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The Jolla UI looks and behaves similar to the Blackberry 10 OS, which is a good thing, and an improvement on Android and iOS.

I have a Blackberry Z30[1] and I don't think I could go back to the "old way" of using a smartphone. BB 10 feels like a true smartphone experience, as subjective as that is.

[1] http://ca.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberry-z30.html

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Which means it could face the one of the same challenges as BB10 - these global gestures are very demo-unit-unfriendly. You go to a store and pick up a BB10 device and you're freaking lost with no visible buttons or UI to use.

A non-discoverable interface on a device this late to the party is not going to be good for market-share.

Fascinating insight. Reminds me of the Pepsi Challenge. In the famous Pepsi vs Coke taste tests[1], people picked Pepsi due to it's favorable first impression - it had a sweeter taste. In reality, most people prefer a less sweet beverage over the course of an entire can.

Maybe BlackBerry should attack the problem the same way Coke did, by conducting a (longer-term) OS interface challenge.

[1]http://www.slate.com/articles/business/rivalries/2013/08/pep...

Just making sure that cellphone vendors use devices properly imaged with a demo-oriented environment that returns to tutorial mode every time it idles would be a big help.

I remember that was my first experience with the Nokia N9 (spiritual and technical predecessor of the Jolla phone).

At the store, I picked it up, turned it around a few times to confirm that there are indeed no buttons, then tried tapping the screen all over but it stubbornly displayed only a screensaver.

Later someone told me that I was supposed to rapidly tap twice in one place (like a double-click on the mouse) to get to the home screen. Nothing in the unit's physical design or software suggested this.

The point is, once you figure out what to do, you really appreciate the comfort of such interface.

It is pretty discoverable through a tutorial which is offered for all new users. If you skip it - things can be initially harder.

I've checked out the two BB10 Blackberry devices at various cellphone kiosks - the first two times I got lost not knowing the gestures, the 3rd time I knew from reading online. After three kiosks, I still have never seen the tutorial. Obviously I would see it if I bought one, but first I need to decide to buy one.

That can't be good for BB.

I meant it's discoverable in Jolla. They offer a tutorial. There should be a way to view it again probably, in case you aren't using a completely new installation.

BB10 has a similar tutorial. As I said, it's never turned on in store demo units.

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