I'm an interface geek and the easy tablet format's pretty much the reason I got a 770. So I thought I'd share a moment that made me think that Nokia Got It Right (buy Ari a pint, quick).

I'm visiting friends with children. One's about two, the other is four and a half. Like most middle-class folk they've got things like LeapPads so consumer electronics aren't totally unknown to the kids. Eventually one notices my 770 and asks to have a go, so I fire up Sketch and show the oldest the basics.

Within half an hour, she's worked out the brushes, the colour picker, the shapes, and even the undo. And she's sat there for hours drawing away and only coming up for air to demand that I save her art or help her draw a pink mermaid just there. Me and her parents, we're trapped between "didn't she do well" and "demon child!".

So while Sketch is very simple - and I'd previously have argued too simple - it is simple enough that four-year-olds can use it.

And it's just as good for large drunken groups - it makes a perfect order pad for a round of drinks!

Just don't get any of those drinks on it

on a related topic, my 2.5 year old uses Tux Paint on the 770 and has a great time
We have Tux Paint on our PC, but he finds the trackball too difficult. The 770 is perfect for him.
The only challenge is that dad doesn't share well

I'm left handed so I agree they got it right, but what's i like for right handed follks who must put their hand across the screen to use the menus? And why is there no 'latest' menu so all the stuff I never use like the sketch program is listed though I haven't used it for months?
Yes the UI is clean, but it's not ideal.

IF They start adding that sort of Microsoftian "WE KNOW WHAT YOU WANT" garbage - I sure hope they allow us to turn it off.

Why not just go all the way and have a little paperclip come up to suggest we not use the sketch program.

I Agree its a good interface.

Mine (2.3) too, although with Sketch, and I also don't share too well. I'd share much better if he could learn not to press so hard with the "pencil".

And my 3 year old niece had a go and found the Ice Age trailer within just a few minutes. She was fascinated.

Perhaps we'd get better CNET and Washington Post reviews from 2 and 3 year olds?

- Neil

That reminds me of my first computer. 128k original classic macintosh. Those were the days. MacPaint. Nice and simple for a kid to learn. I have no idea how it's done these days. Kids probably just start off with Photoshop.

It looks like Nokia intend to put a great deal more intelligence into their UIs than Microsoft have done so far -

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/mob...9265295,00.htm

"Nokia executives said the Nokia Research Center Cambridge has begun seven projects in collaboration with MIT's Center for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The research focuses on simplifying user interactions with handsets."


So maybe they will move the menus to the bottom of the screen to keep fingers from blocking the screen.