Related
Is there any way to get rid of them or to make them transparent?
Something I have tried time and time again to find out. There was a program called Pocket Facelift, which either got rid of them or cloned the today screen and superimposed an image over the top without the lines. I've searched for registry entries, hacks and cracks. Everything. Never been able to find it.
I still wish someone would produce a low memory footprint version of a screen that say the later Nokias and Samsungs have, where all the information about the phone is held in the corners (battery, SMS, signal, etc), leaving the rest of the screen for the picture (without lines).
Cheers
Ant
Anton.Valleyman said:
Something I have tried time and time again to find out. There was a program called Pocket Facelift, which either got rid of them or cloned the today screen and superimposed an image over the top without the lines. I've searched for registry entries, hacks and cracks. Everything. Never been able to find it.
I still wish someone would produce a low memory footprint version of a screen that say the later Nokias and Samsungs have, where all the information about the phone is held in the corners (battery, SMS, signal, etc), leaving the rest of the screen for the picture (without lines).
Cheers
Ant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks...
Anton.Valleyman: when you say "low memory", I guess WDA is out of the question
I hadn't seen Facelift before. The page seems to suggest that Facelift may be a replacement Today plugin host:
Today screen scrolling is fully supported. The today screen plugins are resized in order to avoid covering information by the scroll bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Resizing Today plugins requires some messy coding or hosting plugins yourself. That might explain how they get rid of the seperator lines - if you host the plugins yourself, you obviously don't have to draw the lines... that's just a theory though!
still wish someone would produce a low memory footprint version of a screen that say the later Nokias and Samsungs have, where all the information about the phone is held in the corners (battery, SMS, signal, etc), leaving the rest of the screen for the picture (without lines).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My unreleased VJEphemeris is entirely skinnable, and I'm trying to design it around a thumb friendly design. I want to use the corners in the way you described... but your idea is a good one, a nice clean full screen today plugin just showing basics, operator logo and a wallpaper is a nice idea...
For the lines, I just suggest you choose a color similar to your background. I use a plain white wallpaper, so easy for me
It might be feasible to do some hairy hacking to subclass the today screen and intercept the line drawing function, but I don't recommend it as an easy solution :shock:
V
Maybe this has been discussed before but no one tried to develop the idea.
well instead of S2U, i prefer to have a gesture that i choose to unlock the device... so no one can unlock it other than I... if im dont have these programming skills
anyone is able to do it?! it can be a modified version of A_C's S2U2...
karim099 said:
Maybe this has been discussed before but no one tried to develop the idea.
well instead of S2U, i prefer to have a gesture that i choose to unlock the device... so no one can unlock it other than I... if im dont have these programming skills
anyone is able to do it?! it can be a modified version of A_C's S2U2...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha! Shouldn't that been called Gesture2Unlock?
johanromijn said:
Hahaha! Shouldn't that been called Gesture2Unlock?
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Click to collapse
whatever G2U ...
I like the idea of this
Cool thinkin...
No passworded needed, just a gesture.
Someone needs to copy the Microsoft Origami thingy where you unlock by tapping a certain sequence on a picture of your choice, with more security gained by moving to a smaller grid size.
ell, honestly, if you delete the images from your S2U2 directory, that should accomplish the same thing. You would just have to remember where to slide from. Or use your DPAD.
lawmangrant, i think you're missing a handy side-effect of having G2U: you can still view the today screen. I imagine that you can view the today screen, but not be able to do anything until you gesture. If anyone uses PointUI, it's kinda like the builtin lock. You see the main screen until you tap, upon which the lock screen comes up. It's pretty nice (personally use s2u2 instead) but G2U has potential uses.
It's a good idea, especially if you don't have the instructions right on the screen, it's a good locker to keep people out of your phone.
It should be Gesture2Unlock (or G2U for short) and it was discussed in the Kaiser forum here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=362231&highlight=gesture
A_C, the author or S2U2 was contacted, but he didn't think he could do it, as you can see from the thread...
I still like the idea.
I have a program in mind that does exactly what you want...
hm.. not exactly...
you have to tap to 4 or 5 different points on your touchscreen to unlock your phone...
but I don´t know the name at the moment....
I´ll try to find it....
This is a great idea.......
strange !!! walking down the street today i had this exact thought
may be some day!!!!
This was good, but doesnt work anymore...
http://softava.com/archive/pp/otp_features.html#
interesting. Would be very similair to taking a biometric of a persons signature. presumably tho one wouldn't want the signature to be drawn as you gesture2unlock, but instead "draw" onto an invisible notepad.
its no easy process (have researched biometrics) as the important part if the learning/recognition algorythm which will probably involve some neural network coding (ouch but fun).
