I love the fact that samsung continues to use hardware home button but dont like that they still use inflexible capacitive buttons. So whats the solution?
Well my solution is slightly pricier but I doubt it would raise costs too much. Instead of having capacitive buttons at each side of the home button, how about we have 2 tiny OLED screens? This way you could change the position of the buttons from left to right, you will be able to have a dynamic menu key so no need to have it all the time. You could have a dedicated search button if you want or a dedicated task switcher or nothing at all. We know an OLED screen consumes very insignificant power when displaying all black. Basically you will have a hardware home button AND the flexibility of on-screen buttons in one phone.
I would go with a back key on the left and would leave the right screen to dynamically display the menu button whenever needed. Basically everyone could have their own configuration how they see fit. Sounds like a great idea to me seriously but lets see others opinion.
PS: I posted the same topic in the nexus 4 forum but seems like not many people were interested in the discussion.
the hardware buttons always crash in 2 years.
my galaxy s ,s2......
realpg said:
the hardware buttons always crash in 2 years.
my galaxy s ,s2......
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The power button of a phone with no home button is also likely to crash earlier than for a phone with a home button.
I think 2 years is not a bad period to be honest...iPhone home button has a similar life so it just seems a technical limitation right now.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
It's a neat idea, but I don't think there are enough people who feel the need to customize the buttons for Samsung to bother.
Pretty useless to customize the buttons in my opinion.
I feel that once you get used to the configuration, it is one of the best combinations in phones.
system.img said:
Pretty useless to customize the buttons in my opinion.
I feel that once you get used to the configuration, it is one of the best combinations in phones.
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I think we can all agree that there should be a dynamic menu button instead of a fixed one cant we? It still happens to me that an app has actions with the menu button and I never knew before because I never pressed the menu button. With a dynamic menu button that problem is gone.
I completely understand why samsung wont give a dedicated task switcher as accidentally pressing it can be quite annoying but really the fixed menu key needs to go.
What about the back button? If its displayed on-screen then it is capable of changing shape to tell you that your next press will exit the app. This is so helpful and only possible on-screen.
And secondly having a flexible button system can be really useful with an evolving OS like android. Who knows google might introduce another navigation button in the mix as all their phones use on-screen configurations.
I think it is a crime to put a hard home button on a top phone made in 2013. It's not 1995 anymore. Samsung insists on hard buttons just to make it easier for people coming from iPhone, which is an emberassment for the Android community.
aydc said:
I think it is a crime to put a hard home button on a top phone made in 2013. It's not 1995 anymore. Samsung insists on hard buttons just to make it easier for people coming from iPhone, which is an emberassment for the Android community.
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Nope the love hard button.
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aydc said:
I think it is a crime to put a hard home button on a top phone made in 2013. It's not 1995 anymore. Samsung insists on hard buttons just to make it easier for people coming from iPhone, which is an emberassment for the Android community.
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My biggest issue with having just a single screen is that there is just no gap between the actual screen and navigation buttons. If you increase the gap then ofcourse it becomes a massive waste of screen. I believe google should switch to using a separate screen in the next nexus for navigation allowing for a bit of gap between the actual screen and buttons. Efficient use of space be damned there is a balance you gotta keep between that and practical usage.
I love the hard button. When I had the Moto Defy, sometimes my finger would slip and touch the home button (I have big hands). It angered the heck out of me.
Related
There has been lots of interest over at Android Forums for an app that adds increased functionality to the optical button on the bottom of the Incredible.
App Fuctions:
While sleeping/locked
-Use button to wake the phone when sleeping (mimic power button)
While Awake (choose your setting)
-Button jumps to home screen
-Button brings up programs
-Button opens notifications drop-down
-Any other ideas?
Possibly could add additional function with a double press of the button as well.
I'm not a developer, so I really don't know how difficult something like this is. I just spent the last several hours creating sample apps and reading through the android developers website, but I'm not seeing anything on hardware button mapping.
