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View Full Version : SoloPalmari Reviews the i-mate JASJAM


Darius Wey
08-28-2006, 10:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.solopalmari.com/content/view/2143/38/' target='_blank'>http://www.solopalmari.com/content/view/2143/38/</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20060829-imatejasjam.jpg" /><br /><br />SoloPalmari's review of the <a href="http://www.clubimate.com/t-DETAILS_JASJAM.aspx">i-mate JASJAM</a> is in Italian. Admittedly, the <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=it_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.solopalmari.com%2Fcontent%2Fview%2F2143%2F38%2F">online translation</a> is so-so, but there are still plenty of high-resolution pictures available for you to see this 3G device from all angles.

jalex
08-29-2006, 12:57 AM
I love my JAMin. No, really, I totally love my JAMin. So, the JASJAM has got to be next, right? Right! It is totally going to be my next Pocket PC Phone ... but am I only the only right-handed person who thinks the thumb wheel is on the wrong (and I know how bad some people are going to take the word "wrong" here, but) side of the device?!?

ctmagnus
08-29-2006, 03:54 AM
Well, when you're stylusing* with your right hand, that means that the left hand will be holding the device. And the thumb on the left hand is positioned such that it may be possible to use the scroll wheel on this device with it, when the left hand is holding the device due to the fact that the right hand is doing the stylusing.

*I'm going to try to get that word acceptable for everyday usage. Maybe even into Webster's/M-W/The Oxford English Dictionary, etc.

Darius Wey
08-29-2006, 03:54 AM
I love my JAMin. No, really, I totally love my JAMin. So, the JASJAM has got to be next, right? Right! It is totally going to be my next Pocket PC Phone ... but am I only the only right-handed person who thinks the thumb wheel is on the wrong (and I know how bad some people are going to take the word "wrong" here, but) side of the device?!?

There's no right or wrong. The position of the wheel just caters for a larger percentage of the population (with no discriminatory intent, of course), and when you're one company marketing your device to the entire world, I guess satisfying a larger percentage of a population is all that matters. ;)

jalex
08-29-2006, 04:34 AM
CT, I totally get what you're saying, I even thought that myself after some deliberation ... but further deliberation brought me back to the niggling question: why would I be using a thumb wheel when I (a) already have my stylus out and (b) have both hands available anyway. Isn't the point of the thumb wheel (primarily) to enable one-handed operation?

If this is the case and 80% of people are right-handed (to echo Darius' point) that would mean the thumb wheel should be on the right side of the device ... just as it is with the prolific Blackberry and the new Moto Q.

Am I mis-understanding you guys here or is there another piece to the puzzle in my getting this? I mean, I can't wait to try one out (and maybe that's the missing piece of the puzzle) but I can't shake the feeling that it's going to be all wrong for me (and most other people).

Any right-handed-person-with-thumb-wheel-on-the-left-device members out there that can share their personal experiences here?

Nurhisham Hussein
08-29-2006, 04:36 AM
I don't see a problem with the jog dial/thumb wheel - if I'm holding the device in my left hand, the thumb controls the dial. If I'm holding it in my right hand, the index finger does the job. At least, that's the way I use it on my (non-Jasjam) device.

tsaxton
08-29-2006, 08:18 AM
Ergonomically, the worst thing about this device from my (left-handed) perspective is the placement of the stylus holder. They could not have found a worse place for it if they'd tried. The stylus is on the bottom-right corner. To get it out, you have to pull it downwards. If you're holding the device in your right hand, in a portrait orientation, that's the only corner you can't get to without completely changing your grip! It seems to be placed with right-handed landscape/slide-out-keyboard mode users in mind, exclusively.

The placement of the thumb-wheel doesn't bother me so much. It seems sensible enough for a right hander to use with their left thumb while they're holding it. For a left-hander, you can use it with your middle or index finger on the right hand, but it's not as easy. (Particularly in the "up" direction.)

martin_ayton
08-29-2006, 09:26 AM
... but am I only the only right-handed person who thinks the thumb wheel is on the wrong side of the device?!?

Well, I'm left handed, I've got a Hermes, and - trust me - the wheel is in the place a right-hander would want it. Really, the button and stylus layout is really quite well thought out for the right-handed majority: You hold it in your left hand and the heel of your hand sits over the micro-SD card slot, which makes sense, since you probably aren't going to be wanting to swap that out a lot. Your thumb then sits right over the wheel, but the OK and Voice Command / Record buttons underneath the wheel are still very 'thumbable.' The power and comms manager buttons are right under your index finger, and the camera button (which you will have re-mapped, right?) is under your pinky. Also, the stylus is still accessible without changing the position of the device in your hand. You do have to shift the position of the device in your hand it you want your thumb to get to any of the buttons on the front of the device, so I don't think that this really qualifies as suitable for one-handed operation. And that's why it's designed for right-handers: you are pretty much going to have to use your right hand for stylus work and those buttons on the front, therefore, you have to hold the thing in your left hand, therefore the wheel is positioned for your left thumb.

The position of the wheel just caters for a larger percentage of the population (with no discriminatory intent, of course), and when you're one company marketing your device to the entire world, I guess satisfying a larger percentage of a population is all that matters. Agreed, and if you're left-handed you just have to learn to cope with it and save your energies for other battles.

x51vuser
08-29-2006, 10:38 AM
It should be redesigned and centered on the back as in Clie TH55
Engineers at HTC have a lot to learn yet

jalex
08-29-2006, 12:56 PM
This is what makes this forum so darned good and also serves to remind me why it's so important to keep an open mind. :)

Martin, you make a compelling case. I had in my mind the images of all of the folk I see using (for example) their Blackberries, scrolling away with their right thumb. The big diffference, though, between a BB and a PPC is the stylus -- I had completely forgotten about that -- and I'm guessing there are still several instances where I'm still going to be reaching for it.

I think it's going to take some adjustment for me (actually using my left thumb, rather than just holding the device with my left hand) but I can do it!

Thanks for your contributions everyone!

The Silverdude
08-29-2006, 09:16 PM
All I can say is that as a right-handed person, my XDA Trion works equally well for me with or without the stylus.