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just got my Acer Liquid with android.
i cant use my finger nail to touch the screen or use the onscreen keyboard with nail!
it' so much easier with resistance screen to use nail and 1 hand use!
you could glue a small magnet under your fingernail
i dont understand all this hype about capacitive screen. it really hard to type onscreen with finger and not nail!
and i dont understand all the hype about htc hd2 with capacitive screen, i dont want no freaking capcative screen!
i thinking of selling my acer liquid, i really dont like capcative screen!
Get used to it. It looks like all the begging and hype for capacitive means its not going away any time soon. Instead resistive seems to be on its last days.
I have heard though that someone was working on a dual cap/res screen. Now that would be useful.
jagnet said:
Get used to it. It looks like all the begging and hype for capacitive means its not going away any time soon. Instead resistive seems to be on its last days.
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Click to collapse
then i'm going to keep my Acer S200 neotouch with 1G cpu for awhile! just tried texting on capactive screen with 1 hand, and u have to press the whole thumb on screen and u always get the wrong letter. haha
i going to sell my Acer Liquid just got it today! email me if you in USA! haha
netnerd said:
then i'm going to keep my Acer S200 neotouch with 1G cpu for awhile! just tried texting on capactive screen with 1 hand, and u have to press the whole thumb on screen and u always get the wrong letter. haha
i going to sell my Acer Liquid just got it today! email me if you in USA! haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you got mail.
where are you located?
Assume this is the Euro version?
With capacitive screens you have to almost touch above where you want. Not just and edge of where you want. It's hard but you get used to it. I much prefer resistive though and that's why I won't buy the HD2 or the Hero. Eventhough I want Hero so bad.
I've havd plenty exprience with both types of screens and can do everything better on resistive. I can type so much faster and accurate and can hit the smallest of links.
Capcitive screens require large screens and buttons to work right. Why do you think all the icons and buttons on the iphone are big? Not cause your grandma wouldn't be able to see them if they were small but because it's more accurate if they are big. That way you don't have to be exact. You can be sloppy with the touches and still get what you want.
I pref capa they can take more abuse
and don't require as much pressure
Rudegar said:
I pref capa they can take more abuse
and don't require as much pressure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True but having that little pressure gives you more control of where you want to touch. And I like setting my thumb on the screen wthout actually pressing something unless I want.
Being able to press on the keyboard gives you a better feel and more control of hitting the right letter and faster because it feels more natueral.
But to each his own. Each has their pros and cons it's up to the individual to choose which combo of pros vs cons they prefer.
I would take accuracy and pressure presses over light presses and multi touch any day.
Resistive is getting more sensitive as the years go by. So I wouldn't call the tech dead. Resistive can also do multi touch. But Drivers and such have to be created and also the OS has to support it.
This is where I get confused. My fuze (Raphael) has a resistive screen but a capacitative d-pad. I have gscroll, which allows gestures and tapping on the d-pad. It may be a little less sensitive than using a finger, but it also responds fine to a nail. Maybe screen construction is different, though.
Yeah, and i got rid of my palm pre for the same reason, couldn't use it on my motorbike with the gloves on, went back to resistive with the acer f1, now biking and texting at the same time (NOT !)....
So far, I am underwhelmed by capacitive screen on Hero
HTC Touch Freak said:
With capacitive screens you have to almost touch above where you want. Not just and edge of where you want. It's hard but you get used to it.
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Click to collapse
I'm not used to it yet, but I've only been using my Hero for about a week... Right now it's stock from HTC, not rooted, so I have not even consulted the Hero thread here yet to see what tricks and rigs they've got going.
While I will agree it is smoother to touch and glide/slide your finger across screen to scroll or flip to next page, truthfully, even on my T-Mobile Wing, old tech but made golden by the ROM chefs and app developers, I have had no problem for years flipping up down in iContact contact list, and more recently on Nitrogen song lists, or through a long file directory via Total Commander. In fact, I have, so far, felt that on the resistive screen, a flick up or down can be done with different force or speed, and results in different speed of scrolling through the list and where the screen lands at stop... whereas on my capcitive screen Hero, when I am flicking up down a long list of Gmails, I seem to only get one speed, and it's very incremental, I can't flick it to get down to the bottom of the list as I have been able to do on my little old T-Mobile QVGA Wing.
Same with browsing a webpage, especially a long article, and wanting to flick to the bottom... Can't do it (yet, again, not sure what the rooted Heroes with XDA ROMS do there) on my capacitive Hero.
Likewise, take the newest UI app made for WM (resistive) devices: Androkkid from Simo -- It has a UI like the Hero/Android, and it is so easy to swipe the screen left to right to flick to next and previous pages. It glides, no resistance... on the resistive screen !
Now THAT move on the Hero's capacitive screen is for sure much smoother and requires the lightest of touches. So, win 1 for capacitive.
And with s2v (slide to view) and various photo apps including rescoe viewer, a quick rotational arc gesture of my finger on the screen flipped a photo from landscape to portrait -- not simply for viewing (which accelerometers arguably do simpler, but I have not found it the case yet; there's lag time) -- but also for cropping and editing a picture.