Is anyone else interested in something like this? Or can anybody more familiar with the code chime in to what steps to take. I don't mind doing the leg work.
Thanks.
bump, would love to see something like this as well!
+1 on waking up the phone...something like this would probably require root though.
SoCalMiles said:
+1 on waking up the phone...something like this would probably require root though.
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That's what I was kind of afraid of. Hopefully somebody will know more.
would love to see the trackpad run a virtual mouse (arrow cursor)
"myLock" already wakes up the phone. I know the dev uses a dInc... so if you email him ideas and he can do it, he probably will.
I'll tell you what would be most useful.
Instead of holding down the power button for 5 seconds to bring up the power/sound settings menu, make the optical button do that instantly.
That would be very useful. It seems like there is a laundry list of things that the button could be used for and it's extremely under utilized.
I pretty much gave up on developing the app myself because I couldn't figure out how to wake the phone with only the power and optical button.
Looks like we have to wait and hope a developer sees the interest and can help out.
I'd hate to bother them with such a small request when they are working hard on rooting our incredibles.
Increase Sensitivity?
I haven't seen anyone ask, but the one thing I really want from the Trackpad, is to turn up the sensitivity level, like one can do on a BB, (They have 10 dif levels for vertical and horizontal)
Why HTC didn't make this an option is beyond me, my trackpad is not nearly fast enough for me to utilize right now.
I have used it only 3 times to choose page numbers on forums/tightly spaced links so far.
That's really what the trackball is for... slow scrolling, with high precision. Personally, I hated how the End button on my Hero was also my Screen Toggle, but then again I came from WinMo where all HTC phones I owned had a dedicated power button. Call me weird, I just prefer it that way. And I don't really want the sensor-button to wake up the device; its not an iPhone. I think it distinguishes the devices, and besides, Apple is already suing HTC for a buncha crap (HTC is suing back, hurray!) and the last thing we need is for them to pull a bogus patent about the "Center analog input button waking up device."
Buuuut I do agree with maybe adding some sensitivity settings, as some games would be impossible to play with this optical sensor at its current sensitivity. Also, maybe a long press to open a custom menu, but not the sound/power menu as that would be redundant.
+1 for a app.
+1 on the app as well. A lot I'd these features would be very useful.
+1 on any app that gives us control over all of our buttons ala AEButton for WinMo... That's really the only thing I miss from my Omnia. Short, Long, Double, Triple presses, all for different functions.
I know you need Root, but that's inevitable. Hopefully someone with the skill is motivated to create an app like this.
+1 from me, would love to switch programs using the trackpad button
all great ideas OP
would love to see this implemented.
I'd love to have this app as well!
maxxve said:
There has been lots of interest over at Android Forums for an app that adds increased functionality to the optical button on the bottom of the Incredible.
App Fuctions:
While sleeping/locked
-Use button to wake the phone when sleeping (mimic power button)
While Awake (choose your setting)
-Button jumps to home screen
-Button brings up programs
-Button opens notifications drop-down
-Any other ideas?
Possibly could add additional function with a double press of the button as well.
I'm not a developer, so I really don't know how difficult something like this is. I just spent the last several hours creating sample apps and reading through the android developers website, but I'm not seeing anything on hardware button mapping.
Is anyone else interested in something like this? Or can anybody more familiar with the code chime in to what steps to take. I don't mind doing the leg work.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only app i found that does anything with the trackpad is Widget Locker.
You can wake the screen with the trackpad and unlock it like you normally would.
And you get a nice new Android 2.2 lockscreen!
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
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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.
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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
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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
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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
Samsung reportedly losing physical home button i think it should stay as its nice to have physical button what do you people think please vote it will be interesting what you guys and girls think
i would give up the menu button or any other physical button for onscreen buttons only if the bottom bezel is extremely thin, just like the side bezels. Unless otherwise its of no use. having a thick bezel at the bottom and onscreen menu on top of it is lame and a waste of screen space
Psychical buttons are one of the reasons why i bought Samsung phone. All other phones have onscreen buttons, i cant see them well, i cant feel them under my finger. Sony uses onscreen buttons but on their phones there is so much wasted space, on most phones that i saw it was so i didnt like them. I find great that S4 and S4A have psychical buttons, i really like them.