What you need is something like this!!!
http://bip.golana.pub.ro/~mmihai/sign/index.html.
I've emailed Mihail about this (the author), pointing him to this post. I will post his reply as soon as it arrives.
Here's my email:
Dear Mihail,
I came across your website whilst looking for clues as to how we might implement a fellow forum contributor’s idea on xda-developers.com (here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=370632&page=2)
His idea was to unlock a pda using a gesture on the touch screen. To my mind that mean signature which lead me to search for some algorithms on the net. Your implementation was particularly interesting as it seems quick to operate, has low memory footprint and could work on a low spec machine (such are many pda’s).
I was wondering if you implemented such a system, or if the algorithm you have developed has been release for others to use, commercially or non-profit.
Your input into the discussion would be highly valuable.
Best wishes
Sean
lawmangrant said:
ell, honestly, if you delete the images from your S2U2 directory, that should accomplish the same thing. You would just have to remember where to slide from. Or use your DPAD.
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Click to collapse
Azimuth21 said:
lawmangrant, i think you're missing a handy side-effect of having G2U: you can still view the today screen. I imagine that you can view the today screen, but not be able to do anything until you gesture. If anyone uses PointUI, it's kinda like the builtin lock. You see the main screen until you tap, upon which the lock screen comes up. It's pretty nice (personally use s2u2 instead) but G2U has potential uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see pluses and minuses to this approach as opposed to using s2u2 with the deleted slide graphics.
If you want true privacy when someone picks up your phone, you wouldn't really want them to see your today screen especially if it contains appointment and tasks info, etc. That's where I think using a modified s2u2 would be better.
If you don't have appointment info on your screen or nothing that is "dynamic" or constantly changing except the clock, then you could skin s2u2 to "match" your today screen and place the clock exactly where it is on your today screen. For example if you have HTC home as your today screen, you can skin s2u2 clock to match the position and font as HTC home and then take a screenshot and modify it to a wallpaper, cutting out the clock par. The tricky part is the missed call and sms counter. S2u2 has the potential to disply that info but to replicate that look of htc home would require major changes, probably requiring A_C's help?
Of course if our devices had the horsepower, we could modify s2u2 to just take the screenshot of the today screen and load it as a wallpaper everytime it starts up, maybe a mortscript, but it would probably would be too slow realistically.
Im glad that u liked the idea... A_C said that he doesnt have the skills to do it.. but im sure he can help...
i don't mind if the appointments info appears on the screen, but i prefer no one can access all other applications... typing a password takes time... especially when activated side by side with S2U2...
Why a signature recognition? How about a gesture system like the one found in firefox plugins:
https://addons.mozilla.org/pl/firefox/addon/39
https://addons.mozilla.org/pl/firefox/addon/12
They're based on eight directions - four sideways and four diagonal.
Directions are defined as:
U - up
D - down
L - left
R - right
7 - up/left
9 - up/right
1 - down/left
3 - down/right
So to program a gesture you just need to input the directions of strokes it consists of.
For example URDL would mean drawing a rectangle starting from bottom left, and then going up, right, down, left. You can also describe more complicated gestures that way - R2D1L7U9R would mean drawing a circle starting from its top point and moving right.
In my opinion biometric algorithms don't make much sense, since they would need a styluys to work - try to draw your signature using a finger
Simplified gestures should work with finger as well as stylus, and should still provide more than enough security.
Great minds think alike.
What I wanted was a way to use touch to unlock the device very easily without it being easy to copy. I also wanted data to be safe should the device be reset.
I thought of using the standard S2U and just using a skin which didn't make it clear how to unlock so as to deter casual snoops.
There must be a way to do this! If no-one comes up with something soon then I'll dust off my programming books and give it a try.
the new Ftouch Flo a.k.a FtouchSL has some new gesturing features ( like corners )..maybe this would be useful
Hi guys,
I just got an idea about keyboard for PPC... that will be more finger friendly, PLUS, screen friendly.
Would it be possible to build something like FULL SCREEN keyboard overlay the screen, but still able to see the running software and able to see words is inputting? Just like a transparent keyboard layout on the screen, but doesn't really eat up the screen space. Not sure if I describe well enough. What do you guys think?
I am not a programmer, so I can only hand off my idea and pass the development to any volunteer programmer who has the knowledge and ability to make it.
- andre
Sounds like a great idea
Post your suggestion on the PocketCM.com forum and maybe the keyboard over there could be adapted.
As many of the screens on WM6 are designed for the built-in kb, the dialogue boxes can get cut off if you use an opaque kb.