One of the big arguments FOR capacitive screens is multi-touch and the squeezing and pinching to control zoom levels. That myth got shattered with browsers like Opera mini 4.2 and skyfire, and Netfront and Iris, etc. Tap-tap to zoom is SO much easier, and less RSI (repetitive stress) on finger muscles just to perform these multiple pinch and squeeze actions. I have seen ZERO value so far in this supposed selling point of capacitive screens. And, conversely, the resistive screens handle zooms and size changes fairly effortlessly, and very intuitively. So, to me, that's a win for resistive.
I don't get it (yet)... I have found no gestures on the Hero, like swiping right to left to go BACK on a website, or in any app. As much as I absolutely love this new Hero, I didn't want this to be the case, but the ergonomics of holding the device, hitting the hardkey back button (which requires a serious push, not a soft touch), as well as having to push a manual key for MENU options? All really taxing on one's hands and finger muscles even after a short while like 15 minutes straight.
Please someone tell me that XDA has given the Hero, and its capcitive screen all sorts of really simple and smooth to touch gestures that I can program to replace any hardkey function, especially: Back key, Menu key, and even volume controls.... All much easier to control on the resistive screen. Slider control actions like a touchscreen volume control left to right? As many have said, the target area for the finger to hit the control is very unforgiving... I've had to try again several times in a row... vs on resistive screen, such controls are so easy to control , whether with my full finger tip, or with a fingernail, and the precise control of stopping and sliding is more precise on resistive, in my view. Again, win for resistive.
I much prefer resistive though and that's why I won't buy the HD2 or the Hero. Eventhough I want Hero so bad.
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Click to collapse
Are you paying attention? I can't quite say I am disapponted with the hero, because it is a stunning phone, with a great UI, and beautiful screen, and yes, shiny and elegant, with a great build quality. But if I can't discover gestures or ways to use touchscreen controls to bypass these hard-buttons, i can for sure say, no, it will grow tiring, I hate to say. Though again, i do not know what the new firmware will do, both Android's 2.1 and HTC's sense upgrade. (I know this has nothing to do with cap vs res screen, but I am really surprised by how stiff the hard buttons are on the hero. They feel like first generation calculators, vs the light touch keyboards from apple, for example.
I've havd plenty exprience with both types of screens and can do everything better on resistive. I can type so much faster and accurate and can hit the smallest of links.
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Click to collapse
Resistive wins HUGE here. I almost never used the hard keyboard on my wing. I have always preferred an on screen keyboard, for rapid entry, and composing longer messages. And the app I used this past year on my Wing is Finger Keyboard -- oh my god it is so more advanced than even the HTC soft keyboard on the Hero that is the makeover for the default android soft keyboard. From the UI and color differentiation of FingerKeyboard, to its multi-functions and programmable shortcut phrases, to the real petal to the metal consideration of my fingers hitting all the right keys -- FAR greater accuracy on the resistive keyboard with my finger, and, like you i do like using a stylus for tapping out longer messages, or for entering long passwords that are combos of numbers and letters, cap and lower case. The rapid tap sequencing on that resistive screen using a stylus to accomplish that is easily 3 times faster to enter a complex username and password for sites that require it. A big win for resistive. Not even close.
Capcitive screens require large screens and buttons to work right. Why do you think all the icons and buttons on the iphone are big? Not cause your grandma wouldn't be able to see them if they were small but because it's more accurate if they are big. That way you don't have to be exact. You can be sloppy with the touches and still get what you want.
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Click to collapse
But I will quibble: I don't think the decision tree of how to design the iphone began with -- oh, looks like we're going to need big icons because we're using capacitive screens. I think more likely it was Jobs swooningly saying "how do we fundamentally change the user experience of using a touch screen phone... And I'll bet that whole pinch zoom thing was more of the driver of "we MUST have multi-touch; therefore capacitive"... and the bigger icons were absolutely a usability design issue that solved for rapid selection of a large variety of items, even if the phone is mounted in your car near the steering wheel. I have to say, that was breakthrough thinking on their part, and the icon size issue should not be minimized as a "must make do with" reaction to the target accuracy of capacitive screens.
But yeah, I am with the original poster. But since I am new to capacitive all together, I am guessing there has been thread after thread of this same discussion 200 times over since the first iphone came out, and people were comparing it to WM devices.
So I hope someone can nevertheless explain to me: WHAT is the alleged advantage of capacitive other than pinch-zoom? I don;t get it at all.
Sadly
I think it is because WM is heading a a very very user friendly interface. Like the phone. There are trying to dumb the whole o.s. down and have the same things as the iphone has, to remain in the smart phone wars. Think this is all because of stupid apple
I agree, it's all a big trend to follow the iphone, a pity it's going to ruin whats great about WM in the process
I love my hero because of the capa screen, it looks so much better than the resistive ones, colour/clarity ect. i dont have to keep askin my mates " have you seen my stylus" lol and i dropped my ash tray on my hero the other day and not one scratch on the screen lol id hate to see the damage to my touch pro's screen if i did that lol
mancsoulja said:
I love my hero because of the capa screen, it looks so much better than the resistive ones, colour/clarity ect. i dont have to keep askin my mates " have you seen my stylus" lol and i dropped my ash tray on my hero the other day and not one scratch on the screen lol id hate to see the damage to my touch pro's screen if i did that lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because it is a capacitative screen doesn't mean that it is made of glass...
