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[APP REQUEST] Trackball as phone "Send" button

(please delete the other thread)
N1 suffers from one simple but debilitating hardware limitations - lack of hardware buttons.
Since trackball clicking is rarely used, it would be nice to assign a different function to it.
The first function coming to mind has to do with the fact that the device is a phone -
make trackball into a "Send" button.
This is what it should do:
1) whenever not in the dialer app, clicking trackball should bring up/start the dialer.
2) when in the dialer app, and a phone number was entered, clicking trackball should dial the number.
3) when there's an incoming call, clicking the trackball should answer the call.
I know some people with arthritis who would kill for such an app.
Thanks.

If such an app. were to be created, how about the case where the foreground process requires the use of the trackball click? Then every time you clicked it, the phone dialer would load.
I also don't personally thing the Android APIs would allow such a global hook (w/o root), but I'm not the best dev. out there so I'll let the more experienced respond to that one.

jayshah said:
If such an app. were to be created, how about the case where the foreground process requires the use of the trackball click? Then every time you clicked it, the phone dialer would load.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's the whole point.
You mean like a game? So far, games might be the only programs where you HAVE to use trackball for functionality.
I think all other programs allow touch screen input in place of the trackball.
Since I never use the trackball for anything, and I've seen a number of comments with the same sentiment (ie "trackball is useless"), I'd gladly trade the entire trackball function (including moving the cursor with the ball) for the ability to have a hardware "send" button.

I'll personally pay 50 dollars to a man/woman who can make this work. Then they can collect the money from thousands of market goers who'd would prefer a useful hardware button over a useless one.

Just a small bump.

why is this in the development section?
/sarcasm
jesus people your right stuff like this should be posted next to / under/ above threads like Cyanogen and Amon_RA

And how would you handle the movement of the ball when it rolls? I find when in recovery, it doesn't take much for the trackball movement to register and overshoot the options I am aiming for if not careful. Obviously a sensitivity setting would be the recourse for such a dilemma but still...or were you thinking that anything beyond buttonOn (false function obviously) is ignored?
Technically you could go as far as to have the tracball pressed trigger the dialer. From there you can scroll to call log, contacts, favourites using the trackball and then scroll down if you so desire.
I do find it odd that the phone has this hardware button and rarely is it actually used.
I think being able to touch the trackball and force the phone out of sleep is a sound expectation for this phone...the fact it isn't there is odd.

just get a sense or blur rom, that fixes everything

PsychoKilla666 said:
just get a sense or blur rom, that fixes everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahaha...
in other news, plenty of people have no interest in senseUI

One more bump.
Someone should really write this program.

Using the trackball to bring the phone in and out of sleep would drain your battery. That trackball is way to easily pressed (ie in your pocket) to be of any use as that function, but I would love the phone/send function. Would be wonderful as I hate having a phone shortcut on my homescreen.
Would be willing to pay or donate as well.

APrinceAmongMen said:
Using the trackball to bring the phone in and out of sleep would drain your battery. That trackball is way to easily pressed (ie in your pocket) to be of any use as that function, but I would love the phone/send function. Would be wonderful as I hate having a phone shortcut on my homescreen.
Would be willing to pay or donate as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. One of very few people who seem to understand this problem.
Anyway, the community's reluctance to implement this feature is a seeming indication of difficulty to do it. Maybe Android OS isn't that flexible; or maybe it's just too new, so people haven't really learned yet how to do things with it.
After all, the Win Mobile OS has been around for ages, and sure enough, as soon my Sprint Touch Pro2 was released, I had an app to rebind all the keys to whatever function I wanted.
Perhaps, in the future, we will see an Android app like the one I want. But, to my greatest disappointment, it may be years...

bump bump bump

I'll bump it one more time.

Any progress with this feature?

Another month has passed...
Has any developer figured out if it'd even be possible to make an app like that?
Thanks.

Text message font size out of control!!

The font size in my text message screen has grown out of control in the last week. I was typing a message about 4 days ago and the font in the thread started increasing as I tried to type.
This led me to believe it was some combo of keys I pressed that made it happen.
However I swear today it is even bigger. Easily a 14 and that is huge on this little screen.
I have the 08.14.09 Bloat Free Official HTC Fuze ROM Update and it has been fine since Nov. This only just happened recently and it happened while I was watching. No other changes have been made.
My searches keep pointing to utilities/downloads that let you control it, but I just want it back to normal. Do not want to add more software. This just happened...so there has to be a way to undo it.
Anyone know where the text font settings are controlled. (I also have registry editor and advanced donfig installed if those might have settings in em...have to go look.)

