After using Hero for about a month I noticed that I can perform almost every task on this phone only using my right thumb. While multitouch seems to many including me like a revolutionary UI concept making user experience more comfortable I'd like to ask do we really need multitouch for anything except games?
Would you like to see more multitouch functions on Hero?
Don't you find gestures which can be performed using only one finger more suitable for small devices like cell phone?
well, i'd guess that that's the reason why there are no more multitouch gestures other than the zoom... i couldn't think of any other right now, but it for me it is similar to mouse gestures. there are like hundreds of them pre-made in any firefox add-on, i use maybe four of them. wouldn't wanna miss them though, same as the browser zoom
Well, when we get Eclair, and multitouch is actually part of android rather than just an HTC add-on, I imagine more and more android apps will adopt and take advantage of it.
I do see games getting much better with it. It'd be nice to have a more verbose on-screen controller for the SNES emulator, which is rather unusable on the Hero right now.
But yeah, I agree... as of right now, multitouch doesn't do a whole lot for us. I think the future has good things in store though.
multitouch is good for the keyboard, when you press and hold shift, you can make a capital letter easily for example.
Aside from that; a VNC app where 2 finger scroll is pan screen, and 1 finger is change mouse-cursor.
or two finger scroll down gesture on the screen will pull down the 'android-notification bar'.
Don't know. I guess I feel the same as you guys; I didn't really miss is it after coming from a iPhone 3G
Multitouch is extremely important if you want to type fast on the keyboard ! It will recognize your second character, even when your other thumb is still on the first character... without multitouch, you have to elevate your thumb first, before you can tap another letter with your other thumb (still following ? )... so it makes the typing experience A LOT better ! just try it yourself: type on a hero and then on a magic... there's a difference ! (well, for me there was )... also multitouch in the browser is pretty handy ! I use pinch & zoom ALL the time, because with double tap it doesn't zoom like I would want it to ...
So for me, multitouch is a pretty important factor !
Related
I have been using WM-based device for quite a while now. There is one thing that really annoys me: it is not created for fast and easy use with your fingers. Most of the time, i don't use my stylus but quickly go to the options with my finger(nails). The problem is: all the tabs/buttons/scroll bars/slide bars are so small, i always hit the wrong button.
There are some apps on the market, but all of these doing just half the trick: the user-friendliness always ends when you open messenging or the calander: you get stuck with the standard apps delivered by microsoft with all the tiny buttons etc. (the iPhone theme had this problem, spb shell has this problem too)
Well, this is what i want to ask: is there a developer here who can make a total GUI remake for easy and fast usage? I know it will take some time to make, but all WM5/WM6 user could benefit from it!
Never going to happen.
Any dev that remakes the GUI WILL charge for it, seeing as a LOT of hours would have to go into it in order to get a working prototype.
Just use the stylus. It's a much easier solution.
_Pumba_ said:
I have been using WM-based device for quite a while now. There is one thing that really annoys me: it is not created for fast and easy use with your fingers. Most of the time, i don't use my stylus but quickly go to the options with my finger(nails). The problem is: all the tabs/buttons/scroll bars/slide bars are so small, i always hit the wrong button.
There are some apps on the market, but all of these doing just half the trick: the user-friendliness always ends when you open messenging or the calander: you get stuck with the standard apps delivered by microsoft with all the tiny buttons etc. (the iPhone theme had this problem, spb shell has this problem too)
Well, this is what i want to ask: is there a developer here who can make a total GUI remake for easy and fast usage? I know it will take some time to make, but all WM5/WM6 user could benefit from it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use WisBar Advance Desktop. You can completely change things to whatever you want and however you want.
Try using the buttons. Most stuff can be done using the buttons. Easier to learn using the buttons than to wait for dev to make things bigger. Try SmartKey
or get a phone with bigger screen.
bombzhome said:
Use WisBar Advance Desktop. You can completely change things to whatever you want and however you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i change the looks of the menu/settings with wisbar?
i have a HUGE screen compared to a normal phone and its a TOUCHSCREEN, i want to use it as much as possible !!!
_Pumba_ said:
can i change the looks of the menu/settings with wisbar?
i have a HUGE screen compared to a normal phone and its a TOUCHSCREEN, i want to use it as much as possible !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What phone do you have?
You can change the today screen and the top bar, along with the start menu-etc with wisbar.
For bigger keyboards, there are plenty of programs out there that you can use (intellipad-etc)
Have you looked at the iPhone simulation apps that are scattered all over?
I believe they even got a contacts app now that is finger-friendly.
The thing is this - WM is not "finger friendly", it does fine with touch screen.
The price for finger friendly interface is less information displayed at any given time. Many phones use 2.8 / 2.7 inch displays and that is tiny.