And I just can't wait till the multi-touch for resistive screens gets ported over to the TP2. It's already been proven to be possible on a larger screen, but hopefully it'll work on smaller screens. Still like resistive more than capacitative.
First of all, yes, I am calling it the mySlide 4G. But, my question is, how good is the keyboard? And I don't mean "how good is the keyboard compared to the [Insert Phone Name Here], I mean is the keyboard usable, does it get the job done, and can it be used fast? I have never owned a keyboard before so I am not super worried about adjusting, but in the time I (im)patiently wait for my phone to arrive, I thought I would get thoughts of what real users think of the keyboard. Despite watching/reading all the reviews of the mySlide, it's refreshing to find out what people who don't compare phones for a living think.
natehoch96 said:
First of all, yes, I am calling it the mySlide 4G. But, my question is, how good is the keyboard? And I don't mean "how good is the keyboard compared to the [Insert Phone Name Here], I mean is the keyboard usable, does it get the job done, and can it be used fast? I have never owned a keyboard before so I am not super worried about adjusting, but in the time I (im)patiently wait for my phone to arrive, I thought I would get thoughts of what real users think of the keyboard. Despite watching/reading all the reviews of the mySlide, it's refreshing to find out what people who don't compare phones for a living think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the keyboard, sure I wish it had a dedicated number row but no biggie. It feels great my fingers. The only thing I'd really change at this point is moving the .com button. I'm constantly hitting that when I want an "a". But I really don't understand why there are so many reviews trashing this keyboard. I'm very particular about my hard keyboards and this one fits in with my high standards.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
I think given the amount of real estate that the keys could use on the phone. That they are too tiny and close together. I'm constantly hitting keys I didnt mean to. And to reach some of them it feels akward, I have to reach further than feels natural. Namely the space bar feels too far to the left.
The response time seems fine. Keys work smoothly. It's just a bit off for me, and not really a comfortable keyboard to use. I'm sure I will adapt and eventually wont notice it anymore.
I really didn't think I would like the Slide's keyboard after using the Touch Pro 2 for so long, but it isn't that bad. The only thing I find myself doing is hitting the '.com' key more often than not when I want an 'a'. I've only had the phone since Tuesday, so I'm sure that with a little bit more time, it won't be an issue.
I think the keyboard is quite usable, and I can type at a relatively quick speed on it.
hah, funny how different typing styles result in different annoyances with the keyboard.
I'm quite liking it, personally. the G1 is still my favorite of the hw keyboard android phones I've had, but the slide is just fine. the only things I would change:
-the back button is pretty inconveniently placed for my typing style. it's not uncommon for me to be typing a sentence and when I end it I accidentally hit "back" and lose everything (unless it's a text or whatever that saves a draft). I also hit "menu" occasionally when typing a comma.
-tactile feedback. I like a nice "click" or at least a pronounced "smoosh" when I'm typing. with the slide, you almost can't tell you've pressed a key.
some things that I really like about it so far:
-however superfluous they may be, the leds at the top of the keyboard that tell you if you have caps or alt on. nice touch.
-spacing is nice. I look at, for comparison's sake, the D3 and can't imagine how anyone with hands bigger than a toddler can type accurately on it. the slide has good spacing and while I agree with azscrewloose on the size of the keys (they could be a smidgen larger), overall, it feels good even with huge hands like mine.
I've never used a slide-out keyboard before but all-in-all this phone feels really nice. The most awkward part for me is the spacebar but I love the www./.com button and caps lock/alt leds, it makes it easy to punch in numbers. The keys they chose to make default work very well. And I think once this phone gets root/s-off/overclock it's going to be a force to be reckoned with.
this phone qwerty and the rest of the hard buttons went kaput. broken. tried factory reset and did not help. these phones are pieces of crap. sending them back and done with android maybe. idk. htc dropped the ball on this one and tmobile lost customers. hope this helps some considering. dont do it.
fireinthesky2night said:
this phone qwerty and the rest of the hard buttons went kaput. broken. tried factory reset and did not help. these phones are pieces of crap. sending them back and done with android maybe. idk. htc dropped the ball on this one and tmobile lost customers. hope this helps some considering. dont do it.
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Click to collapse
lol... this happens with any phone from any manufacturer on any carrier. any electronic device, for that matter. it's called a hardware defect and sometimes it happens. get a replacement and get over it.
pmcqueen said:
-tactile feedback. I like a nice "click" or at least a pronounced "smoosh" when I'm typing. with the slide, you almost can't tell you've pressed a key.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was one of my worries. Although I have never owned a QWERTY keyboard phone, I imagine some tactile feedback would be nice.
fireinthesky2night said:
this phone qwerty and the rest of the hard buttons went kaput. broken. tried factory reset and did not help. these phones are pieces of crap. sending them back and done with android maybe. idk. htc dropped the ball on this one and tmobile lost customers. hope this helps some considering. dont do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I agree with pmcqueen, just because your phone had problems doesn't mean every phone did. And I certainly wouldn't get rid of Android due to this, it is a great and probably the most powerful phone OS out there. Get a replacement, I guarantee that it won't have the same problems. And if it does, contact T-Mobile and get a free Sensation and a discount on your plan or something lol.
