[Q] The software buttons on Android – are they customizable? - General Questions and Answers

So with all the buzz around the new Xperia Z I am really impressed by it. So impressed I'm counting down the days until it becomes publicly available already. But I really dislike the software keys on Android as I'm just so used to the capacitive type and mapping them to whatever I so desire.
To be succinct about this – with a rooted Xperia Z will I be able to, for e.g. change the multi-task software button and make it a constant software menu button down in the control dock (if you will), similar to what I can do on the One X? I just tend to have all my quick apps on my first homescreen so I very rarely ever even use the built-in app switcher tiles and just go for the more conventional option of backing out to the home screen and then into what app I do so desire. Not to mention that having the menu button in all sorts of places on the display (some in the top right corner, others on the very bottom of the screen etc.) can get a little tedious and frustrating.
Thanks in advance.

Related

The touchpro "D-Pad"

Apologies if this has been thoroughly covered, I went back 4-5 pages in each forum but didn't see anything.
From what I can gather from reviews and youtube videos the D-pad on the Touch pro works like a standard D-pad, and when in opera can be used to zoom in by circling it with a finger like a click wheel on an Ipod. Is it possible to modify it to work as a scroll wheel instead of a "zoom wheel". I know this isn't an option out of the box, but is it something that's possible, or being worked on?
I'm considering from the tilt, and while I've convinced myself that I don't need the hard left and right buttons, or the email & browser buttons, I'm not sure I'll be able to get used to working without any kind of jog dial/scroll wheel.
I think it's been asked and the answer is not yet.
The D-pad is one of the things I really don't like about the phone though, the buttons are all on the same plane, not separated in any way, and that makes it very difficult to differentiate the d-pad from the home/back/send/end buttons. I didn't find it was a problem until playing games, when I kept minimizing the window by hitting the Back button.
oh... the touch pro has a d-pad??? omg ive had the phone for almost a month and i only just discovered it. i thought it was just a scroll thing. its really hard to press though..
Black93300ZX said:
I think it's been asked and the answer is not yet.
The D-pad is one of the things I really don't like about the phone though, the buttons are all on the same plane, not separated in any way, and that makes it very difficult to differentiate the d-pad from the home/back/send/end buttons. I didn't find it was a problem until playing games, when I kept minimizing the window by hitting the Back button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I don't really play a whole lot of games on my phone, but I do read a lot of really long email threads, and more importantly, when I'm bored I read sites like overheardinnewyork.com which is basically a lot of text to scroll through.
I'm getting the feeling that I'm going to have to find a way to "play" with a TP and see if I love it or not. I went 8125, x01ht, tilt, and now I'm looking to upgrade. but if this phone isn't going to rock me, I'll hold out (for what I don't know).
As much as I like flashing new roms to my tilt, it seems all anyone does is try to rip the best features from other phones...so at some point I might as well just get the other phone.
Diamond Tweak 0.5.3 allows you to enable d-pad scrolling for some applications.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=409540
(you need to soft-reset after you have changed options)
dougalls said:
Diamond Tweak 0.5.3 allows you to enable d-pad scrolling for some applications.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=409540
(you need to soft-reset after you have changed options)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, looks promising. Have you tried it? I just can't imagine I'd ever use the zoom feature, although up to now I've used opera mini, so perhaps after switching to opera mobile I'd change my mind. But I'm still pretty sure I'd prefer to double tap the screen to zoom, and have another means of scrolling.
I have tried it and it works well for contacts (useful), programs etc but does not work with my Yahoo inbox (possibly due to the ROM I am using - ROmeOS v1.22) and it does not replace the zoom in opera. You can set up custom applications in DiamondTweak so it may be possible to overcome any differences between ROM's by setting up a custom application. I do use the zoom in opera so wouldn't want to replace it.
You can still double tap to zoom in/out on opera, as well as the wheel - the wheel lets you zoom in/out in small increments, double tapping toggles between full page and zoomed in.
DesCo said:
Hmmm, looks promising. Have you tried it? I just can't imagine I'd ever use the zoom feature, although up to now I've used opera mini, so perhaps after switching to opera mobile I'd change my mind. But I'm still pretty sure I'd prefer to double tap the screen to zoom, and have another means of scrolling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think about this, with Opera Mobile you'll only have 2 levels of zoom ("in" or "out") unless you use the wheel to zoom. I liked being able to use it to fine tune and get things to look just right, but that's me. Try it out and see what you think.