Personally I am willing to forgo the fingers (they dirty the screen anyway) and use hardware button and stylus when needed.
But to each his own and you may consider the real iPhone as your next device - it is designed to be used entirely with your fingers (doesn't even come with a stylus as far as I know)
levenum said:
Have you looked at the iPhone simulation apps that are scattered all over?
I believe they even got a contacts app now that is finger-friendly.
The thing is this - WM is not "finger friendly", it does fine with touch screen.
The price for finger friendly interface is less information displayed at any given time. Many phones use 2.8 / 2.7 inch displays and that is tiny.
Personally I am willing to forgo the fingers (they dirty the screen anyway) and use hardware button and stylus when needed.
But to each his own and you may consider the real iPhone as your next device - it is designed to be used entirely with your fingers (doesn't even come with a stylus as far as I know)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked out the contacts app and this is nice. You're point about more information on a screen is true, but i do think microsoft could have made it a bit more convenient.
_Pumba_ said:
I have been using WM-based device for quite a while now. There is one thing that really annoys me: it is not created for fast and easy use with your fingers. Most of the time, i don't use my stylus but quickly go to the options with my finger(nails). The problem is: all the tabs/buttons/scroll bars/slide bars are so small, i always hit the wrong button.
Well, this is what i want to ask: is there a developer here who can make a total GUI remake for easy and fast usage? I know it will take some time to make, but all WM5/WM6 user could benefit from it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i mean WM based devices were created for the use in conjunction with a stylus... it has been only recently that this "iphone no stylus" craze has been happening and no people want to use their fingers etc. i honestly like using the stylus because the screen doesn't get fingerprints on it. with wisbar u can create "bigger" buttons. just my .02
Hi, I recently read about a review of x7510 can allow some sort of touch typing on its attached keyboard.
Just wonder if anybody has actual experience on this. I am using a Shift... Excellent machine, great keyboard but the 2 hrs battery is not good enough for me and I don't really need Vista on my mobile tool. So looking at x7510 again... but would like to understand the negative productivity impact of the keyboard.
I am Asian having not so big fingers and was previously using Sigmarion III as my primary tool in office. Even comment on current x7501/x7500 would be useful to me.
Thanks much for sharing.
I'm have my X7501 for about 45 days and using mostly of the time the softkeyboard which is not that bad due to the increased size of it on the 5" screen. The detachable keyboard I leave in my backpack for when I have a table where I can place X7501 with the hardkeyboard. At hand I rather use the softkeyboard which can be improved using alternative software as you can check on this Forum. For serious work with long texting just get a slim USB keyboard which is very cheap and wide available and connect through the 4x1 cable. I'm also don't need Vista or XP during the day and rather work with a ligth set up like the Advantage. I had several other PDA's during the last years but the small screens were very frustating for real work. Hope you get one and enjoy!
Thanks RCF2 for your comment. Can you please share a little bit more on the attached keyboard on a desktop?
Is it touch typing possible for small fingers? Comparing to a normal keyboard, is it 50% or worst?
typing too fast... I meant when using the hard keyboard on a proper desk...
One more question, on soft keyboard, is it mainly thumb typing? Any possibility to use more than just thumb? It might sound silly... After doing texting/emails on various tiny WM devices for a few years, now having some problems with my palm (thumb typing motion) and doing accuputures... Looking for options to do thumb typing less...
Stanip, I would say that 50% is close to the correct figure on the hard keyboard on a table. Keep in mind that this depends on how fast you are on a regular keyboard. If you are really good with the 10 fingers you will takes much longer than twice on the X7501 for sure. One of the critics I heard about was they lack the tactil feel but the sound made by the typing is enough for me. The softkeyboard work well with the tumbs, never tried differently but if you find a proper way place the PDA/screen I'm sure that will work also. Again, if you need to produce long texts just get a cheap standard keyboard and connect.
stanip said:
One more question, on soft keyboard, is it mainly thumb typing? Any possibility to use more than just thumb? It might sound silly... After doing texting/emails on various tiny WM devices for a few years, now having some problems with my palm (thumb typing motion) and doing accuputures... Looking for options to do thumb typing less...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, not using the 7500 for typing much, but I guess I could learn typing with 6 fingers or so.
When typing a short message I dont even bother getting out the keyboard, I just use the softkeys, which work perfect considering the 5 inch screen.
You could attach an external keyboard if you use typing a lot, or some keyboard software to get a large touchpad keyboard on WM
Thanks for sharing Kowen and rcf2. This is very helpful.
Will wait for x7510 and give it a try.