I like the keyboard. I find typing on it to be a much better experience then some of the other phones i've tried, I don't run into the problem of hitting other keys I didn't mean to.
Seems like they are spaced just far enough apart, and raised to just the right height.
Another thing I like is that all the keys are backlit, so I can see them even when it's dim and the light from the screen makes everything around it hard to see.
The one thing I don't like is a lack of arrow keys, but I suppose I can live with that, even though it really sucks.
I like the combination .com and www. button, and the symbol button. The symbol button pops up a choice of symbols on the screen that you can tap to insert. Very helpful.
Blue6IX said:
I like the keyboard. I find typing on it to be a much better experience then some of the other phones i've tried, I don't run into the problem of hitting other keys I didn't mean to.
Seems like they are spaced just far enough apart, and raised to just the right height.
Another thing I like is that all the keys are backlit, so I can see them even when it's dim and the light from the screen makes everything around it hard to see.
The one thing I don't like is a lack of arrow keys, but I suppose I can live with that, even though it really sucks.
I like the combination .com and www. button, and the symbol button. The symbol button pops up a choice of symbols on the screen that you can tap to insert. Very helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do wish that the backlighting was more generous, but hopefully there will be an app for that once the phone is rooted.
Plus, for the arrow keys, the optical scroll pad works great!
Keyboard is not to my liking
I had the "mySlide 4G" for a week. I hated the keyboard. I have used a G2 a couple times, the slide fails to match that experience. I thought after a week I would get used to the keyboard, that did not happen. I hated it and returned the phone, even though i am currently phoneless I am not going to get that phone. I hate software keyboards so much, I thought this phone was going to be amazing. The keys are spaced to wide, I thought that would accommodate my fat fingers, but it was worst than the G2. I did not get the feedback I was expecting, the keys are a bit too far in for my taste. The slide mechanism felt flimsy after a couple days use and battery life was terrible compared to my previous nexus one.
TL;DR The keys do not have good feedback and are too far apart. Battery life is meh.
I would say it's on par with the other physical keyboards that HTC has released. I still think the G1 was the best, because of the number row....even though it took time getting use to holding it. So far I am having issues with the MTS4g, but I think it's because I am coming from the G2. Comparing the G2 to the MTS4G, the Alt and Shift keys are literally backwards. So I am constantly hitting Shift when I want to hit Alt, just because they are backwards and I am used to the G2 button location.
I just wish I could figure out what button I am hitting that shuts down my SMS in the middle of typing....that's starting to get annoying.
All in all, I would give this a 6.5 out of 10.
cberbes said:
I would say it's on par with the other physical keyboards that HTC has released. I still think the G1 was the best, because of the number row....even though it took time getting use to holding it. So far I am having issues with the MTS4g, but I think it's because I am coming from the G2. Comparing the G2 to the MTS4G, the Alt and Shift keys are literally backwards. So I am constantly hitting Shift when I want to hit Alt, just because they are backwards and I am used to the G2 button location.
I just wish I could figure out what button I am hitting that shuts down my SMS in the middle of typing....that's starting to get annoying.
All in all, I would give this a 6.5 out of 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
almost certainly the "Back" button on the SMS shutdown. if I remember right, the G2 just had a search and menu key on the keyboard... for better or worse, the MT4GS has [rather inconveniently if you ask me] placed a "back" key right next to the period. I regularly hit the back button when trying to punctuate properly.
so I guess I either look like a halfwit when making business communication or I have to deal with losing a few messages (usually they just save as drafts when I press back, but sometimes I lose them altogether) and start from scratch.
thankfully, though, s-off and permaroot are now officially right around the corner and we can remap these buttons. yayyyy.
The 4g slide's keyboard definitely needs some getting used to.
I LOVED the 3g slides keyboard and thought it would be pretty much the same.
The buttons are MUCH more sensitive and are taking time to get used to.
I liked the g2's buttons (as far as feel) better, and I liked the original slides the best. I've been reading that people have been keyboards that have different feels so you mileage may vary. I noticed pressure differences in the two 4g slides I bought (mine is ultra sensitive).
Once we have root, one of the FIRST things I'm doing is editing the keymappings and making the retarded www.com key a tab button. WTF are people that lazy that it warrants a dedicated key? I understand TAB with linux since it autocompletes and I use a shell and ssh a lot. Oh well.
pmcqueen said:
almost certainly the "Back" button on the SMS shutdown. if I remember right, the G2 just had a search and menu key on the keyboard... for better or worse, the MT4GS has [rather inconveniently if you ask me] placed a "back" key right next to the period. I regularly hit the back button when trying to punctuate properly.
so I guess I either look like a halfwit when making business communication or I have to deal with losing a few messages (usually they just save as drafts when I press back, but sometimes I lose them altogether) and start from scratch.
thankfully, though, s-off and permaroot are now officially right around the corner and we can remap these buttons. yayyyy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, that's it. Good call. I just looked at both of my keyboards and I think you nailed it on the head. Which of course brings up another issue with the physical keyboard....more of a software issue than anything. I can NOT get the physical keyboard set to auto-punctuate and auto-cap. With my G2 running CM7.1.0, I have auto punctuate and auto cap, so I don't have to worry about apostrophes, capitalizing "I", and what not, and double space ends the sentence.
