  This is where I can interact with all apps on the JK Phone, change settings, etc.  Pushing the Full button again sends the phone back into the streamlined phone interface, which is the default interface.  This is optimized for phone usage which is the primary purpose of a phone after all.

Phone Function

The JK Phone should be first and foremost a good phone.  That means good-quality phone calls intelligently handled by the phone.  If I have turned on my Bluetooth headset then the phone should default to go silent.  It will announce the call in my ear when one comes in yet keep the phone silent.  My current headset can do this so the JK Phone will recognize this and make it so.  I want the phone to check the caller ID of incoming calls and if they are not in my contact list then I want them to go straight to voicemail.  I’ll deal with them on my own time if I don’t know them.  This can be easily overridden as time permits but I want this as the default.

Camera

Give me at least a 3 MP camera with full video capability.  Make sure it has auto-focus optics, anti-shake technology and a good flash.  Throw in a macro mode if possible, although that’s not a heavy requirement.  Mainly I just want a decent still/video camera that I’m happy to use.

Radios

I don’t really care what radios are used as long as the phone gets good phone service and has good audio quality.  It’s a phone, and it must make decent phone calls, either normally or with a speakerphone function.  It will also need 3G, that’s a given.  Data is going to be only slightly less important than phone call quality so give it a good solution.  I am not strongly in favor of either GSM or CDMA, just give me good 3G.  I’m not considering U.S. carriers here: I’m pretending they are all just as good.  It’s my dream and I don’t want to get into choosing a carrier here.

The JK Phone better have WiFi and Bluetooth on board.  I want to be able to use WiFi hotspots whenever possible for maximum bandwidth and for VoIP calls when possible.  I also want Bluetooth for use with standard headsets but also stereo music headsets too.  I want a good music experience with my phone when desired.  That Bluetooth will also factor heavily in data entry.

Keyboard

OK, I said no keyboard and I meant it.  I don’t find that thumb-boards add much value to me personally.  That’s the writer in me talking, I need a full-sized keyboard to do serious things.  That’s why I want a Bluetooth portable keyboard that comes standard with the JK Phone.  It folds up and fits in a shirt pocket or bag so I can choose to take it with me or not as desired.  This keyboard will unfold into a full-sized keyboard, or very nearly so, and will auto-pair with the phone when open.  It will have an integrated little stand to set the phone into for use as a little typing machine.  This little system will be a writer’s dream machine, and I can hardly sit still thinking about it.

The phone will automatically go into speakerphone mode when sitting in this keyboard stand and a call comes in, unless a headset is in use.  The keyboard will be standard yet have a row of keys to facilitate dialing phone numbers and the like.  It will be designed specifically for my phone so the two pieces will function as one when used this way.  This keyboard will turn the phone into a complete data system that can do most things a netbook can do, with just the smaller screen.  It’s not intended to be a full-time notebook replacement but can easily be a temporary solution should the need arise.  One system that is two pieces.

Platform

What platform would I like my dream phone to be running?  The truth is I don’t care, not even a little bit.  For me the point is getting my stuff done in a manner that works well for me, and I don’t care what the JK Phone is running to do that.  I do want the phone to be a dual personality phone: one side that is a superb phone and another side to be a real data machine.  Remember the Full button.

I want the JK phone to be a tight operating environment when in phone mode and an expanded environment when in “data” mode.  By this I mean that when the phone is turned on in my hand it has a very tight, simple interface for dealing with phone calls.  That interface stays in place until something data-related happens, such as the receipt of email.  Then the environment adds enough detail to easily read the email and interact with it as necessary.  The interface will change based on the task in progress, always keeping the UI as focused as possible on that task.  If I am doing messaging then the interface is the messaging interface.  On a phone call just the phone stuff is on the screen.  Call it a smart interface.

Messaging

Speaking of messaging, the JK Phone will handle multiple email accounts of any type.  It will work with POP, IMAP, Gmail, Exchange, MobileMe, all of the above.  I will be able to interact with any account individually but will also have a unified inbox that brings all of the email together.  This will make it easy for me to interact with all of my email at once, and to facilitate that the JK Phone will display each message in a different color based on the account to which it belongs.

The email functionality will interoperate with the other functions of the JK Phone seamlessly.  If I get an email from John Smith telling me that a meeting has been set up next Tuesday with Bob Cook, then the JK Phone will automatically open up a new meeting box with all the pertinent information filled in.  All I have to do is click the Accept button to put this event in my calendar and a reply window opens up that tells John Smith and Bob Cook I will be there.  One click and the replies are sent.  The phone has pulled John and Bob’s email address from the email and checked my contact list to make sure they are both there.  If not, then another contact entry window pops up with the appropriate information filled in.  I can add additional contact information if I wish and then click the Save button.  If it turns out that my calendar already had that slot allocated to something else then an appropriate alternative time for that meeting would be offered to me.  I simply click Yes and it will put the new meeting slot in the replies.