Thanks. I've done so. I hope to see something like this one day. =)
That is actually a very good idea. I wonder how difficult it would be to do? I know nothing about SIP programming, heh.
Unless I am mistaken, it's impossible to do that as WM6 does not support transparency or graphical layers
Ufufu said:
Unless I am mistaken, it's impossible to do that as WM6 does not support transparency or graphical layers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How the S2U2 volume is working? It's transparent if you wish
romualdrichard said:
How the S2U2 volume is working? It's transparent if you wish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it is... All programs that appear transparent (and there are many, throttlelock, mortbuttons, s2u2 volume etc etc) just take a screenshot of the background and draw over that. Which means that they just appear to be transparent - if things change beneath, you cannot see them, what you see is the screen like it was when you launched the program.
I hope someone corrects me on that, but I am pretty sure it works like that
Ufufu said:
I don't think it is... All programs that appear transparent (and there are many, throttlelock, mortbuttons, s2u2 volume etc etc) just take a screenshot of the background and draw over that. Which means that they just appear to be transparent - if things change beneath, you cannot see them, what you see is the screen like it was when you launched the program.
I hope someone corrects me on that, but I am pretty sure it works like that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So make it take a screenshot every second or so...?(Dynamo 3 does that, not for transparency but for thumbnails, but it does that)
I don't know if it's doable. It's easy to get the current screen (what WM is currently painting), but not that easy to get a screenshot of a background program, or the desktop. Programs that do that (eg, CapSure) switch to the program you want to take a screenshot of first, so even if you could switch to the program, take a screenie, and get back to where you were in 1 second, the screen would "flicker" all the time.
About Dynamo, I didn't check the latest versions of Dynamo3, but maybe it takes screenshots of the running (front) program? And I don't think it takes screens every second!
Even if I am wrong (very probable), and it's doable, I don't think it would be very practical! For locking programs, this would totally ruin baterry life. For a "transparent" keyboard, 1 per sec would not be enough, and it would probably ruin responsiveness.
Then again, I never tried to play with screenshots and fake transparency for a WM program, so who knows! Maybe! O_O
I've tried to do that for ThrottleLock. My first choice was using the WM_PRINT window message, but it's not supported for windows mobile ... other choice was to send the WM_PAINT message or a refresh and trying to get the DC associated with the window to use BitBlt to copy it to a target Bitmap... Not luck as the window will not be painted while it's not visible... As far as I know it's not possible... If anyone figures out another way to get it please let me know
todaylife can do that all. fully transparent pngs over a changing background.look at my screenshots of my skins, everything is working in background. dont know how dazzlingdazz made it but its true.
In TodayLife, it's the app itself that's painting the background... So it's easy to paint other stuff on top and still show the main screen underneath. Unfortunately not the same thing we want other applications & wm interface to show beneath the transparency.
Android supports multi-layer drawing for applications, let's hope wm7 has it too.
Some 'marshall wait cursors' are transparent. But I don't know anything how they're working.
I had this idea myself about a year ago, but thought that it is impossible to make a transparent sip, because it is not displayed over a program. It's under it. I don't know how to say in English, but I thought the sip reduce the fullscreen-size.
But maybe someone can write a program that is no real sip but transparent over other programs.
I mean like the phone pad, it is no real sip but used as an input method.
Sorry for my bad english, I hope you can guess what I mean.
ReinerK said:
Some 'marshall wait cursors' are transparent. But I don't know anything how they're working.
I had this idea myself about a year ago, but thought that it is impossible to make a transparent sip, because it is not displayed over a program. It's under it. I don't know how to say in English, but I thought the sip reduce the fullscreen-size.
But maybe someone can write a program that is no real sip but transparent over other programs.
I mean like the phone pad, it is no real sip but used as an input method.
Sorry for my bad english, I hope you can guess what I mean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Marshall waitcursors work with screenshots too.
The SIP doesn't reduce the screen size, some programs however can detect it and re-draw itself, making it seem like the screen size is reduced - but not all, it doesn't work like that I think
There are already fullscreen keyboards over other programs, that's not the problem, the problem is the transparency
excellent idea.
transparency is supported.
Look at RetroPPC clock. the only thing that I had to do to make my clock transparent, was to use PNG-24 format.
so the clock just revolved on top of the background even when it had to shift for the scroll bars.
in any case, the effect can be achived. what about a flash based keyboard?
Hello guys!
I think many of us came to the thinking that, though TouchFLO 3D is great UI, we should make something alternate, something that better fits our needs. And now, i think i'm ready to create one, but first we should decide how should it look like and how should it operate.