I miss those features.
I'm getting used to the keyboards lack of tactile feedback but the lack of a dedicated number row is my biggest annoyance. If u could hold the buttons down and get the alt function that would help a lot. Hopefully a new rom can give us that option. I do miss my touch pro 2 kb...
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using XDA App
I'm on the fence about what I think. On one hand, I actually prefer having such wide spacing between keys, a shallow travel, and soft response. I'm the type of person who loves the keyboards on palm phones since the centro; I like that soft touch, and I like that I can input with my nails if i need to. But the problem for me is that response among keys is uneven, on my model at least, with the keys towards the outwards edges being perfect, whereas a few keys towards the center, like the "t" and "g", barely provide me with any feedback. So little that I was actually looking around to whether I can enable virtual keyboard sounds or vibration feedback when using the hardware keyboard. I wonder whether its just a quality control issue because I haven't seen others have problems with specific buttons like that, they might just not like the keyboard at all but I haven't read about an uneven response.
Which is a shame because otherwise the phone is absolutely spectacular, and imo the best overall android offering out there. I have no issues whatsoever with using a virtual keyboard, but given the possibility, I'd rather use a physical one to save real estate and for the sake of my fingers.
However, I've only had the phone for 2 days, and I have clearly noticed that the keys are "breaking in". It was much worse the first day, but now response has improved substantially. I can tell because some of the outer keys had little response as well before but now click more satisfactorily after I spent a good amount of time pressing keys randomly in the notes app to wear the keys in.
I like this keyboard a lot. The only thing that absolutely sucks about it is that when using it your hands cover the bluetooth radio. For me since I am constantly listening to music on my phone via my bluetooth headphones... I am constantly annoyed by skipping music during texting or browsing. So I generally use the touch screen keyboard while listening to music via bluetooth.
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using XDA App
On another note, does anybody know if their is a version of the stock gingerbread keyboard available with hardware spelling suggestions? The hardware keyboard is a lot more usable for me when used with suggestions. Better Keyboard has it and works well, but its prediction simply isn't as good as either gingerbread's or HTCs, mainly because it doesn't correct a lot of words where you type in an extra letter. And HTCs keyboard, though good as well, simply annoys me because it alwaayyysssss autocorrects "lol" to "LOL", which though minor, I find incredibly irksome when texting. No one uses caps for lol unless they are actually find something hilarious. Everybody knows that lol doesnt actually mean you're laughing out loud most of the time, lol. See? I didn't laugh.
One of the coolest features on ICS is the lack of capacitive buttons on the phone. the nexus has done it, the tablets have done it - why do companies like HTC and Samsung insist on using capacitive buttons on their ICS ready flagship phones? Isn't it time we get rid of these buttons once and for all?
Some people like or are used to buttons...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
While people still buy phones with buttons... manufacturers don't have reasons to change
I guess, cause users still like them..
I for myself, would love to have a trackball and I would even pay some bugs more to have a new ICS device with a trackball.
For sure, it's cool without any buttons, but usability of a trackball is unbeatable.
Sent from my Premium Xx
I think it will happen in the next round of phone releases. You can see with the new lines coming out that they have diminished the number of buttons transitioning, if you will, to the no button design.
The only advantage to having the physical buttons it's the screen realestate is not taken up by the nav bar. For example, the 4.65 in Galaxy Nexus is much smaller than the 4.7 in of the One X. As the nav bar buttons take up the bottom at all times, though im sure they still auto hide when necessary.
You get the idea...
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
I'm one of those old fashioned people who actually likes hard buttons on my phone. As I see it, I want fast access to the actual phone. I realize I'm one of a dying breed who likes the answer and end buttons, among others, but the main function of my phone is to be a phone. I like to be able to feel for the buttons in a dark room or in my pocket. I like that if my digitizer dies, I can still make and receive calls until a replacement arrives. Yes, hard buttons are just one more thing to go wrong, but they provide me with more benefits than anything.
-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities
cajunflavoredbob said:
I'm one of those old fashioned people who actually likes hard buttons on my phone. As I see it, I want fast access to the actual phone. I realize I'm one of a dying breed who likes the answer and end buttons, among others, but the main function of my phone is to be a phone. I like to be able to feel for the buttons in a dark room or in my pocket. I like that if my digitizer dies, I can still make and receive calls until a replacement arrives. Yes, hard buttons are just one more thing to go wrong, but they provide me with more benefits than anything.
-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Benefits of Capacitive and Hard keys out way the "cool factor" of the navigation bar.
~E.R.A.