The JK Phone will handle text messaging with ease.  Both MMS and SMS will be supported and handled via the on-screen keyboard when in phone mode.  The soft keyboard will work in either portrait or landscape mode of course with auto-rotation determining which one is presented.  If the JK Phone is sitting in the keyboard stand however the phone will be smart enough to not pop up the on-screen keyboard which just gets in the way.  It’s a smartphone in the truest sense of the word.  If my calling plan allows for 300 text messages a month, the phone will keep track of that for me and warn me as that limit approaches; same for call minutes.

Visual voicemail will be the standard on the JK Phone, and this will be totally integrated with my contact list.  I will be able to see who called and listen to the voicemail when time permits.  I can also forward the voicemail to others via email if needed.  When I listen to Bob Smith’s voicemail, I can hit the Call Back button and the call box pops up on the screen.  It will be ready to call Bob Smith at the phone number he used when he called and left the message but will offer me an alternative number when it makes sense.  Say Bob called me during the day from work but it’s now in the evening.  The JK Phone will know that Bob won’t be at work and will offer me the alternative to call him at home with one click.  The JK Phone is always thinking for me, which makes it all work better with me.

This “smartphoneness” will be present throughout the JK Phone.  If I want to call John Cook I pick up the phone and speak “Call John Cook” into the phone.  If John Cook has always called me between 2 and 4 in the afternoon in the past and it’s earlier than that the phone will pop up a box that informs me of that.  I can then confirm the call or tell the phone to call him later.  A box will then pop up between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to remind me to call John Cook.  This prevents me from the possibility of reaching John’s voicemail when I really need to talk to him and also prevents me from getting too busy and forgetting to call him later.  The JK Phone has my back.

Web Work

I spend a lot of time on the web as part of my work.  I am checking RSS feeds and browsing the web as part of my research for the writing work.  Then I spend a lot of time on the web doing that writing.  This means I need a stellar web browser on the phone that is a full browser yet optimized for the small screen of the phone.

The browser should be based on Webkit, which is the best mobile browsing solution today.  It will display full web pages in a full-screen mode yet make it easy to zoom in on the pertinent bits as needed.  It will have to handle tabbed browsing, although in a limited fashion, as it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have too much open at once on a limited device.  The browser will have to play embedded media and handle embedded images well.

It will use the standard multi-touch gestures to handle the web page: pinch and zoom, double-tapping columns to zoom, etc.  It will also be smart enough to sense when a text entry box is active and auto-zoom large enough to see what I am entering on the page.  Then it will zoom back out when done.  The key is that the browser must be optimized to present full pages yet let me work in focused zones when needed.  It should handle web pages just like the desktop equivalent, optimized for the small screen.

My JK Phone browser will be able to handle Google Reader like a dream.  This means it’s easy to scan through my many feed items yet zoom in with a tap as needed.  I can star items for later or click to the original item in another tab.  Tap and zoom, tap and zoom.  The goal is to be able to do anything I do on a notebook on my phone.

Cloud Work

The browser will play a big role in the cloud computing aspect of the JK Phone.  It’s just a phone, after all, so my documents will stay in the cloud for accessing when needed.  The phone will thus work perfectly with Google Docs, Zoho and other major cloud office suites.  I need to be able to reference my online docs on the phone and edit them too.  That’s where the keyboard will come into play too: the display is limited to the small screen but the keyboard is nice and full.

Media

I like to listen to music when possible,so a full media player is the call of the day.  It should handle all types of audio and video files so I can be entertained while I work.  Stereo Bluetooth headphone support is mandatory for this.  A removable memory card of at least 8 GB is also required to store all of those media files.

Location-based Functions

The JK Phone will have GPS capability of course, with full navigation ability.  This will come into play in many ways that will aid me.  If I have a meeting in my calendar for 3 pm and the notification is set for 15 minutes prior, the JK Phone will know from my current location how long it will take me to get to that meeting.  If it determines that I am an hour away then at 2 pm it will give me the notification to leave for the meeting.  It will offer to plot a route too since I have never had a meeting at that location.

The location-based functions will always be there to help me.  If I always turn off WiFi at Client Bob Smith’s office (due to restrictions) then the phone will automatically do that for me when I go there.  I always log into the hotspot at Starbucks so the JK Phone will automatically do that every time I go there.

Notifications

The last area to cover of the JK Phone is a very important one.  This is the notifications I need the phone to give me when things happen.  I want to get a notification when things happen, but I don’t want them to totally interrupt what I may be doing.  First up I want a little LED on the top front of the phone that blips when email has been received.  I can choose when to check the email, but I do like to know when messages arrive.

Other system messages should pop up in such a way to inform me without taking my focus away from what I am doing.  A simple small notification balloon should appear on the very bottom of the screen where it won’t cover up too much.  If I am entering text it should be visible yet not take control of the phone to interrupt my entry.  It’s just a notification after all, not a task stopper.

Summary

This is my JK Phone — simple hardware by today’s standards but a smartphone in every way.  It will help me interact with my PIM information and coordinate that with my phone calls and messaging as needed.  It’s primary purpose will be to help me get my work done on my terms, in my way.  It will learn over time as I use it and fine-tune its help to fit the way I work.  I want a JK Phone so badly I’d give top dollar for it, but of course I want it cheap.  :)  I believe everything I wish is completely possible today, if someone would only build me one.

loading

Comments have been disabled for this post