The main thing I’d like to see implemented right now is a huge improvement in the unlocking & locking mechanism. I just opened the package, and after doing a quickaround of the features, I have to say, my biggest problem lies with not the touch sensors - I personally think they’re a great idea, they just require a user to adjust to them (but they are a little… awkward? in that aside from a response in the interface, there’s no physical response (like, even a slight click) - but with the locking mechanism. It just astounds me that such an idea survived the design process.
First off, a play/pause button should not integrate a third feature. Although functionality-wise, it isn’t impractical, I just think it’s a bad idea. Secondly, the locking mechanism - and this is with just five minutes of testing, I’m sorry to say - evidently does not do what a locking mechanism intends to do. I can both lock and unlock the Fuze through the sleeve, and very easily - I can only just imagine the trouble I’d face leaving it in my pocket. I’ve looked around reviews, and many people have also complained about it.
In the next generation of the Fuze, I definitely hope this is addressed (and possibly, the old locking switch is returned, because that was definitely effective). The creation of a volume switch that is still functional even when locked is a good idea, although it may be advisable to add a setting in which users can opt to allow for functional volume controls when locked, or to disallow it.
But, back to what this post should be focusing on: the locking mechanism. Now, obviously, a firmware update can’t integrate a new lock slider. However, I think that there are indeed a number of viable alternatives to the locking mechanism (again, adding a setting to choose the locking method may be more effective).
- Tapping the play/pause & back buttons while sliding down top to bottom. It’s essentially tapping the buttons with your ring and pointer fingers, while your middle finger slides down the center.
- Holding down both volume buttons while tapping some sort of key combination (simultaneous taps, not successive).
An alternative could also be to slide two fingers from the center to the left and right (or top and bottom) tap points. The problem with this is that as effective and responsive the interface is, most teenagers’ and adults’ fingers are too big for such an approach to be effective.
In summary, the Fuze+ seems to be a great product so far, but its locking mechanism is horrendous, and is in dire need of improvement. (If at all possible, could a separate thread or even sub-thread be established for such suggestions?).