With newer versions of Opera Mobile, there is now an on-screen zoom slider that adds a "tap and slide" button for incremental zooming. Now I find myself wanting an alternative to scrolling, since my finger otherwise covers up part of the screen and might accidentally click a link. Unfortunately the arrows and dpad don't scroll the page but instead jump from link to link.
This has been one detail (although a minor detail) that has made be begin to consider replacing my TP with the X1, since the X1's optical sensor dpad apparently provides scrolling functionality.
DesCo said:
Hmmm, looks promising. Have you tried it? I just can't imagine I'd ever use the zoom feature, although up to now I've used opera mini, so perhaps after switching to opera mobile I'd change my mind. But I'm still pretty sure I'd prefer to double tap the screen to zoom, and have another means of scrolling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use advance config 3.3 ........search for the link
go to options, click smart touch and it allows you to add any application, where in touch wheel (above D Pad) can be used for scrolling......i use it for contacts, file manager, program, call history, phone window, mails, messages and its really usefull and very cool........i dont use it for opera and internet explorer and use it for zooming as put in default
~
Kingjack
Thanks for the info. As I said, I haven't picked up the TP yet, I'm holding out for the Fuze (or a reasonably priced GSM model).
To change gears a bit, I'm curious, what kind of difference do people see in using cooked Roms on this device. I only ask because as a Kaiser user I'm used to using Roms because they incorporate features from the latest equipment. But as this is among the newest models out, and a "flagship" phone so to speak...is there much of an advantage over say a stock ATT rom minus the bloat? I enjoy high level of customization, and being able to pick my features, but as this is a relatively new device, I don't want to go through the trouble of unlocking and flashing if there isn't going to be a real gain in performance/features, or if it's going to impact performance (like trying to run Manilla 2d on a Kaiser, and pretending that a 5 second screen rotate time is ok)
PS: just for the record, despite my incredibly low post count, I've been lurking on the board for ~2 years...I'm not some (I hate this word) newb asking "what rom is best" or "can someone explain to me how to XXX reading the Wiki is too much work"...just wanted to throw that out there.
Volume buttons for scroll
Review on wmexperts of Sprint Touch Pro has the information below in the comments area. Looks like the reviewer followed up with the statement that he used AE Buttons to remap the volume buttons on the side, where the scroll wheel is on 8525/Tilt to scroll up and down with each click. I don't have Fuze, but it seems like this would work on it as well, I don't think it's a free softare though.
http://www.wmexperts.com/reviews/smartphones/review_24_hours_with_the_sprin.html
Buttons: I have successfully used AE Buttons to successfully remap the volume up and down buttons. I have the volume down button set at one click to scroll down and a log click for OK/Enter. The volume up button is set at one to scroll up and the log click Alt/Tab Wisbar's switch utility. I have also remapped the Back button to OK/Enter. The Home button now brings down the Start Menu on a single click and Email when I hold it down. This has made life a lot easier and has in virtually increased my available hardware buttons to a more comfortable level of usable buttons.
cparkhorn said:
Review on wmexperts of Sprint Touch Pro has the information below in the comments area. Looks like the reviewer followed up with the statement that he used AE Buttons to remap the volume buttons on the side, where the scroll wheel is on 8525/Tilt to scroll up and down with each click. I don't have Fuze, but it seems like this would work on it as well, I don't think it's a free softare though.
http://www.wmexperts.com/reviews/smartphones/review_24_hours_with_the_sprin.html
Buttons: I have successfully used AE Buttons to successfully remap the volume up and down buttons. I have the volume down button set at one click to scroll down and a log click for OK/Enter. The volume up button is set at one to scroll up and the log click Alt/Tab Wisbar's switch utility. I have also remapped the Back button to OK/Enter. The Home button now brings down the Start Menu on a single click and Email when I hold it down. This has made life a lot easier and has in virtually increased my available hardware buttons to a more comfortable level of usable buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How have you managed to get AEButton working on your home button?
I found that the home and back buttons seem to be "hard coded" to do their tasks, and AEbutton only assigns an *additional* task to each button. In other words, when I press Home for start menu, it first goes home, and then opens start. If I map the back button to Camera, it first goes back an application screen, then launches camera. Very annoying. The only buttons I found AEButton works with is the vol up and down. Is there a trick I'm missing?