Some people may like it. But I believe its essential. In case the screen freezes or touch stops responding theres always a hardware button to get through right?
I think sum people dont like to use touch phone..
I'm generally OK without mechanical buttons on the device. I do wish it had a dedicated camera button. Taking pictures by tapping the screen makes it much harder to get a good, quick picture.
I'd rather my row of four capacitative buttons than a few on screen icons. It bothers me when there is screen real estate not available to apps, as is the case when there are buttons there. I'm sure they can probably auto hide or whatever, but they are there at least some of the time and I'd rather just have them as buttons.
The on-screen buttons have a lot of disadvantages as well, one of them is you can't quick reset your phone. If touchscreen stops responding, you can do nothing!
A minimal button is at least needed!
Samsung does it to copy iPhone. All they care about is stealing users from Apple. Since most Apple users aren't sophisticated, they get scared when they see a phone with no buttons.
tahsin.arnob said:
The on-screen buttons have a lot of disadvantages as well, one of them is you can't quick reset your phone. If touchscreen stops responding, you can do nothing!
A minimal button is at least needed!
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Click to collapse
Well not necessarily true as power buttons more than likely won't go away, as well as volume buttons which can be used for a hard reset in the event the touch screen is unresponsive.
In Android devices, I want mechanical buttons. There ease the situations, like advanced user methods. However, on WP7 (f.e. Lumia 800/900) i dont want mechanical buttons, but capacitive yes. On-screen buttons? Danke, nein. Camera button wont standard at everywhere.
Sent from my Blade using XDA
Because some buttons are actually pretty necesary. Power button, for example. How else are you gonna use your phone?
Many times I do wish there were send and end buttons.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA
masondoctorjt said:
Many times I do wish there were send and end buttons.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA
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Yup. One of many reasons I still use my HD2.
IMHO none of the reasons listed so far makes sense. The Samsung Galaxy series has garnered enough reputation that people will buy the damn thing with or without buttons. I think it's something with their designers or someone further up in the company that got scared about lack of physical buttons (even though power and volume buttons are still there.)
hi guys...
since i started using an android phone i've been surprised of how the interface is poorly designed for the comfort of the user, one of the major issues for me is the "back button", and the problem is a lot worst with phones with screens over 4". everytime you need to go back you have to move your finger to the lower part of the phone where this button is located and if you dont have big hands it is very uncomfortable, it is even painful after a while,
i think that those buttons should be removed from android, now with ics and jellybean there is that software buttons that keep the same problem and also are a waste of space on the screen.
every app should have its own "back button" in some place that is easy to reach with your finger like the apps for the iphone ( dont kill me for using the iphone like an example in this particular aspect).
what do you guys think???
rodmc123 said:
hi guys...
since i started using an android phone i've been surprised of how the interface is poorly designed for the comfort of the user, one of the major issues for me is the "back button", and the problem is a lot worst with phones with screens over 4". everytime you need to go back you have to move your finger to the lower part of the phone where this button is located and if you dont have big hands it is very uncomfortable, it is even painful after a while,
i think that those buttons should be removed from android, now with ics and jellybean there is that software buttons that keep the same problem and also are a waste of space on the screen.
every app should have its own "back button" in some place that is easy to reach with your finger like the apps for the iphone ( dont kill me for using the iphone like an example in this particular aspect).
what do you guys think???
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Click to collapse
Well, iPhone has the back button embedded in the app and many are saying they need to implement dedicated back key in their phones. So its all about personal choice bro.
And I don't think Android needs to remove the back key and if you've used an iPhone you would know the hassle using it without a back button. Many iOS apps have back key located at various areas in their UI. So a normal user, who don't have much experience in using smartphones would get confused easily. But if dedicated back key is there, it makes all easy.
EDIT: Regarding the ICS/JB soft-keys option, if the manufactures think its a waste of space, they can simply disable it by modifying a line in one of the xml files. And if they decide they need not have to give their phones any hardware/capacitive buttons, they'll enable it. So google have given this feature as optional, and why would anyone think of removing that handy feature.
coolsandie said:
Well, iPhone has the back button embedded in the app and many are saying they need to implement dedicated back key in their phones. So its all about personal choice bro.
And I don't think Android needs to remove the back key and if you've used an iPhone you would know the hassle using it without a back button. Many iOS apps have back key located at various areas in their UI. So a normal user, who don't have much experience in using smartphones could get confused easily. But if dedicated back key is there, it makes all easy.
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i think the back button is useful, but this is an ergonomic problem.. i think having a back button in the app it is a better solution, the waste of space on the screen also sucks, and i doubt that some pepole could be confused by a button with a back-arrow icon on it
rodmc123 said:
i think the back button is useful, but this is an ergonomic problem.. i think having a back button in the app it is a better solution, the waste of space on the screen also sucks, and i doubt that some pepole could be confused by a button with a back-arrow icon on it
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After all, everyone gets a User-Manual with their phones. And every people that have paid for their new shiny phone would die to boot up fast and they'll look around, and by looking around they can easily know, the arrow stands for the Back key. :silly:
rodmc123 said:
i think the back button is useful, but this is an ergonomic problem.. i think having a back button in the app it is a better solution, the waste of space on the screen also sucks, and i doubt that some pepole could be confused by a button with a back-arrow icon on it
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The main problem of the iphones back button is, is that sometimes it had different words, its in different places within the app, and its not simply a back button sometimes.