Oh damn, talk about breaking the rules. I guess I need to search ON this forum and not assume that Google knows all.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=536578&highlight=sms+text+size
Ok, text issues are controlled by the zoom feature same as images are. DOH!
(Flaming can now begin, I deserve it.)
Side note, I have been having issues with buttons sticking or not working on first press. Phone just about 1.5yr old. So not surprised that the main pad on front may have done stuff without me touching it. (Del button not work all time, space bar now up to 3 spaces occasionally, etc.)

sablesurfer said:
Oh damn, talk about breaking the rules. I guess I need to search ON this forum and not assume that Google knows all.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=536578&highlight=sms+text+size
Ok, text issues are controlled by the zoom feature same as images are. DOH!
(Flaming can now begin, I deserve it.)
Side note, I have been having issues with buttons sticking or not working on first press. Phone just about 1.5yr old. So not surprised that the main pad on front may have done stuff without me touching it. (Del button not work all time, space bar now up to 3 spaces occasionally, etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you that he should use the search, but what would you search for if you didn't know the problem?
Anyway, when your typing a message, try moving your finger around the center of your device, You will see then how it works.

Auto Hide Taskbar

Hey bro i get this app from the market Honeybar it work great with root access.
I work with touchwiz work 100%.
Program tested MX Video Player,Dolphin Browser HD.

It works well and I suggest using Button Savior in conjunction. Barely seen my taskbar in a week

Works pretty well, main problems I have with it are accidentally re-enabling the taskbar in games (tapping near the bottom), and also accidentally hiding it when trying to hit the 'menu' button in portrait mode. They're too close together so it's hard to avoid hitting it.
I asked the author about the possibility of other trigger locations, or gestures, and he responded but didn't sound like he planned to do anything soon.

I installed HB myself, and although it is nice in some ways to get the taskbar (I use that reference with tongue'in'cheeck) out of the way, there are too many apps I have that place "menu" in the location of the hidden button even when I set it to shift left. Many apps I have to rotate to landscape to get to the apps settings menu hidden behind the shift-left positioning for HB. It's just not a sound UI choice.
The option to just leave the taskbar hidden and use Button Savior is better, but it's like using one hack to make another one work halfway correctly in its effects. HB needs more development and it doesn't look like it's going to happen as of now.

koreanschoolkid said:
It works well and I suggest using Button Savior in conjunction. Barely seen my taskbar in a week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for your info. Yeah... this Button Savior is a real true name in case of the HoneyBar's gone somewhere..

Problem I see with using Button Savior all the time is that you do lose the notifications.. and then it's still easy to accidentally bring back the real bar when playing games etc. Oh well.

speedrabbit said:
Problem I see with using Button Savior all the time is that you do lose the notifications.. and then it's still easy to accidentally bring back the real bar when playing games etc. Oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about the games... the notification is hiding except the sound but the real trouble is when the call is coming.... you have to activate the task bar to bring back the panel "Answer or Denied" (!!!)
FYI

speedrabbit said:
Problem I see with using Button Savior all the time is that you do lose the notifications.. and then it's still easy to accidentally bring back the real bar when playing games etc. Oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did indeed get quite angry at the loss of notifications but I was able to (sort of) get around that by changing the screen density to 171 using Blade Buddy. This set me back to a 2.x launcher.
It doesn't really work 100% however as browser, Gmail, Google Talk will constantly crash. I was able to work around the browser by just getting another browser and Gmail by uninstalling the Honeycomb version of Gmail and installing the Gingerbread version. I didn't care enough to do anything more than uninstall Google Talk.
On the positive side I no longer have to deal with the taskbar. Ever.

koreanschoolkid said:
I was able to work around the browser by just getting another browser and Gmail by uninstalling the Honeycomb version of Gmail and installing the Gingerbread version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the Gingerbread version have the Gingerbread UI? i.e. without the multi-paned stuff? I tried loading a Gingerbread version a while back but it didn't work (just crashed). I prefer Gingerbread style -- more room for the content rather than lists of labels.

