Has anybody noticed based on the alpha SDK that the UI layout has changed? Hasn't anybody missed the task switcher on the left side of the desktop? Well, maybe everybody considers it to be hidden in the SDK. In fact, we removed the task switcher on the left side of the desktop. While we kept the screen resolution to WVGA, we make now more space to apps than in Maemo 4. If a Maemo 5 device would have a 4 inch display, the application would actually have more real estate than before (except if it would run only in full view mode) because we don't have that task bar on the left. If a Maemo 5 device would have a slightly smaller display, then the amount of display available to the application would be actually more or less the same.

In regards to usability of applications, anybody reading the Hildon Interface guidelines in Usability Principles we published with the beta SDK? Here is a little quote: "A mobile device is not a desktop nor a laptop computer. The screen size is an obvious and big difference. Small size screens make the experience of interacting with an application really different from a standard computer screen.

Hildon is designed for touch interfaces and if you wish your application to be used with fingers be aware of the size the widgets the user will interact with. Small touch surfaces, for example a small button, make it difficult and frustrating for the users."

The usability guidelines are not only for our own developers, but we shared them also with the community in good time so that app developers can make use of the new UI layout and use the complete real estate. We have less "dead stuff" such the task switcher on the left side that clutters the UI. This allows us to make better use of the display. How we do the task switching is still not public, but I'll promise that we keep Maemo a multitasking environment and we won't use up valuable real estate on the display.