One of the most used things by me is menu button. I dont have to waste time to search those unituinitive 3 dots im just pressing hardware key. Much more often im using menu than switching between apps. For switching im using great app Swipe Home Button.
from S4 Active Blue Ocean
If they remove the menu button they might as well remove the home and back button at the same time.
I like them but I wouldn't say no to a pair of stereo speakers on either side of the screen.
bala_gamer said:
i would give up the menu button or any other physical button for onscreen buttons only if the bottom bezel is extremely thin, just like the side bezels.
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+1
I am may be the only one bothered by the return/back button. when I start or use the camera, I very often accidentally touch it with my "big" finger while adjusting/moving my hands position and that close the camera application . This a real pain and a design mistake.
The best about the sensorless buttons would be to make them customizable upon customer wishes and needs. That way everybody is happy, Ge and Sammy fans.
bala_gamer said:
i would give up the menu button or any other physical button for onscreen buttons only if the bottom bezel is extremely thin, just like the side bezels. Unless otherwise its of no use. having a thick bezel at the bottom and onscreen menu on top of it is lame and a waste of screen space
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It sounds great having thin top and bottom bezel. But when realize this, you will have bad time gaming..your palm will touch the screen you cannot rest your palm..
Sent from my GT-I9500
Yes I still want dedicated menu, home and back buttons.
I'm sure the alternatives require taking up user screen space? Otherwise what's the point.
Our galaxy tab 2 doesn't have menu button and annoys me.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
For those who dont like physical keys just install 3 dot menu mod and cover buttons with duct tape. There you go nexus mod
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
i hate the we could have a bigger screen if this wasn't there
[I'm helping to tell developers how they can protect their app from being pirated and how they can protect it, in that way you can consider to not worry about your app being patched. too many developers have a bad protection.]
it seems a lot of people would like to keep menu button i hope it stays as i really like having the menu button its nice to have one physical button
They're removing it because it's a waste of space. The 3-dot overflow menu is always there. Why have a button that duplicates functionality?
As well, the menu button is unintuitive when there isn't actually a menu. The 3-dot overflow menu doesn't have this problem; it just disappears.
Changing it to a Recent App capacitive button adds functionality, since it's much faster than long-pressing, and much more intuitive to find. It also greatly increases how fast you can navigate your device, which is why Google implemented in their navigation bar.
Times are changing, and for the better. Keep up!
I originally had a Sony Xperia S but once they removed physical buttons from new models I went to Samsung.. I don't know what's the point of adding physical buttons to the screen.. It makes the bottom of your screen ugly black and wastes important space for nothing.. And the big problem is tapping it while you're driving or not looking at the screen, Just awful.. Don't do that Samsung !
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
AnaMajhol said:
I originally had a Sony Xperia S but once they removed physical buttons from new models I went to Samsung.. I don't know what's the point of adding physical buttons to the screen.. It makes the bottom of your screen ugly black and wastes important space for nothing.. And the big problem is tapping it while you're driving or not looking at the screen, Just awful.. Don't do that Samsung !
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
They didn't. They just swapped the menu button for Recent Apps.
AnaMajhol said:
I originally had a Sony Xperia S but once they removed physical buttons from new models I went to Samsung.. I don't know what's the point of adding physical buttons to the screen.. It makes the bottom of your screen ugly black and wastes important space for nothing.. And the big problem is tapping it while you're driving or not looking at the screen, Just awful.. Don't do that Samsung !
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
You should asked Google that question. They designed Android and not Sony. Samsung is still living in the Gingerbread era, they should move with the times.