Sigilist said:
I installed HB myself, and although it is nice in some ways to get the taskbar (I use that reference with tongue'in'cheeck) out of the way, there are too many apps I have that place "menu" in the location of the hidden button even when I set it to shift left. Many apps I have to rotate to landscape to get to the apps settings menu hidden behind the shift-left positioning for HB. It's just not a sound UI choice.
The option to just leave the taskbar hidden and use Button Savior is better, but it's like using one hack to make another one work halfway correctly in its effects. HB needs more development and it doesn't look like it's going to happen as of now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is exactly my only issue with honeybar. it would be nice if we could choose the right side as the "offset". Even in portrait I have space just to the right of center that would allow access to honeybar on/off and not interfere with the menu on a lot of apps.

There's a much better way to do this. Using tasker, I have a profile set up that auto hides the toolbar for certain apps and then restores it automatically when I switch away from them.
Follow the instructions in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1301857
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk

Yes but how do you switch away from them?

That is actually what I am trying to figure out how to do. I am trying to set it up when in specific apps it takes away the task bar but also only within these apps after something... (haven't really figured that out yet) happens it will bring it back for an exit. In a perfect world I would love to be able to press both volume buttons to close an app. Which in this case would be perfect but tasker can't do that...

I'm using task switcher pro. It lets you map a gesture to the back button or home button.
Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk

what might be cool is to "shake" device to bring back the bar.

you guy also can use AutomateIt... kind of like tasker but to me it more friendly user...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1123423
and the pro version is cheaper too...

Using tasker I did manage to make the bar go away by shaking. Instead of setting programs to do it make it toggle the bar by using a shake. I don't have it in front of me to do step by step but if someone wants me to I can put it up.

I would most certainly love to see that "How too" Zadeis.
Thanks.

Here you go!
gucabe said:
I would most certainly love to see that "How too" Zadeis.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK the link smaug408 put up leads to a guide on how to set up a task that when an App starts it will remove the bar at the bottom. The thing is though you no longer have a back button and get out of the app unless it has a dedicated exit button.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1301857
I take no credit for the premade files for tasker. The thanks goes to the creator Quietthinker through that link.
-First Open the link and download the attached StatusBarToggle.zip and place the files into /sdcard/Tasker/tasks (in this case you will only need the StatusBarToggle.tsk.xml, the StatusBar_Hide.tsk.xml, and the StatusBar_Show.tsk.xml files)
-Second open tasker and go to the "tasks tab" and tap and hold the Tasks Tab at the top. An options window will come up but select Import and import all of them into tasker
-Third go to the profiles tab and tap the Green plus at the left and give it a name. ShakeToToggle can work but you can name it whatever you like.
A context window will popup and you will select Event and then the Sensor Category and finally select the Shake Event.
You can mess around with the setting for the shake gesture now or tweak it in to your liking after everything is set up up to you.
-Forth once you have the setting you like press the green check mark, select the StatusBarToggle task and you are done. Now when you shake your tablet side to side it will make the status bar go away.
Now I just happened to figure out that you can shake instead of using an app for the context. I take little credit for how this works.
This method requires Super User Permissions. It will ask on the first toggle of the bar if you allow it to remember it afterward, if not it will ask each time.

Great app. Works perfectly

[Q] Text Messaging Quirk?

Delete Quirk:
To use the condescending phrase my GF throws at me (and then claims she's not being condescending, Women!) I write books via text. At least it seems that way because I'll write out my thoughts in beautifully verbose English then hack them down to 160 characters if possible. This utilizes the delete/backspace key quite a lot and every now and then I get this...
Holding phone PSP style (index fingers curled around lower half underneath display, phone cradled between index finger and thumbs, thumbs free for furious typing)
-Use thumb to rapidly tap Del
--Phone goes to top of conversation tree, but I can still type in message box (just can't see it cause i'm now scrolled to top of this contacts message history)
and/or
--Phone goes into message deletion mode, I can't type and its asking me to select messages for deletion.
It doesn't seem to happen all the time, I think its happened when i've held down delete a couple times but usually when i'm quickly correcting an error or removing a few short words. I don't expect a fix, just wondering if I'm a lucky winner of some hardware issue or just ignorant of shortcuts.
Dogan
Apparently i'm just being defensive