So, i propose a kind of "brainstorming contest" where you decide about the look of a new UI. But to avoid this turning into an annoying feature request list ("more tasks on today! please! please! please!" ), here are the rules:
- NO text-only suggestions - every post s/b illustrated with pen-and-paper drawing
- NO screenshots or photoshop cooks - only hand-drawings or something that look like em (yes, you can use digitizer tablet )
- drawings are NOT required to be professional - just something to illustrate you thoughts
- you are NOT required to develop the complete UI - you may just post suggestions about UI parts, but preferred things are unique navigation idea (try to forget about tabs), apps\tabs convergence, brand new useful apps/tabs
- best contributors ideas (possible with Manila API) will be implemented and their names will be listed in "About..." screen
Posts that violate rules (even best of them), will be ignored.
That's it.
maybe this is too open ended.. do you haev some ideas of your own that you might want to put forward?
omniwolf said:
maybe this is too open ended.. do you haev some ideas of your own that you might want to put forward?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm already implementing ideas of my own
I just wanted to know what do folks think/dream about
show us whatcha go then!
I think D-MAN666 doesn't want to influence people, this is a brainstorming If he starts with his idea, it is probable that nobody will post a completely different concept...
This might be a useful start for interface design:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=397220
One thing I would love to see is a radial menu:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_menu
Similar to tap-and-hold for a context menu, but instead of a list popping up, a radial menu appears. You could fit 8-12 options around the circle, which would cover TF3d's pages.
So in usage, tap for the popup radial menu, then:
- swipe up for Contacts
- swipe right for Music
- swipe down for Home
- etc
IMO, it's much easier to be accurate in swiping at different angles/directions than it is to be precise with the default TF3d slider tabs, so you could really speed your way through the interface. The same could apply elsewhere: tap and hold a contact, then swipe up to call, left to SMS, right to email, etc.
For other thoughts, here's a read on interface optimization (for the technically inclined):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts's_law
And maybe later if I'm bored I'll draw some mockups
http://microsoft.blognewschannel.co...bile-7-to-focus-on-touch-and-motion-gestures/
sorry for breaking the rules, but everyone else is lol...thats a link to the WM7 concept design...along with theoretical gestures...i really digg the battery bar on the bottom and the reception bar...
Ill be the first then...
A quick drawing i knocked up... manila stays very much the same but basicaly show page navigation on the manila both horizontal and vertical..
I hope its clear enough
2 ideas here
I am going to break the rules since I'ma t work and can't really be seen drawing lol.
Here they are:
- Make use of the touch capacitative ability of the the buttons panel. It's made up of three touch panels. Maybe a swipe from left to right to unlock and right to left to lock.
- Display applications within tabs. Ex: Being able to display Icontact when sliding to the contact tab.
And for UI inspiration, I would look here:
http://www.throttlelauncher.com/portal/setupsaskins/45-091setups/69-new-minimal-flow-theme
Ok, here's my concept
The general idea is to keep most of manilla look'n feel, just remove useless animations/transitions, and change the home screen.
Changes : on the right side of the screen, a scrollbar similar to the "contacts" one appears. It controls the content of the box under the clock.
On the left, a button to maximize (take the place of the clock) the box, and a fast vibrator/ring permutation button.
So, by scrolling the bar, the content of the box changes, could be call log, contacts, fast program launcher, music player, and so on.
The idea is to keep complex functionalities (camera, tv, etc) needing full screen accessible by the manilla bar, and quick&fast features such as logs, sms, player accessible on the main screen.
Nice idea, man
Hi there,
just a thought on a possible gui for the UI, instead of tabs, layers (don't know if that's possible, but it would be very cool imho)
you could have multiple layers, and have the layers in the backgound fade out and become smaller (perspective) and use a swipe up or down to navigate
Anything happening on here?
Just wondering
SinnerNL said:
Hi there,
just a thought on a possible gui for the UI, instead of tabs, layers (don't know if that's possible, but it would be very cool imho)
you could have multiple layers, and have the layers in the backgound fade out and become smaller (perspective) and use a swipe up or down to navigate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great idea!
like the game u can get on Playstation 3... where u 'swim' around collecting stuff and going thru lvls....
I'm thinking that the Ximoon idea is quite good but one thing that should be included is landscape option and I'm not talking about TP version but one with the same functions like the portrait one
I like the idea of the circular menus...
well first of all thanks to you guys you are doing awsome work and its always funn spendin my free time in your forums
now to my idea
does anybody know the film : the lawnmower man? theres one scene almost at the end of the film where he tries to escape to the internet i think the idea is quite amazing movn in a bowl and havin litle windows to select.
what do ya think
this is the link to the movie scene just skip it forward to about 5 minutes
Edit: sry forgot the link :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doAnB5_eDnw&feature=related
just follow the link
http://www.o3touch.com/
the best dialer out there only released yesterday and its free for now !!
