Q & A Smartphones UI Comparison

[CarolineLim1992]

HTC UI - Scenes + Sense Keyboard
======================

Scenes are a way to save a layout of shortcuts, widgets, and background for later use. You can create a "Work" Scene without all the Twitter and Facebook distractions, and maybe add your exchange account widget. Then use a "Home" scene with all the work-related stuff gone, and the things pertinent to your social life in their place. The Sense keyboard, however, assigns each key an alternate character that can be accessed via a long press.

Huawei's Emotion UI
==============

Emotion UI brings an easy to use interface along with a better conversation display for messaging and most of the interactive screens. A much enhanced dialer screen, easy to use contacts and improved settings display. Shake the phone and the wallpapers changes or how about the wallpapers changing automatically…well all this is possible with the new settings added in the wallpapers.

Samsung UI - TouchWiz
================

Smart Scroll
One of the most hyped pre-release software features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 was Smart Scroll. It wasn't what we thought it was going to be though. Originally mooted as something that would monitor your eyes for movement and scroll through text accordingly, it's actually a feature that scrolls when you tilt the phone, using the device's internal motion sensors. Much more sensible than eye-tracking, eh?

Redesigned Camera App
Remember the Samsung Galaxy Camera? Well the Samsung Galaxy S4 is going to get an interface based on that camera’s UI. It’s a sensible change given the Galaxy Camera used Android too. The interface is based around a dial of features that you flick through, a bit like the hardware dial on a “proper” camera. It may not effect camera quality as such, but should mean we get a bit more control over camera settings.

Smart Pause
Unlike Smart Scroll, this features does involve eye tracking via the front-facing camera. Smart Pause will pause a video you’re watching when you take your eyes away from the screen. And just like Smart Scroll, it’s definitely a feature we’ll have to try before giving our full endorsement. After all, how many videos that you watch on a smartphone are things that really need your full attention?

S Translator
Fancy yourself as a bit of a jetsetter? If so, then the Samsung Galaxy S4’s S Translator might come in handy. It’s a translator service that lets you easily translate between languages. Rather than having its own app, S Translator works with emails, in the ChatOn chatting interface and in your messages. This isn’t a feature that we can imagine using very often, but it gets a big old thumbs-up from us. Good idea, Samsung.

Group Play
Samsung rapidly established itself as one of the pioneers of NFC last year. Not only did it use the standard in its top phones, it found new uses for it too. First we got S Beam, which used NFC to handshake between phones for quick file transfers. Now we have something altogether more dynamic. Group Play again uses NFC to handshake between devices. Then, using Wi-Fi Direct, the handsets can play games and music together. Big shot developers Gameloft and Glu have already optimised games for this service. Up to eight players can battle it out together.

Air View
This new feature is interesting because it changes the way you interact with your phone. Instead of touching the Samsung Galaxy S4’s screen directly, Air View reacts when your finger is hovering just above the screen. It’s used throughout the TouchWiz UI, to perform tasks like previewing videos, accessing speed dial favourites or magnifying content. It’s clever stuff, especially considering it doesn’t use a digitiser stylus like the Note 2, which performs similar feats.

Air Gesture
Taking the Air theme one step further, Air Gesture lets you perform tasks with gestures that – once again – don’t even involve touching the screen. You can browse websites using this feature, change music tracks or even take calls. We expect you’ll be able to pick and choose the shortcut gestures you want to use in the Samsung Galaxy S4’s Settings menu. This is one feature that will take a bit of getting used to – but we can’t wait to give them a proper go.

Dual Camera Capture
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has two cameras: a 13-megapixel snapper on the back and a 2-megapixel video chat sensor on the front. The camera app lets you capture video from both... at the same time. Samsung says this should come in handy when, for example, you’re at a gig. We’re not so sure though – the last thing gigs need are more people with their phones out. However, it can also be used for video chatting, which we’re absolutely on-board with.

S Health
The most tangential of all TouchWiz’s new features is S Health. This is an app that’s designed to let the Samsung Galaxy S4 become part of your exercise regime. It’s an exercise tracker that knows whether you’re running or walking. This is just the beginning too, as you’ll be able to boost this basic functionality with a load of health-based accessories. The S Band is a runner’s tool that lets you log runs without having the phone with you. It’ll then sync with the phone once you get home. Samsung also plans to offer a heart rate monitor and a Smart weighing scale.

WatchON
Almost the opposite of S Health is WatchON. This one is perfect for couch potatoes. It’s an app that uses the IR blaster of the Samsung Galaxy S4 to let you replace your home remotes with your phone. The days of Universal Remotes are well and truly numbered. The best news is that Samsung has been sensible and has not limited WatchON to Samsung tellies and home cinema boxes – all kinds of manufacturers are on the list.

Nokia Lumia UI
==========

The Windows Phone interface is, at first glance, very different to other smartphone operating systems. As Symbian^3 devices have developed through Symbian Anna to Belle, the home screen has become more Android in appearance, with the menu structure using an app grid with the ability to have folders or sub-menus within menus. Many apps are accessible on the home screen to having a few easily accessible apps on the start screen, in a scrollable 2x4 grid, with useful information displayed on their tiles. This interface with four to eight live tiles on the screen at any time is more intuitive and faster to navigate.

Iphone UI - iOS 7
============

iOS 7 offered more options for multitasking while retaining its firm stance against battery hogging always-on apps. In iOS 7, any task will have the ability to pull down updates in the background. iOS will monitor app activity, and automatically keep your most-used apps updated at key points throughout the day. Even better, push notifications now have the ability to trigger behind-the-scenes updates.

======================================

Currently, I feel Samsung is still leading the UI department for it's dynamic features and multitasking capability. Iphone excel when it comes to userability. We often hear how newbie friendly Iphone is in compare to Samsung Android. I guess most Iphone users will second that, I personally don't feel much difference though. What I really like is Nokia's UI. It's so easy to navigate around and the color is really good. Sadly though, there are so many things they can improve so for now they are really behind Samsung and Iphone. It's interesting to see that Huawei also developed their own Emotion UI. It's still better than the default android UI but as to how good they are in compare to Samsung or Iphone is yet to be seen. I feel the userability is much better than Samsung's UI, not sure if it's better than Iphone or not. The profile swap is certainly a handy tools. HTC's UI on the other hand, seemingly like a duplicate of the default Android one without much improvement on it. Unless I missed some of the vital features being listed there ...

Overall, UI wise Samsung > Iphone > Huawei > Nokia > HTC

Do you agree?

 

[jniaga.my]

kalau tanya aku yang dah guna samsung , nokia, htc dan iphone ni, iphone yang paling best gui dia dan responsive sekali touch dia

 

[taurusboyz90]

nampak macam lebih ke samsung je..tengok explanation bahagian samsung pun panjang

 

[abahmu]

samsung x stabil....

 

[rebellion]

kalau tanya aku yang dah guna samsung , nokia, htc dan iphone ni, iphone yang paling best gui dia dan responsive sekali touch dia

aku pakai S2 pun sekali touch jer :-?

 

[magnesium]

aku pakai S2 pun sekali touch jer :-?

Aku pakai android sekali touch gak

Tab 7.7