For example, when I use the keyboard on iOS, I have to tap on an area in the screen to close the keyboard, whereas on android its just a simple tap of the back button. Its just extremely consistent and I found myself tapping the empty area next to the home button on an ipod touch more than a few times expecting there to be a back button.
Although I have never used something as big as the One X, I imagine it would be hard (as you said) to reach the button without risking dropping the phone. But then I guess you buy a phone that fits your hand size, not something too big that you know will be a hassle
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If you use your left hand to hold the phone, why can't u use your little finger of your left hand to press the back button (it's convenient to me)
If u use the right hand, u can use the thumb of the right hand to press back.
Just my advice, no offence
rodmc123 said:
i think the back button is useful, but this is an ergonomic problem.. i think having a back button in the app it is a better solution, the waste of space on the screen also sucks, and i doubt that some pepole could be confused by a button with a back-arrow icon on it
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You sound a bit like the commercial for the iphone5 with all that trollin arround here :laugh:
The 4" the sane size for a phone!!! -like speech etc.
If you don't like it you don't buy it. What is all that wining???
chaki- said:
You sound a bit like the commercial for the iphone5 with all that trollin arround here :laugh:
The 4" the sane size for a phone!!! -like speech etc.
If you don't like it you don't buy it. What is all that wining???
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this is not an iphone vs android discussion.. i do not say the back button is not useful the thing is that the location of the button is very uncomfortable in devices with a big screen if you dont have huge hands.
i like 4,3" and 4,7" screens thats why i have a 4,3 screen.. but with the back button down there, atleast for my hand size, it is very annoying to use.
really nobody else noticed this issue?? i mean your finger is most of the time at the middle of the screen and from there you move it like a compass to the upper and lowwer part of the screen, now take a phone with a 4,3 (or bigger) display and try to do that, you have to use your other hand or you have to somehow move the phone so the bottom (where the back button is located) is reachable for your finger and in that process you can drop the phone or end up with tendinitis after a long time of use.
Mitch_Faiz_555 said:
If you use your left hand to hold the phone, why can't u use your little finger of your left hand to press the back button (it's convenient to me)
If u use the right hand, u can use the thumb of the right hand to press back.
Just my advice, no offence
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sorry but what you say does not make any sense, your "little finger" might be ridiculously large and flexible to do that.
chaki- said:
You sound a bit like the commercial for the iphone5 with all that trollin arround here :laugh:
The 4" the sane size for a phone!!! -like speech etc.
If you don't like it you don't buy it. What is all that wining???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you know what is constructive criticism?? i like android, i like my phone i just wish they can improve the back button thing.. is that too much for you?
Personal preference. I like the dedicated back and menu buttons.
Never had a problem with them, makes switching or going through apps much faster than having to locate the back button on each app (which is not always obvious where they put it)
I'm asian. My fingers are relatively smaller than you guys but for me the buttons are very convenient to use. Mine is the S2.
Navigation bar is not a waste of the screen. Why? Because it's not just back key. There are recent apps and home too. For a futuristic full touch phone without any buttons, what do you expect for the alternatives of those 2 other keys? Gestures? That will be hard to be used.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
problem solved in ICS/JB
rodmc123 said:
sorry but what you say does not make any sense, your "little finger" might be ridiculously large and flexible to do that.
do you know what is constructive criticism?? i like android, i like my phone i just wish they can improve the back button thing.. is that too much for you?
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It's really is a personal choice.
I personally love the back button, have no problems using it with one hand, nor do with GF with her small hands and Optimus 4X HD, which is a larger phone than my Galaxy S2. Both of us cite the back button as a large factor contributing to the usability of Android.
If you don't like the back button, you can always switch to the iPhone. This is such a rare complain that I must say that you, OP, are in the sheer minority.
To add on, the fact that Windows Phone implements a back button as well shows that this is a feature that is beneficial rather than detrimental as you believe.
Logi_Ca1 said:
It's really is a personal choice.
I personally love the back button, have no problems using it with one hand, nor do with GF with her small hands and Optimus 4X HD, which is a larger phone than my Galaxy S2. Both of us cite the back button as a large factor contributing to the usability of Android.
If you don't like the back button, you can always switch to the iPhone. This is such a rare complain that I must say that you, OP, are in the sheer minority.
To add on, the fact that Windows Phone implements a back button as well shows that this is a feature that is beneficial rather than detrimental as you believe.
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i repeat, im not saying the back button is not useful!! all im saying is that the button is not well placed it is just an ergonomic problem.
for example, it would be a lot more easy to reach if they move to button to the side of the phone (contrary to the volume buttons), i know it sounds like weird place to put it, but if you take your phone you will notice that is a place where you always could easy reach the button without using your other hand or move the phone.