Is this thread talking about just the menu button? Or the physical home button? Or all the buttons at the bottom??? What I read is Samsung is replacing the menu button with the recent app button(which I find its way better as it really speeds up multitasking)... Not about removing the physical home button or all the buttons to become on screen buttons.
On a 5'' or bigger phone the menu button makes one hand handling easier!
Plain and simple. I am going to miss it.
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I want touch capacitive physical button. Like those used on HTC One but keeping the Samsung home menu back three button layout. That would be perfect for me, seriously.
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I am a heavy multitasker so the answer is easy ... menu button should have disappeared long ago ... and replaced with the recent apps button ... because long pressing the home button isn't very efficient and doesn't feel nice at all ...
As someone who has always used samsung devices it will be strange to not have a menu button
Is there any way to set the fingerprint button to behave like a capacitive button? I really just want to dab my finger on it and not have to depress, like the other two keys. I know the scanner registers contact but that click press it's really annoying when I just want the "desktop" etc. I think it would do wonders for the buttons longevity too... This may seem like a minor thing but it would really make the make the whole user interaction thing more standard. Having to big press one of three buttons is odd..
You can get a lot of apps that add "soft buttons" to your screen for things like Home. One that jumps to mind is called Button Savior.
That was my way of saying that, no, I don't think you can use that button without actually "clicking" it.
You could try the app called swype home button, just swype up from the screen just above it and itll take you home.
I completely agree with your desire here OP. Coming from an LG optimus G, I find myself gently tapping the button hoping for home.
As an alternative, I'd recommend the pie launcher app in the play store. No root required unless you want menu button functionality. Makes for a nice, easy to reach one handed set of on screen buttons that are only there when you need them, and you can use it as an app launcher too.
pisanty said:
Is there any way to set the fingerprint button to behave like a capacitive button? I really just want to dab my finger on it and not have to depress, like the other two keys. I know the scanner registers contact but that click press it's really annoying when I just want the "desktop" etc. I think it would do wonders for the buttons longevity too... This may seem like a minor thing but it would really make the make the whole user interaction thing more standard. Having to big press one of three buttons is odd..
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Click to collapse
There has to be a way to do it because of the fingerprint sensor. I'm sure custom kernels soon will have this feature.
Bump any new ideas here?
Hi,
When I rotate the phone to landscape I keep hitting the back button as I'm used to the iPhone where you can just grab the side with confidence since there is only a physical home button.
Is this a problem after say, a month, or do you guys never hit the capacitive keys by accident in landscape mode? I don't have a month to decide. I have only a week. It's kind of a bigger change than I thought to be careful everytime I go into landscape, which seems like I shouldn't "have" to be.
Thanks
If you're playing games then enable the game tolls and disable the captive buttons while playing games.
Just don't hesitate to rely on the home button as a safe touch region to grip it by. That's why it's a hardware button and not soft touch. It easily becomes second nature in a few days and works well. The signature mix of capacitive and hardware buttons is one of the reasons I prefer galaxy phones. It beats software keys which take up screen space and all capacitive which is really tricky to hold.
Linked Devices said:
Just don't hesitate to rely on the home button as a safe touch region to grip it by. That's why it's a hardware button and not soft touch. It easily becomes second nature in a few days and works well. The signature mix of capacitive and hardware buttons is one of the reasons I prefer galaxy phones. It beats software keys which take up screen space and all capacitive which is really tricky to hold.
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Click to collapse
OK thanks for this. Hope I can get used to it. I suppose the upside of the Android layout is that the back button is at the bottom as opposed to ios where it's at the top left. I appreciate that feature much more often than I appreciate having the entire side being safe to grip in landscape, since I'm in portrait way more often.
supernova_00 said:
If you're playing games then enable the game tolls and disable the captive buttons while playing games.
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What is a game toll?
lamenramen said:
What is a game toll?
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Sorry, game tools. Search the settings for game and then enable one or both of the options...I haven't played around with it to know what each one does but I do know what of the feature on the S7 was a game mode to disable notifications and the buttons while playing games.