Rule #3: Don’t highlight a feature that’s worse than the competition

If you’re releasing a new product that’s supposed to be (a) one of your flagship products, (b) the savior for your company, (c) a trendsetting example of your technical prowess, or (d) all of the above, don’t dedicate an entire section of your launch page to a feature that is - directly out of the box - already worse than the competition.

Nokia: “Not one but three live home screens – make one for work, use one for fun, and have one with your favorite picture as the wallpaper.”

Uh, gentlemen, you may want to refer to the Google Android for its out-of-the-box five home screens, and the iPhone for its (count ‘em) 11 home screens, before you expect your customers to get all excited about this.

(via Nokia USA - Nokia N8 - Features)

Rule #2: Focus on what we can do with the device, not the guy in a polo shirt

Somehow I got rickrolled into learning more about the Dell Streak. I was doing some research just now on basic versus smartphone penetration in Africa (really) and somehow ended up watching this video (really). But in keeping with the Streak theme today, I just had to comment.

Why is it that every technology company feels obliged to parade out an engineer or product manager to talk about their latest product? Just look at this grab from the video: during at least four minutes of the video, the Streak takes up roughly 6.7% of the video real estate, with the remaining 93.3% of the pixels paying homage to Benjamin Moore paint and Ralph Lauren shirts.

Dude, get out of the frame, set the Streak on the table, and point the camera at it. Talk about that giant display, or how you can use the phone while surfing on WiFi, or how you can stick it in one of the smaller pockets in your Scottevest Carry-On Coat, ok?

Rule #1: If it doesn’t compete with an Apple product, don’t say it does.

Geek.com: “Dell’s Android-powered Streak slate takes on the iPad tomorrow.” Are they just trolling for pageviews?  Come on, just because it’s roughly rectangular, has a touch display, and does things online doesn’t mean it’s an iPad competitor.

The way to make this thing an iPad competitor is to focus on what you can do with it, not the features and functions under the hood:

1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip 

Does it surf the web and do YouTube? Good enough. Speeds and feeds turn the average consumer off.

Five-inch capacitive multitouch 800×480 WVGA display 

How about “Brilliant large display that still fits in your pocket or purse, but makes videos and family photos look fantastic”?

3G, UMTS/GPRS/EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR

Right now, thousands of eyes are glazing over.  Try ”Gives you both WiFi and 3G, so you can stay in touch with your friends and family whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or traveling the country on vacation.” Oh, right, and “And Bluetooth so you can make phone calls without looking like a dumbass with this thing pressed up against the side of your head.”

Five-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash VGA camera for videoconferencing

“Videoconferencing” makes me think of putty-colored cubicle walls and bad lighting. Talk it up, make it personal, connect emotionally: ”Front-facing camera so you can stay in touch with people at home while you’re on the road!”

Android 1.6 (Froyo update is due later this year) with Android Market and Dell’s custom UI skin

Wait, you mean it’s coming out tomorrow, but it’s got an operating system from nearly a year ago? What’d you do, stick the developers in an air-tight room and tell them they wouldn’t get out until they ship?  (Explains the front-facing camera for videoconferencing, natch).

Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo

Which, for some reason and in this context, just highlights how the rest of it looks like a block carved from petroleum.

(via Dell’s Android-powered Streak slate takes on the iPad tomorrow – Cell Phones & Mobile Device Technology News & Updates | Geek.com)