WHAT DOES THIS TELL US? - ARE SUPER-SIZED FINGERS THE PROBLEM?

but what about those SAMSUNGS & LGs ?

American’s find Nokia phones hardest to use

he global ring tone market is projected to surpass USD 9 billion during 2006, according to LogicaCMG (2005), and yet new phones are no easier to use than older products.

Usable Products Company just completed a comprehensive, expanded study of mobile media shopping, purchase, and use. The study highlights Cingular’s Motorola RAZR, T-Mobile’s Nokia 6101, and Virgin Mobile’s Audiovox Flasher, in addition to ten previously-studied phones (2004).

The Motorola RAZR, available from Cingular, ranked 11th out of 13 phones tested in late 2005. Nokia’s first US flip phone, the 6101, available from T-Mobile, scored 7th. Audiovox’s Flasher V7, available from Virgin Mobile, scored 6th.

23 percent of all US cell phone users downloaded at least one ringtone in 2005, according to Ipsos Insights. In October 2005 alone, 3.5 percent of all cell phone users purchased a wallpaper and 3.0 percent purchased a game for their phone (M:metrics). LogicaCMG predicts the global ringtone market to triple in size from mid 2005 to mid 2006, to USD 9 billion.

Usable Products Company’s independent study of mobile telephone media purchase usability indicates that, despite being a multi-billion dollar global industry, media purchase usability remains as challenging as ever.

Sprint’s Samsung and Sanyo phones are the easiest to use while the Motorola RAZR is much harder to use than expected, as is T-Mobile’s newly-released Nokia 6101 flip-phone.

Usability rankings for mobile phone enhancement purchase and installation:

1. Sprint Samsung a680
2. Sprint Sanyo 5500
3. T-Mobile Motorola v600
4. Verizon Samsung a670
5. Cingular LG L1400
6. Virgin Mobile Audiovox Flasher V76.
7. T-Mobile Nokia 6101
8. Verizon LG VX7000
9. Sprint Nextel Motorola i710
10. T-Mobile Blackberry 7100t
11. Cingular Motorola RAZR
12. T-Mobile Nokia 3660
13. Cingular Nokia 6620

These rankings reflect Single Usability Metric scores based on performance and perception data. 20 one-hour usability interviews were conducted on each of 13 different mobile telephone models. Audiovox, Blackberry, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sanyo phones and service were purchased from Cingular, Sprint (and Sprint Nextel), T-Mobile, Verizon, and Virgin Mobile.

In December, 2005, Usable Products Company delivered the first commercially available Single Usability Metric results. This metric enables a true ranking of usability of mobile telephones with respect to enhanced user services like ringtone, wallpaper, and game shopping, purchase and installation, according to Usable Products Company CEO, Scott Weiss.

“The Cingular Motorola RAZR’s poor usability surprised us, coming in with a 47 percent success rate for ringtone download and installation, as compared to a 94 percent success rate for the T-Mobile Motorola v600. Participants had difficulty finding the place from which they could buy media, and the extra steps required to complete downloads stymied users.

“Nokia’s first US flip phone, the T-Mobile Nokia 6101 fared little better, with a 60 percent success rate for wallpaper download and purchase, though it was much better than the 7 percent success rate achieved by participants using the T-Mobile Nokia 3660.

“The Audiovox Flasher V7, new to this study, was slightly better than average,” stated Weiss, with a 79 percent success rate for wallpaper, but an 84 percent success rate for game downloads.

The Media Download Usability Study is a complete snapshot of the usability of thirteen mobile telephone handsets available from U.S. mobile carriers. Company-wide licenses are available for immediate purchase.

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