Dogahn said:
Delete Quirk:
To use the condescending phrase my GF throws at me (and then claims she's not being condescending, Women!) I write books via text. At least it seems that way because I'll write out my thoughts in beautifully verbose English then hack them down to 160 characters if possible. This utilizes the delete/backspace key quite a lot and every now and then I get this...
Holding phone PSP style (index fingers curled around lower half underneath display, phone cradled between index finger and thumbs, thumbs free for furious typing)
-Use thumb to rapidly tap Del
--Phone goes to top of conversation tree, but I can still type in message box (just can't see it cause i'm now scrolled to top of this contacts message history)
and/or
--Phone goes into message deletion mode, I can't type and its asking me to select messages for deletion.
It doesn't seem to happen all the time, I think its happened when i've held down delete a couple times but usually when i'm quickly correcting an error or removing a few short words. I don't expect a fix, just wondering if I'm a lucky winner of some hardware issue or just ignorant of shortcuts.
Dogan
Apparently i'm just being defensive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a bug of the phone. Every shift I've had has the text to top bug... Some people don't have it... I unfortunately with every shift have had it...
Sent from my PG06100 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk

Don't feel bad same here . But it's not an all the time thing.

drob311 said:
Its a bug of the phone. Every shift I've had has the text to top bug... Some people don't have it... I unfortunately with every shift have had it...
Sent from my PG06100 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This ^ and my god is it annoying
Sent from my EVO 3D using XDA Premium

Messed up thing is it happens on the EVO4G, and the EVO3D

And sometimes on my DoubleShot, I just hit ALT+b and I'm back to the bottom
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

I'm assuming this is with the hardware keyboard? I've never had that happen if so... i have forgotten i've left function on and hit delete before though. That's always frustrating

sixxt9 said:
I'm assuming this is with the hardware keyboard? I've never had that happen if so... i have forgotten i've left function on and hit delete before though. That's always frustrating
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah with the lb open, and we have all been there before, deleting whole lines of text
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

Oh the anger I've gone through because I deleted everything when I didn't want to. I've wanted to break the keyboard off many times
Sent from my PG06100 using xda premium

Tell me about it. I used to have a habit of double clicking the FN key to type out numbers or whatever, then mistype and hit the del key forgetting i have FN-Lock on ... just gotta suck it up and retype lol.
And you said with the "lb open"? As in the library??? If so, that might be why i havent had that problem. I don't use predictive text with the hardware keyboard...

fn+delete = delete all... thats kind of handy.
I think I might be pressing delete+enter when reaching for the delete key. Needs more testing.
*edit* nope, least not when I try to do it, lol
Dogan
posting while gaming, bad combo

[Q] Google Keyboard Prediction Problem in Lollipop?

I really hate what Google have done to the keyboard in Lollipop. The predictions have been changed for the current word to show suggestions that aren't what you are trying to type, (if you are typing accurately.)
On the face of it, this seems to be a logical decision. In practice though, your eyes have to keep going upto your message to check what you have just typed is correct. You then have to go all the way down to the space bar to get the next word prediction. :silly:
Under the old system, if you were typing accurately, you would just press the middle button without your eyes ever having to go up and find where you are typing. This would then prompt the next word prediction without ever having to look upto the message or down to press the spacebar.
Is there any way to get the Kit Kat keyboard into Lollipop. (Its a deal breaker for me and could influence the Moto X 2014 vs Nexus 6 decision!)
See attached Kit Kat and Lollipop. In the example, I'm trying to type, "The."

I just tried your scenario and it seems to be working fine on Lollipop.
As soon as I type 'T', the Google keyboard suggests the word 'The'. If I tap on that suggestion it then suggests the next predicted word.
If I type 'Th', it still suggests 'The' as the predicted word, but it also highlights or bolds the suggested word, indicating that I can hit the space bar to accept the suggested word 'The'.
If I go ahead and type the whole word 'The' without selecting the suggested word after either of the first two times it suggested it, it assumes I didn't want the word 'The' after all and suggests a different word.
Is that not the behavior you're seeing?