[Q] Which phones have soft buttons like N4?

Hello all, I hope this is the right place for my question.
I'm 16 years old, I'm disabled since I was born (S.M.A 2).
I'm looking to buy a Smartphone, after I found accessories that allow me to use it by myself (BT mouse and a headset - Marque 165).
The main problem now is that all the phones I've seen, except the Nexus 4 (which has BT problems) and the Xperia Z (which is too expensive) don't have the navigation bar / software on screen buttons.
I need that to do the 'home' and 'back' actions independently with my mouse (I can't click the right mouse button).
I don't want to use apps, like 'button savior' , and I prefer to NOT mess up with rooting, because I don't know how to and if it doesn't work - the phone isn't good for my physical needs...
That's why I need your help:
Are there any phones with built-in navigation bar / software on screen buttons like the N4?
If there aren't any phones with navigation bar / software on screen buttons, can I add it easily and safety to a phone like the Galaxy S Advance or any other phone?
Thanks!

Hallelujah! Samsung is finally ditching the old Android Menu button

I am so happy about this. Samsung was breaking my balls with this. Finally....
http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/23359/samsung-android-menu-button
Lol they can dump the rest of it......
why this good news i like the menu button
pnr2020 said:
why this good news i like the menu button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The menu button is objectively... wrong!
The first relates to Samsung's decision to include the Menu button -- an element Google removed from the platform at the start of the 4.0 era. The old-style Menu button was eliminated for a specific reason: On button-free devices, a special onscreen icon signals the presence of functions related to the OS or to specific applications -- functions like accessing advanced settings in Gmail, requesting a desktop version of a website in Chrome, or viewing your list of installed apps in the Play Store. In Samsung's setup, there's nothing to let you know when those options are available unless you think to tap the Menu button at the right time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti...iew_A_real_world_evaluation?pageNumber=2#goto
http://blogs.computerworld.com/smartphones/22921/7-silly-things-galaxy-note-3#buttons
To bad I liked the button to
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
jastonas said:
I am so happy about this. Samsung was breaking my balls with this. Finally....
http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/23359/samsung-android-menu-button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not too bothered about the menu button, although obviously best Samsung move with the design of android. Would have rather they had changed the physical home button to a capacitive one. Although I dont see them changing that one anytime soon, because if they do that they might as well use on screen buttons, which would mean a slight decrease in screen size and perhaps the loss of their identity (as it would resemble a nexus/other brand phone).
I like the menu/back and the physical home button is one of the reasons i like them
each to there own and all that crap.
After my beloved HTC Incredible S, I vowed never to get another HTC as they had removed the menu button, leaving just 2 buttons.
First the incredibly useful search button gets removed off Android, now this.
If I wanted pretty much no buttons I'd go for an iPhone. But I don't - I want easy control over my phone and not having to rely on the touchscreen for every single command! :crying:
Yea, there's nothing wrong with that button. I like it!
Hardware menu button is logical and very intuitive. Instead of search and explore sometimes awkward interface, i can press menu button and get menu. Also, not every app looks good with always visible menu button. I'm using 3rd party dialer where only dial keyboard and call log/contacts are visible. Where to put menu button? Make whole bar just for this button? It's lame! And there are many other apps where on-screen menu button will look like 5th leg for dog.
I like present Samsung button layout and would like to have it in the future phones.
they should 100 % keep menu button its just nice having physical button will really miss it
they should keep the physical button i have no problem with it
I love the menu button!
My old HTC One S had a recent apps button instead of menu. All EVERY custom ROM ever did was remap it to menu! What I hope sammy does is ditch the physical home button and go metal!!
Actual buttons setup is very good (only difference from nexus is menu button instead of multitasking button). But multitasking is already accessible through home button (like in ios) and menu button is smart (don't have to search for the 3 dots). Removing it is a bad move, samsung would ditch one of its best intuition.
Sent from my Galaxy S4
Menu button is definitely needed especially on big screens because on screen menu button is at the top! I hope it stays on the future galaxy phones.
gsmyth said:
Not too bothered about the menu button, although obviously best Samsung move with the design of android. Would have rather they had changed the physical home button to a capacitive one. Although I dont see them changing that one anytime soon, because if they do that they might as well use on screen buttons, which would mean a slight decrease in screen size and perhaps the loss of their identity (as it would resemble a nexus/other brand phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually physical home button is one of my favourite features on Samsung phones. It just makes it so easy to wake up the phone (yes - i'm left handed, so power button on the right side is not very comfortable for me!), but also to answer a call. Especially when using gloves and/or S View pouch that i have.
I will be ditching Samsung next year when I am due for upgrade. They should ditch their crapwiz as well.
windozeanti said:
I will be ditching Samsung next year when I am due for upgrade. They should ditch their crapwiz as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that they are changing touchwiz?
First of all...f*ck you Samsung!
There, I got it out of my system now..
I knew android had this button since always and I always used it since my first smartphone, the Galaxy S I9000.
I find the fact that they'll change it a horrible idea!
I hope the S5, Note 4 etc will keep the current design...
Even if they don't though, you can remap any key if you've rooted your phone and I'll make it again an options menu even if the icon shows otherwise.
nfsmw_gr said:
First of all...f*ck you Samsung!
There, I got it out of my system now..
I knew android had this button since always and I always used it since my first smartphone, the Galaxy S I9000.
I find the fact that they'll change it a horrible idea!
I hope the S5, Note 4 etc will keep the current design...
Even if they don't though, you can remap any key if you've rooted your phone and I'll make it again an options menu even if the icon shows otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google forced the menu button to be inside apps so having a hardware menu button is redundant. I prefer the button too, blame Google... No more menu button, no external sdcard support for Nexus...
Enviado do meu Galaxy S4

