High level Browser UX thoughts

This is a high-level, first pass at what are (mostly) key User Experience requirements with regard to the Browser application. Note some are posed as questions, and the intent of this is to generate some discussion around the topics below.

General

• Maximum screen real estate devoted to content being browsed
  (web page)
• Toolbar auto-hides within seconds of not touching the
  screen
• Toolbar can be positioned somewhere other than right edge of
  screen (?) e.g. bottom, closer to thumbs.
• Toolbar can be alpha blended over background - for example
  instead of "auto-hide" maybe it goes mega transparent when
  browsing and after seconds of inactivity
• Minimum set of toolbar buttons/hotspots include: Back,
  Forward, Stop, Reload, History, Bookmarks, Pages (Tabs),
  Enter URL
• Support flick scrolling (vertically and horizontally) in
  addition to "scroll as a pressing finger moves

Text Input without a physical keyboard

• Tight integration with soft keyboard
• Entering a new URL or touching a text-input field on a web
  page invokes the soft keyboard
• The text field accepting text input should remain in view
  when the soft keyboard is displayed (e.g. scroll to ensure
  the user can see the text being entered into the field)

Browser Menu

• Application specific menu for the browser is consistent with
  all other applications (.e.g at minimum has "Settings" and
  "Quit" menu items, etc)

Pages (Tabs)

• Support for switching between open pages (tabs) will include
  a graphic thumbnail of open pages along with some
  title/caption in order to make it easier for a user to switch
  between pages.
• The ability to open new and/or close tabs is design into
  page/tab swtiching consistnently
• Have a single button/hot spot to invoke "Pages Mode" where
  the user can view thumbnails of open pages, select one to
  switch to by touching it, close any page/tab, or open a new
  one - all in one screen state?

History

• History can be browsed using top level "back" and "forward"
  buttons (or hotspots)
• History can be viewed in list format showing showing a
  graphic and text caption (e.g. title of HTML page, truncated
  as needed). Default graphic choice for this list should just
  be a "favicon" displayed next to each item in the list of
  history.
• History view is sorted chronologically
• Ability to clear history is not buried somewhere off in
  settings, be is accessible from within "History View"

Bookmarks

• Bookmarking should be as straight forward and easy as
  possible. When a user chooses to bookmark a page, it should
  take no more than two presses. First press: present within
  a TBD area of the screen the ability to change the name of
  the bookmark (optionally) and the ability to confirm or
  cancel saving the bookmark.
• Booikmark view should be consistent with history view.
• Editing or deleting a bookmark should be functionaly readily
  accessible when in "Bookmark View"

Questions

• Can we alpha blend the soft keyboard when it's being used in
  the browser?
• Can we apply a ~25% opacity "black" over the current page and
  alpha blend "History" and "Bookmarks" view over the
  "darkened/faded out" web page?
• How fancy can we get with the transition animation when it
  comes to thinks like viewing and scrolling open pages/tabs,
  switching between them, etc?