Any screens, as none on site either?!?!?
there is a pdf file under manuals that will show images and how to use it.
Cheers for that, don't really like the look of it.
I'm not seeing the advantage...using the stock dialer does both the number and the name search at the same time. Keyboard looks too complex, taking the alpha/numeric stock dialer, and splitting it into seperate screens.
To each their own.
i think it is f...g amazing also! going to give it a try. it happened to me that instead of dialing the contact i dialed the 3-4 numbers corresponding to the letters. i almost never type a number so why keep them?
this app can do everything except a good cup of coffee even taking you straight to settings or programs. if you'll download and read the pdf manual you'll also be at least intrigued. it is an app you can turn it on (loading it ) or off, this is not a skin. it is a completely new concept. the graphics (has one skin for night and one for the day) are not bad also....
i installed it and going to settings i discovered that you can add a second language by yr choice by typing the letters of yr language in the dialer (you can build the dialer).
the program is small and occupies only a little over 400 K.
look at the second pic, i started changing the keyboard (first two buttons).
It's good that it's free. But it's not the type of dialer I am looking for/forward to. I really want a vga dialer which has big keys (not just like 3/5 of the screen space). Something similar to the minimal dialer here. But that one is for qvga screen. I am hoping if someone could port this to vga screen or I'll have to do it myself.... and I am not a pro. It would take a little less time than forever .
amazing is something else
just like u said....
to each their own.....
i find it making sms email and dialing with above 200 contacts very easy.
the diamonds system is more difficult.
read the manual u can change almost anything u like in the settings
and when u get use to the touch system...i just cant work with out it......
KukurikU said:
i think it is f...g amazing also! going to give it a try. it happened to me that instead of dialing the contact i dialed the 3-4 numbers corresponding to the letters. i almost never type a number so why keep them?
this app can do everything except a good cup of coffee even taking you straight to settings or programs. if you'll download and read the pdf manual you'll also be at least intrigued. it is an app you can turn it on (loading it ) or off, this is not a skin. it is a completely new concept. the graphics (has one skin for night and one for the day) are not bad also....
i installed it and going to settings i discovered that you can add a second language by yr choice by typing the letters of yr language in the dialer (you can build the dialer).
the program is small and occupies only a little over 400 K.
look at the second pic, i started changing the keyboard (first two buttons).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u can download the cab file with hebrew settings already inside......
http://www.o3touch.com/hebrew.html
enjoy...
It's ugly as hell! Not for me.
@esabo1: are u the programmer of this dialer?
Davey101 said:
It's ugly as hell! Not for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i bet we'll see lots of skins in the nearest future. you might think it is ugly but give it a try....sending sms without switching programs and easy typing from yr dial pad are only two of the things that make it superior to the diamond's system not to mention the fact that you can build yourself (in settings) the keyboard with yr kind of fonts and keys arrangement. beautiful things are not always also very practical
i confirm that it is ugly and it looks like an exploded bag full of letters.
AENIGMA said:
i confirm that it is ugly and it looks like an exploded bag full of letters.
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Click to collapse
thank you for yr confirmation and for yr useful contribution to this thread.
this is what i call a very professional review
its not a review, its my impression.
AENIGMA said:
@esabo1: are u the programmer of this dialer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no im not......
actually im just a user.....dont have any programing experience.....
AENIGMA said:
i confirm that it is ugly and it looks like an exploded bag full of letters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me the Ugly full of letters programer.
It is not about been beauty, it is about doing the job. Some users with 1500 contacts and up actually did try it. They never stop using it.
bbju said:
It's good that it's free. But it's not the type of dialer I am looking for/forward to. I really want a vga dialer which has big keys (not just like 3/5 of the screen space). Something similar to the minimal dialer here. But that one is for qvga screen. I am hoping if someone could port this to vga screen or I'll have to do it myself.... and I am not a pro. It would take a little less time than forever .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny that you compare this dialer with the o3touch.
Without the O3 can you do Email, SMS, and dialing in the same application?
Can you get Clear Big letters fonts on incomming SMS or incomming call?
While these programs are shiny and sparkeling , they havy and most of the time have troubles with doing the things they supposed to do.
This program is light (less then 300K) , stable, compatible with VGA screens, and short the numbers of operation moves from the user (smart user or not).
So if the program is look sparkly or not is not the issue, but I think the dark skin looks great on the diamond or the Touch pro.
...and what makes it so special for us less-smart people?