WEB TV has the worst interface on the Web
Web TV will set back the Microsoft monopoly quicker than the
US Department of Justice lawsuit. My god, what a horrible
interface.
The price is right, and it is sold as a perfect product for
your grandma to introduce her to the internet. "Here gramma
sit in front of the TV, you will be surfin' porn in no time!"
But I couldn't figure out how to navigate. I kept looking at the screen,
wondering where am I, how do I get out of here, where can I start over?
I actually had to ask the gold chain wearing sales guy at a
Circuit City how to get to the home screen.
I guess I was too stupid to look at the keyboard and find the
buttons that said 'home', 'back', etc. Well I am probably
like nine out of ten people who will be too stupid to
figure out the interface. Most people look at the TV, not
at some keyboard. I was raised looking at the healing blue
glow. WEB TV turned it to a blue glare of torture.
Grandma is going to have a tough time. The navigation tool is
a faintly hi-lighted rectangle that was a pain to manipulate.
That itself is different than actual HTML links, and different
from the keyboard navigation keys. I cannot in good conscience
let my family or friends suffer the same interface fate without
at least a warning.
Although Jakob Nielsen thinks Web TV is wunderbar I say he is wrong.
You have been warned: WEB TV has a HORRIBLE look and feel!
It sucks.