Cubot X9 Long Button Press

Hi
Got this phone quite pleased with it apart from a few niggles.
Under settings I cannot find any section for buttons so I am unable to change the long press action for the home button from the default recent apps.
Any idea where or how they are hidden out of the way?
The other is the home screen cannot be changed (like previous phones on kitkat like cyanaogen) it always defaults to the far left screen and I always like screens to the left and the right of the home
Any advice or help appreciated
Download apex launcher to change the screens
Apex Launcher did the trick thank you. My only gripe now is the poor gps performance I am used to pretty accurate performance and tbh if you use it for driving it bounces from street to streets if any running parallel close by, and if you use it for tracking your runs you are all over the road never goes in a straight line

Improve one handed usability by swapping back/recent keys!

First off, I know that doing this is looked down upon as samsungification by the Nexus master race and in the past I have agreed that it didn't make sense to have the Samsung style button layout. On this phone however, I've found that it drastically improved one handed usability for those who don't have huge hands (if you hold you're right handed). The buttons are in order of importance (back, home, and recents) going from easiest to hardest to reach with your thumb. I personally have to re adjust my grip to reach the left-most button one handed.
You can do this easily with gravitybox (swap back and recent keys).
I found it awkward at first (i kept instinctually hitting the recents button) and actually switched back because of that, but I found myself missing the reachability of the back button and now it's my full time set up. You get used to it within 2 days. Give it a chance, I bet you'll like it
One of the first mods I made with gravity box when I first got the phone. Having come from a samsung, I'm quite used to the back being on the far right. There's also an option in GB to add the overflow/menu button to the navigation bar. Most menus already have the menu or over flow accessible in one way or another, but this keeps it on the screen consistently.
You should really read through the themes and apps section.
Or you could get one of these: http://shop.flygrip.com/?ref=pg-home
Yes, they're expensive, but once you use one it's hard to imagine not having it.

Categories

Resources