TryPhone Lets You Test Phone Interfaces Online

TryPhone seems like a great idea on the surface—you can preview mock-ups of current phone models and test out their interfaces through your browser. In reality, the beta launch feels underdeveloped, even for a web service beta, with only four models to choose from and limited interactivity on each. The idea is good, but we hope they work on execution.

Some things we’d like to see:

  • hardware functionality — what do those buttons on the side of the phone do?
  • more soft key functionality
  • realistic interface animations – we know using Flash breaks hardcore usability principles, but it would also allow customers to better see how the interface really functions
  • sounds
  • more phone models — offering only four is a joke

TryPhone can’t compete with going to a big box retailer and manhandling the tethered models on display, but it’s a nice tool to have if you’re shopping online, at least in theory. We’re big fans of interface mock-ups (for example, here’s a useful one for the Asus Eee PC) and hope TryPhone keeps adding functionality to its service.

“TryPhone allows you to test-drive handsets before buying them” [IntoMobile]

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