I like the back button too. As I don't need to rely on app developer to setup a back button
rodmc123 said:
i repeat, im not saying the back button is not useful!! all im saying is that the button is not well placed it is just an ergonomic problem.
for example, it would be a lot more easy to reach if they move to button to the side of the phone (contrary to the volume buttons), i know it sounds like weird place to put it, but if you take your phone you will notice that is a place where you always could easy reach the button without using your other hand or move the phone.
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You could use this app (requires root though) :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smart.swkey
It provides on screen functionality for navigation keys, which could be placed anywhere on the screen of your choice.
rodmc123, may I aks what device you are using? I believe it's also a manner of the ergonomics of the device itself. Many flagship devices have large screens and while design is nice, ergonomics may lose. I use the HTC One S momentarily (planning to rid it when new Nexus phones appeal), which is 2.56 by 5.15 inch, with a (screen) diagonal of 4.3 inch. That's too large for me to handle with one hand. Even though I'm not having much trouble using both hands most of the time, I do find it inconvinient I have to.
And indeed, there's the software button vs hardware button discussion. I believe it is simply mostly due to the ergonomics of the device itself, and depending on the OEM, software overlays creating additional bugs. Again, I'm a HTC user, got quite a bit of these stupid design flaws myself.
I can see the OP's point here, I started of with an HTC Hero which had quite a unique design with it's angled "chin" It was just the right size for one-handed operation. I upgraded to an HTC Sensation, being left handed, I run into trouble reaching the home button with my thumb. In fact using all the Hardware buttons at the bottom of the device does require shifting upwards in my palm.
It's got me wondering, would the hardware buttons be better off at the top? This being Android of course we don't need to wonder, we can try it out! Cyanogenmod for example allows full 360 rotation, although I might have to hack the Launcher a little bit to move the static app bar, I'm sure there was a setting for that pre-cm9, No matter it's just a case of editing the source or the layout xml. I'll just have to get used the upside down symbols.
Senzune said:
rodmc123, may I aks what device you are using? I believe it's also a manner of the ergonomics of the device itself. Many flagship devices have large screens and while design is nice, ergonomics may lose. I use the HTC One S momentarily (planning to rid it when new Nexus phones appeal), which is 2.56 by 5.15 inch, with a (screen) diagonal of 4.3 inch. That's too large for me to handle with one hand. Even though I'm not having much trouble using both hands most of the time, I do find it inconvinient I have to.
And indeed, there's the software button vs hardware button discussion. I believe it is simply mostly due to the ergonomics of the device itself, and depending on the OEM, software overlays creating additional bugs. Again, I'm a HTC user, got quite a bit of these stupid design flaws myself.
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i have a motorola atrix 2.. anyway i dont think its the ergonomics of this particular device, i think any phone with a big screen would have the same issue with the back button placed at the bottom.
like i said, at the opposite side of the volume buttons would be the best place if you think of the position of your hand and your fingers when you are holding the phone.
Sorry if this is a type of discussion that has been done before a lot.
However, I am posting this thread since I cannot find one.
I want to know your thoughts about on screen buttons.
It seems like Americans love them and my fellow Koreans hate them (no wonder why Samsung is swaying away from onscreen buttons (or they might be doing it since they do not want burn-in on their Amoled devices))
I personally hate it on phones and love it on tablets.
On phones, it is limiting already small screen space and leave the bottom bezel space wasted by not effectively using it. Also, unlike Google claimed, it does not seem like on screen button allows manufacturers to reduce bottom bezel (In fact, Nexus 4 seems to have slight bigger bezel than that of Optimus G) and many of phones with onscreen buttons have bottom bezel large enough to accommodate hardware buttons or their bottom bezels are actually larger than those with hardware. Also I found On-screen buttons are not intuitive (I am not able to press it without looking at it) and often interfere with the actual screen (eg, games, keyboards, camera, etc...), and the weird aspect ratio (15:9....)
On the other hand, on tablet, I think it is wonderful idea since capacitive buttons on a bezel are annoying when holding the tablet horizontally.
So, what is your thoughts?
Please share them!
I used to hate the on screen button..only because I came from a phone that had "push" buttons. Now they are not so bad once you get used to it. True it does take up some of the screen, there are some custom roms that allow you to hide it until needed.
Regardless I'll probably always rather have a button than on screen.
My least favorite is the physical home button found on many Samsung devices (as well as all Apple devices). I prefer the capacitive buttons found on the sgh-t989 for example, but I don't mind the on screen buttons.
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i dont like on screen buttons... wastage of space..that too when u only have 4.3" screen size
best are feather touch buttons...
I like having the hardware buttons personally since it does not detract from the screen size. I also like having a physical home button that I can press without having to look where I am pressing on the phone since I can feel it with my thumb.
I used to despise the idea of not having physical buttons. The idea seemed too foreign to me. But now that I have a Galaxy Nexus, I have grown to get used to the soft keys, and now I look forward to moving to all soft buttons...
The problem is why there is so thick bezel when there is no hardware/touch key.
Also it should increase the resolution height so the display ratio is still 16:9 excluding the onscreen button.
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I like the idea to have no physical buttons. As long as I get 16:9 excluding the software buttons.
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