StringerE said:
I just tried your scenario and it seems to be working fine on Lollipop.
As soon as I type 'T', the Google keyboard suggests the word 'The'. If I tap on that suggestion it then suggests the next predicted word.
If I type 'Th', it still suggests 'The' as the predicted word, but it also highlights or bolds the suggested word, indicating that I can hit the space bar to accept the suggested word 'The'.
If I go ahead and type the whole word 'The' without selecting the suggested word after either of the first two times it suggested it, it assumes I didn't want the word 'The' after all and suggests a different word.
Is that not the behavior you're seeing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is also what I see in Lollipop. Whilst it seems logical, when you are swiping, you only tend to check the word when you have finished a swipe. In KK, this mean't always going to the suggestion bar and confirming which also mean't insert space and then mean't next word please. Your eyes need almost no movement.
In lollipop however, when you have finished the swipe, your eyes have to go all the way upto the text, find where you typed and check it is what you wanted, then go all the way down to the spacebar and press it to ask for the next word suggestion.
It just means you can swipe so much faster on KK than you can on LP as your eyes are having to work alot less. :crying:

For me, the L version seems to be better at determining what I'm trying to swipe without me having to check it. I usually go ahead and swipe out the 2-3 sentences I want in my text/reply/post/whatever and then go back and verify it says what I wanted to say. And I've found it has been more accurate on L than it was on KK. Any incorrect words I see at that point I click on and the suggested replacement is usually what I wanted. If I verified each word as I swiped it would definitely be slower.
In other words, I rarely select the suggested words. I just swipe out what I want to say without looking up and then go back and verify before sending. And it's typically pretty accurate.

Is anyone seeing really bad lag while typing? Maybe I just type too fast but after I think I'm done with a word I look at the screen and it's still spelling it. I have vibrate on key press on, popup on keypress on and the text correction on.

kgry said:
Is anyone seeing really bad lag while typing? Maybe I just type too fast but after I think I'm done with a word I look at the screen and it's still spelling it. I have vibrate on key press on, popup on keypress on and the text correction on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had no problems with keyboard lag and I'm using 5 on the Nexus 7 2013, (Which is a much slower device.)

IDK about Swype type input but tapping is worse with white on white keys. I fixed it by switching to the older theme. I realized my eyes play a part in my accuracy apparently because muscle memory isn't enough. It's weird.

MrObvious said:
IDK about Swype type input but tapping is worse with white on white keys. I fixed it by switching to the older theme. I realized my eyes play a part in my accuracy apparently because muscle memory isn't enough. It's weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's good that Google gave you the choice to switch back to the old keyboard look. I just wish Google would give me the option to switch back to the kit kat swipe functionality. I can't buy a nexus 6 until they fix this!

I faced the problem on android 5.0, did they solved on 5.1?

McGyver dei poveri said:
I faced the problem on android 5.0, did they solved on 5.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The keyboard still sucks in 5.0.2
I don't think 5.1 is out yet?

It's out but not for my note3... Only the LG keyboard is as fast and comfortable as this for me. A part the autocorrection problem, they also removed the option to remove the "change language button" it wastes space for nothing... Bah..
For example now I'm typing on the forum and I have to watch the super small text in the forum box ... I'm a lot slower than before that was in the center of the keyboard, and ofc I make more mistakes... Silly choice by google's engineers

For example now I'm typing on the forum and I have to watch the super small text in the forum box ... I'm a lot slower than before that was in the center of the keyboard, and ofc I make more mistakes... Silly choice by google's engineers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the problem I have. If Google don't sort it out in 5.1 I'm staying on kit kat for sure. I get what Google were trying to achieve but they need the option to do both kk and lollipop prediction methods.

Personally I hate it. I have had to type words like "complaint" dozens of times over even though my swiping technique hasn't changed because the software thinks I'm trying to type "composition". Now, mind you, I swipe over to the A and there is no A in "composition".

Any news from android 5.1?

McGyver dei poveri said:
Any news from android 5.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No change.

Argh!!! That really sucks. Looks like it's staying on kk for me. :crying:
Would be nice if someone could hack the Google keyboard :angel:

Just an update for people having the same issue as me in Lollipop.
On the Play store, there is an app called Jellybean Keyboard 4.3. :highfive:
This app pretty much gets around my issue with the Google Keyboard and has worked fine for the last week I've been testing it with only a few niggles:-
- Emotions requires a separate download.
- When the app updated a few days ago, it forgot what it had previously learned.
I still dont understand why Google Keyboard cant contain a tick box in the settings entitled, "Include typed word in suggestion box in Lollipop." :crying:

Oh dear god. I tried Lollipop once on my N4 - it was awful. Now I plan to switch to 5.1 and see how it is one more time (and check if there is better battery life) but that keyboard abomination still scares me and its sad to know that it still persists...
However I'll try to live with that - at least for one day - cuz I wanna try EuphoriaOS tommorow Maybe I'll try to install Google Keyboard from 4.4.4... Somehow.

Just go for the jellybean keyboard as above. :angel: