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worrisome slider button

can anyone who has had his phone for more than 10 minutes confirm that the little silver slider button on the side of the phone will stay attached to it??
it seems awefully flimsy... (the scroll wheel also)
does this pose a problem?
i have not got to test it yet as i just picked it up from the UPS office.... I CANT WAIT!!

Seems ok.
The Microsoft UI is outdated but the hardware seems solid enough.

Unfortunantly, the slider and scroll wheel are a bit flimsy.

True those controls are rather unhandy (something like the apple iPod's naviagtional wheel would bet more appropriate) but you don't HAVE to use them.
Luckily the scrollwheel is also 4-directional buttons, and that makes up a lot.

ok, i am glad that its not only mine that feels that way, i thought maybe i got a defective unit, but if they are all that way then what can we do!?? hopefully they stay together for a bit.

mine too. just the slider though. but to be honest i haven't really used it until now.

Jackster said:
mine too. just the slider though. but to be honest i haven't really used it until now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll just add that my slider is also pretty loose and jiggles around in its housing. But oddly enough, it is really difficult to push up or down! I have to hook my fingernail on the little raised area in the middle of the slider and push up or down with some considerable force in order to get the volume to change. I changed it to be a scroller with AEButton plus, but it was pretty much unuseable because of this fact, so I changed it back to volume - and I hardly ever use it.
Anyone else with the same experience?

ye p i got the same problem lol.
it does seem like a delicate deivce.

No problems whatsoever, feels better than the same buttons on the Artemis (P3300). The scrollwheel is a lot more precise for functions like adjusting volume and zooming in on photos than any directional button with repeat function could ever be.

t_rik said:
it does seem like a delicate deivce.
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Click to collapse
Slider and scroll wheel shouldn't be a problem, after 14 months of very hard use the similar items on Artemis have no problems...

thanks... for the response to these questions.
one cant be too worried about a product that they just shelled out a bunch of $$$ for.
as someone said, the slider is really used that much, but the scroll wheel still feels extremely cheap to me.
maybe had they had put a bit of resistance on it it would feel more "attached"
anyway, thanks...

xrrkrrkx said:
thanks... for the response to these questions.
one cant be too worried about a product that they just shelled out a bunch of $$$ for.
as someone said, the slider is really used that much, but the scroll wheel still feels extremely cheap to me.
maybe had they had put a bit of resistance on it it would feel more "attached"
anyway, thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's funny - my scroll wheel is so tight that I can hardly get it to move! I have hold the TC in one hand and use my index finger in the other hand with pressure to get it to budge. Maybe it will loosen up with time. I hope so, cause it sucks for one handed use. Too bad we can't meet in the middle, xrrkrrkx!
Had to edit this post - I found that it was just because the air is so damn dry here this winter! My thumb is so dry, it just slips over the wheel instead of getting any friction. If I quickly lick the end of my thumb and then use the wheel, it works like a charm - just can't share my phone now! Now that I read this, that's probably more than you guys wanted to know!

How Useful is a Trackball or Pad in a Touchscreen Phone?

I've never had a touch screen phone. The only touch screen device I've had is a Palm IIIxe. Yeah, I guess I'm dating myself here. All of my phones have had hardware buttons with some sort of D-pad. I'm considering finally getting a touchscreen device (EVO) and I'm wondering what you guys think about alternative cursor controls in combination with a touchscreen.
The G1 had a trackball. As does the Nexus One. Several Android devices now have optical pads in place of the trackball. And some other devices have hard d-pads.
My question is thus:
What do you guys think about having an extra way to input on a touchscreen phone? Do you find yourself using it often? Hardly at all? Would you rather have that extra space as more screen (or something else)? And which do you prefer? Optical, hard d-pad, or trackball?
Just trying to get some discussion and some thoughts going.
Thanks.

Minjin said:
I've never had a touch screen phone. The only touch screen device I've had is a Palm IIIxe. Yeah, I guess I'm dating myself here. All of my phones have had hardware buttons with some sort of D-pad. I'm considering finally getting a touchscreen device (EVO) and I'm wondering what you guys think about alternative cursor controls in combination with a touchscreen.
The G1 had a trackball. As does the Nexus One. Several Android devices now have optical pads in place of the trackball. And some other devices have hard d-pads.
My question is thus:
What do you guys think about having an extra way to input on a touchscreen phone? Do you find yourself using it often? Hardly at all? Would you rather have that extra space as more screen (or something else)? And which do you prefer? Optical, hard d-pad, or trackball?
Just trying to get some discussion and some thoughts going.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Optical track ball looks sweet, but it's alot finickery than the trackball itself. I can old see a d-pad for games, that's it.

it is GREAT for selecting texts. i think track ball is the best as it feels the most smooth and have some physical feedback.

I'm happy to have it. It would honestly draw me away from the phone if it didn't have a trackball. I constantly use it, it's kinda just natural.

my x1 got an optical actionpad and it's pretty jittery close to useless

It's a great optional way to input, edit, etc. Plus changing colors for diff events is awesome...Luv it on my Nexus!

I love the trackball on my Nexus, just makes it WAY easier to correct text, instead of tapping around till you find the right spot, you just go there. Now I will be buying an Evo, and I'll get used to it, I did it on my iPhone & I do fine without it on my Droid, but it will be missed.

I've heard trackballs don't last as long. Is this true?

I love my trackball it makes things easy

How does it work exactly? Do you get a mouse pointer? Or are the trackballs movements just translated into up/down/left/right?
A mouse pointer would be sweet....

I love the trackball. On my G1, it is no longer perfect, but still does the job.
I have just got a Desire as a new work phone, and the optical track ball SUCKS. So dissapointed. It's going back! I'm either going to wait for a keyboard phone or get an N1.
MooGoo said:
How does it work exactly? Do you get a mouse pointer? Or are the trackballs movements just translated into up/down/left/right?
A mouse pointer would be sweet....
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You get a mouse pointer in Opera 5. I like having it.
Is it mini or mobile? I can't remember.

TrackballS tend to get dirty and jam, this happend to almost all my phones that had them (especially BB's). Now that I have a phone with the optical pad, I find it more stylish, durable, comfortable and reliable. It just took a little getting used to at first. Im sure most phones from now on will be using the pad over the ball. Trackballs are so 2009.

it's 2008, not 2009
optical trackpad has been out for too long and I think it's better. I don't know how can you guys use the trackball and not get it dirty :-s
and on android phone I don't need either of those, I use volume key to move the cursor, and it's good enough for me

I use it mainly for moving my cursor in a text, copying text.
Sometimes I use it for scrolling through a list or a document.
Little use overall, but I'm happy it's there when I need it.

benoitb85 said:
I use it mainly for moving my cursor in a text, copying text.
Sometimes I use it for scrolling through a list or a document.
Little use overall, but I'm happy it's there when I need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, it is rarely used, but selecting text/moving the cursor around a text field with the optical sensor is bad. You can only jump 1 character at a time.
As I mentioned before, it's great having the mouse pointer in Opera, and the trackball complements it great. The optical is no good at all with this, as it only moves up/down and left/right, not diagonally, and only in small steps.
I have had my G1 for ages, without a case, and the trackball, while not as good as new, still blows the optical sensor away.
I don't think it matters what year it is, there are advantages to the trackball over the optical.

I like the trackpad and the hardware d-pad of my Xperia X1. They enable me to use my phone singlehandedly whenever I need to. It's also nice to scroll through lists. And last but not least one or two more opitions to control your device can never be bad.

very useful, you cant navigate the bootloader without it.
i smashed my phone yesterday and im glad i have the hardware buttons including the trackball
i managed to backup everything without touch input! win

the track ball would keep me away from the g1, nexus one and any other phone that has it. i never understood it nor did i see the need for it. i've played with them on my friends phones and have not felt comfortable using them. but it does seem like others have found them valuable so i guess its safest to say that they are not for everybody.

hannspree 10st1

Well i have been lurking and reading as much as I can.
I have an evo and became a flash-aholic, so naturally I wanted a Tablet
I have read many reviews, articles, and the like. and decided to take a chance. I like a challenge and wanted to be kind of a pioneer so here is my two cents
the "Hannspree" is an SMB-a1007, very similar to the gtab except for the soft buttons on the screen are different.
I got the tablet from a__z for 299 free ship and I do like it.
so here is what I have found
1) it has a 1.2-4204 bootloader, so its 1.2 right from the start.
2) for some reason, and I am sure i will figure it out, the "2.6.32.9-00001-g0e0c333-dirty hudson at tapntapsvn #5" is the only kernel i can find the supports the soft buttons on the screen. home, set, back.
3) I tried to flash a 1.1 rom before I knew better and ended with a bootloop on the tap n tap logo.
nvflash 1.2 -4239 "thanks Roebeet"
that fixed but I must then restore the a factory load from hannspree, currently 1.2-4204. to restore buttons on both the system and in recovery which is "android recovery (3e)???
4) I messed around with diff 1.2 roms and substituting the original boot.img and recovery.img into Brilliant Corners and the like, I have a good working rom.
5)with the standard 1.2 (4329, or BC of LC) rom image the volume keys are backwards and soft buttons are inop. and in recovery the volume keys are the only ones that work, the power is inop as well as soft keys. but other wise very stable and fast.
6) Bottle of smoke loads, and runs, but.... there are no soft buttons, and for some reason the bottom taskbar is missing????
well I can answer anything if anyone wants to know?

Should have bought a GTab.

I know, but I love to have a little project and this is something that no one seems to be working on.

Flhx73 said:
I know, but I love to have a little project and this is something that no one seems to be working on.
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Click to collapse
Because it is not a GTab.

Good luck and enjoy your tablet!

Does the display on this tablet have all the viewing angle issues we have with the gTab?

I realy don't have viewing issue at all. Only a bit with the sun at my back but the only bad angle is on the right side. Looking t a really tilted angle. Straight on its great. I am running and NI adam HC14 from quite well

Flhx73 said:
well I can answer anything if anyone wants to know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please, tell me how can I disable the standard interface and instead of it to use another full featured. A friend of mine (who own) asked me that but I have not experience with tablets.
He wants to keep the guaranty.
Hannspree specifications looks good but its interface is really slow.
Thanks!

LeopardSurd said:
Please, tell me how can I disable the standard interface and instead of it to use another full featured. A friend of mine (who own) asked me that but I have not experience with tablets.
He wants to keep the guaranty.
Hannspree specifications looks good but its interface is really slow.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look into launchers, for example I use 'VTL Launcher'. It replaces your home screen, allows you to change the number of rows/columns, have 3 app docks (left, right, bottom). It's available on the Android Market.
But lags due to the launcher and lags due to the ROM/kernel are seperate issues, so YMMV.

mike_ekim said:
Look into launchers, for example I use 'VTL Launcher'. It replaces your home screen, allows you to change the number of rows/columns, have 3 app docks (left, right, bottom). It's available on the Android Market.
But lags due to the launcher and lags due to the ROM/kernel are seperate issues, so YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the suggestion but what is that: YMMV?

your mileage may vary

i installed LauncherPro.
Its great.
Fast and smooth.
the only thing i need now is support for the tablet (from xda)

mouse pointer after 3.2 update

Hi guys
After the 3.2 update i have very strange mouse pointer
Can I change this?
Thanks

yes the circle pointer lol nobody has made a mod to change it back as of yet.

i think if you use a BT/USB mouse it goes back to the normal pointer...
why they thought a circle was better is beyond me.

i really don't understand what are they thinking about

No offense to the OP, but IMO people need to search more before posting new topics. This is roughly the 23rd thread on the crappy new circular pointer. If for no other reason besides ease of reviewing information, consolidating your comments within an existing thread on the topic is beneficial to everyone.

The circle lets you see how the touchpad is detecting inputs when you're doing gestures. Other than that, it seems pretty useless. Just some fancy fx thing.

adiliyo said:
i think if you use a BT/USB mouse it goes back to the normal pointer...
why they thought a circle was better is beyond me.
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Click to collapse
Because it also shows your trackpad gestures, I really like it, and can definately see a benefit with it over a regular pointer.

MAKES THIS THING USELESS FOR RDP/VNC!!!!
Man, Asus has been good about stuff, but this is the worst idea ever.

The new pointer is just awful. I was hoping to see a fix for it already

Circle pointer is more intuitive than the original pointer, when used for gestures, scrolling, clicking etc. It simulates ones actions on the screen, on the trackpad. It ofcourse changes to the normal pointer when using external mouse. I have been quite impressed with its usefulness but then horses for courses. Just use it for a while, and your horizons may broaden

SugarPuff said:
Circle pointer is more intuitive than the original pointer, when used for gestures, scrolling, clicking etc. It simulates ones actions on the screen, on the trackpad. It ofcourse changes to the normal pointer when using external mouse. I have been quite impressed with its usefulness but then horses for courses. Just use it for a while, and your horizons may broaden
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Click to collapse
+1
I really hope don't make a rash change to the new pointer (which I like), based off a few people that "don't get it"...
For those of us that "do get it", seeing the gestures is invaluable.

Rather than "rash changes", why not give us the option to change it back?
Hide it in the Settings page if you want, but I thought Android was supposed to be about choice and customisation, not just "Do things our way and like it".
If that was the attitude I was interested in, I'd have sold my soul to the iCult of Jobs by now.
All that posturing aside, I had about 3 minutes with the new cursor before RMAing my dock, so I haven't had a lot of time to see if it gets better with use.

Mr.Clark said:
Rather than "rash changes", why not give us the option to change it back?
Hide it in the Settings page if you want, but I thought Android was supposed to be about choice and customisation, not just "Do things our way and like it".
If that was the attitude I was interested in, I'd have sold my soul to the iCult of Jobs by now.
All that posturing aside, I had about 3 minutes with the new cursor before RMAing my dock, so I haven't had a lot of time to see if it gets better withio use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choice an customisation is all there, where would you like me to start, but then a line has to be drawn somewhere wouldn't you say? It's not like iphone/ipad where one is only allowed to change the icon position on a screen, is it now?
Regards your RMAing the dock after 3 minutes; not enough time. Should have given it atleast 5 minutes

SugarPuff said:
Circle pointer is more intuitive than the original pointer, when used for gestures, scrolling, clicking etc. It simulates ones actions on the screen, on the trackpad. It ofcourse changes to the normal pointer when using external mouse. I have been quite impressed with its usefulness but then horses for courses. Just use it for a while, and your horizons may broaden
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CrazyPeter said:
+1
I really hope don't make a rash change to the new pointer (which I like), based off a few people that "don't get it"...
For those of us that "do get it", seeing the gestures is invaluable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see the usefulness, but have you it makes scrolling in the browser jerky and annoying, as if you don't move your fingers perfectly straight, it zooms in and out. It also is incredibly non-precise when doing anything in an RDP/VNC app.
I'm all for giving a one button click in the settings that will give me my old one back. Just because it has a few benefits (gestures) that some of you like, does not mean that it is great for everyone.

Well for some of you who don't like it they would either have to use external mouse or play with it, hoping that Icecream Sandwich/Asus FW would grant them their extra setting. For the time being though they are lumbered with it. Simples tch tch
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

iIts complete rubbish why have a mouse pad that dose the same as touching the screen? why not just use the screen i wanted the dock to act like a laptop its way to big to click anything precisely. stupid scrolling switched around its just pure gay if u ask me hope someone comes out with a hack

tay200k said:
iIts complete rubbish why have a mouse pad that dose the same as touching the screen? why not just use the screen i wanted the dock to act like a laptop its way to big to click anything precisely. stupid scrolling switched around its just pure gay if u ask me hope someone comes out with a hack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've found myself using the screen a LOT more since the 3.2 update. Trying to use the trackpad is rather batty IMHO.

At least put crosshairs in the circle.

I think it's a lot better, much to my surprise. Aside from the vertical scrolling that is very counter intuitive with a trackpad, it has several awesome advantages... the pointer stays in place when scrolling, the scrolling actually WORKS (try it on 3.1 with Tapatalk, then agree with me), it dosen't lack precision as after all, it's in the center of the circle that the click will originate. Pinch to zoom is cool and I rarely get it instead of scrolling.
All in all I like it, and I also agree that this sort of things needs a setting to be restored as it's unavoidable to piss off many users.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

^^ I agree, the circle is fine. I actually liked it a lot. Just wish the circle is a bit smaller, that's all.

[Q] "Natural Scrolling" using mouse on T700 dock?

Does anybody know if it is possible to enable opposite scrolling on the T700 Dock mousepad similar to that on macbook trackpads? The current scrolling is too awkward with me, especially with multitouch gestures.

Opposite scrolling? Meaning you scroll up and the screen goes down? That sounds illogical and unnatural... Rather like pushing up on the lift when you want to go to the basement...
I have no idea if it can be done.

ShadowLea said:
Opposite scrolling? Meaning you scroll up and the screen goes down? That sounds illogical and unnatural... Rather like pushing up on the lift when you want to go to the basement...
I have no idea if it can be done.
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Click to collapse
Yep pretty much. If you have tried it on a macbook, it isn't as odd as it sounds and once you start using it, it seems much more natural.

NirmK96 said:
Yep pretty much. If you have tried it on a macbook, it isn't as odd as it sounds and once you start using it, it seems much more natural.
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Click to collapse
I've tried a macbook. Nothing about that thing felt natural. (As a designer I am often illfated to using a Mac... I hate being forced to do things one specific pre-chosen-by-someone-else way and be left with no free will of my own. Creativity is doing things outside the box, a Mac is a 50meter-solid-walled concrete cell.)
I have tried it, I'm a gamer, the one thing I hate almost as much as online DRM is an inversed Y-axis.