Of course, the device I’m referring to is the iPod, and the interface is the click (or scroll) wheel. This input device is great in the audio player space, but it was not designed as, and will never work as, an input device for a phone.

Two recent handsets that come to mind are the Samsung i300/i310 and the LG KV2400. Both are respectable devices in their own right, especially with Samsung’s 4GB/8GB hard drives, yet both spoil functionality by using a click wheel.

One of the biggest problems with adding a click wheel to a phone is the space constraints. While the iPod’s wheel is very easy to use, when you reduce its size and place it with a myriad of other buttons, usability is severally compromised. Nokia, for once, have actually taken the right step on this issue – their N91 music phone still uses traditional phone navigation, and modifies the music player to accommodate this – the addition of non-click wheel music control keys is the icing on the cake.

I do hope that the trend I’m seeing of adding a click wheel to a phone does not continue, and that manufacturers wake up to the face that the usability of the handset should not be compromised to add a ‘cool factor’ to the music side of things.