Computerword tested the iPhone, HTC Touch and the Nokia N95 in a recent article Usability test: Does iPhone match the hype?
Result? Yes, it does.
However, as Treo (and Blackberry) users will no doubt notice from the picture above (and the article, if they bother to read it), all the 3 devices lack a physical keyboard.
I don’t think many folks would question the iPhone’s usability when compared to other keyboard-less smartphones.
So the unsurprising results of this test can be summarized thusly: overall, the iPhone was found to be the best (that is, most usable) of the 3 devices for actually getting things done as well as overall look and feel, etc.
It would be more useful, IMO, to see a study which attempts to compare how usable a Treo, Blackberry, and iPhone are with: 1) someone who has just started using each of them, 2) someone who has used them for a week/month, and 3) someone who has used them for a month/year. Would the keyboard be a factor then? What about 3rd party apps?
Obviously we’ll have to wait for some of those longer studies since the iPhone has only been out for less than 3 months.
Anyway, for the full story checkout the story at Compuworld.com (note it’s the printer-friendly version, as the regular version was broken up over 5 pages for reasons I doubt anyone could adequately explain).
