Posted: January 29th, 2009 | Author: aatorres | Filed under: General, Interface | No Comments »
The thing that always annoys me when using the iPhone in Landscape Mode, especially when I’m playing games, is that while attempting to hold the phone I inevitably cover the speaker. Because the iPhone only pumps sound out of one speaker, the sound is severely dampened almost to the point that you think something is wrong with your phone.
You can imagine how covering the speaker while trying to make music could potentially kill the experience. In addition to landscape mode being ergonomically difficult to hold, it’s compounded by its ease in accidently cover the speaker.
Posted: January 29th, 2009 | Author: jgcohen | Filed under: General, Interface | No Comments »
Last week I was loaned an iPod Touch for the semester. (thanks GROCS) I’ve endured a rough seven days in the name of research, downloading about 20 free music apps, to get a better understanding of iPhone interface patterns and the design of existing music apps. So far I’ve only tried free music apps, but will shell out some cash over the semester to try out what I assume is the good stuff.
Landscape orientation is really hard to grip. When playing instruments on the screen, it’s natural to apply pressure, but the iPhone feels loose in landscape orientation. It feels awkward to press down with more than two fingers at once, even in portrait mode, which rules out triads in Piano apps like Free Piano 2 and Mini Piano (clean interface)
DigiDrummer displays eight drum pads laid out in two rows and four columns. Each pad is labeled with its drum sound, which some apps overlook. However it’s hard to play normal rhythms because of the distance between each icon. It feels natural to create drum beats with whatever sound is nearby.
TapMe! makes the tap-to-make-sound idea more customizeable. Users can assign sounds to 12 “tappable” (word?) regions; the sounds are included with the application — drums, piano, guitar, and effects.
Key Finder displays the notes that make up chords on a piano. Each note has an indicator that lights up when its part of a chord. It’s not as direct as the keys themselves, but it’s still instructive to see the relationship.
In general, it’s much easier to operate the iPhone in portrait orientation. It’s just a lot more comfortable to hold because the wrist and hand don’t need to twist as much.
-Jon
http://www.apptism.com/apps/digidrummer-lite
http://www.apptism.com/apps/keyfinder
http://www.apptism.com/apps/tap-me
http://www.apptism.com/apps/minipiano