You mentioned that you're an Asian. Do you need to input in an Asian lanaguage such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, etc? If the answer is yet, then you have to rule out using the hardware keyboard, I think. Software keyboard is so much more versatile. It can take so many different layouts and forms. For English software keyboad, I find Tengo to be the best. It is small enough to cover only a little space on the screen, but have the largest hitting key areas (sound like contradiction I know) to allow finger typing. It is possible to go to 60 words per minutes with this keyboard. I'm able to take Sermon notes as the guy speaks, not word for word, but the main points with Tengo.
I never miss my hardware keybaord.
The idea of carrying another separate bluetooth keyboard just for typing is hard for me to understand, I must say.
Eaglesteve, do you use your thumb on Tengo to get to 60 wpm? That's fast. I am trying to use less of my thumb due to some problems developed over the years... Are there other ways to type on tengo?
I input mainly on English but am too lazy to carry a BT keyboard around in the office too.
stanip said:
Eaglesteve, do you use your thumb on Tengo to get to 60 wpm? That's fast. I am trying to use less of my thumb due to some problems developed over the years... Are there other ways to type on tengo?
I input mainly on English but am too lazy to carry a BT keyboard around in the office too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally can't achieve that speed. To see others who can, visit the demo at Tengo website.
Hello!
Have you seen the optical sensor on the Samsung Omnia, when you use it a mouse pointer appears like on your desktop computer, then I thought of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3Owgcos_KY
The whole button area is touch sensitive, couldn´t someone make a program that activates the area as a "touchpad" so a pointer appears on the screen?
Best Regards Gustaf
Nice idea
I like that idea..! Could get pretty usefull ..
Why isn´t more people interested in my idea, wasn´t my description clear enough?
give me one situation where you actually need this?
i usually have my touch in one hand and using the finger from the other hand to type in commands.
i never have the device lying on the table.
useless for me actually.
1) this is old news, better had done a search
2) there are people working on this (touchxperience)
3) it is NOT multitouch but three singletouch capacitive surfaces.
I don't see any real use for this in every day use, like having a mouse pointer on screen is kinda worthless when you can use your finger on the screen instead.
However this could come in useful in a gaming or likewise situation with the use of finger guester's (spelling) to control things instead of button presses etc, especially as in a game you don't want your fingers blocking whats going on on the screen! Since the d pad on the diamond is next to worthless using this interface could in fact be quite good. Still can't think of an exact situation where it could come in useful mind!
there is no point in this as you already have a touch screen so that eliminates any use of needing a "pointer"
however, as said earlier, touchXperience is in development so check that out if you really wish.
I think it would be actually pretty usefull for text edition-correction or to copy and paste text on web pages.... that could be cool
I hate to use the stylus and a mouse pointer is alot more precise than my thumb. So navigating outside TF3D, Gaming, Showoff, textediting etc.
Everything I wanted to say is mentioned by other people already.
Useless, touxchXperience in dev, similar ideas, ...
Seems like a lot of people drop in and start of by saying: Hey you there! create this for me! and then change it to that ... and then ...
TouchXperience may make use of the area but not at all like my suggestion. I just thought that it could be useful for some....
Hi Guys
I've had my HD2 for about a week now, and I *really* want to love it, but I'm struggling to bond with it, here's why.
Don't flame me just yet - I'm not an Apple Fanboi. Up until a couple of years ago I used Nokia phones, and I was happy. Then, by chance, I happened to be in New York (I'm from London) when a mate called me and said that iPhones were selling for upto £500 on eBay, and you could get them in NY for half that price. It was a "no-brainer" - I went to the Apple store and bought 4, came home, sold 3 of them and kept one out of curiousity. I'd never had an Apple device of any sort before this, and wasn't a fan - I'm a Windows bloke. (my day job is as a Windows Infrastructure Architect for large businesses). I hated Apple, and the approach they had to the control over their devices. The device was also the first encounter with a decent touch screen - my only encounter before that was an iPaq 4150 + stylus.
So I had this iPhone 8GB, and I learned how to jailbreak and unlock it in the UK. I did not expect to enjoy it much, but I found my self falling for it - the cliché'd phrase kept on applying - "it just worked". Exactly how you expected - everything. When I typed on the keyboard, I rarely made an error. When I browsed the web, I always hit the right link with my fat finger. Life was good - email was clear, intuitive - the right buttons were always "right there". There were drawbacks too (iTunes for starters), but these were sort of OK given the benefits. I had completely fallen in love with the thing.
Over the last couple of years, a good freind of mine had been coming over to the house with various phones to try and impress me. I shoo'd hm away with Blackberry Bolds, Storms, Android G1's and the like. Then, he came round with his latest toy - the HD2.
My first thought was "here we go again", but the more he showed me, the more I liked the look of it. I liked the nice big screen, Activesync email\contacts\calender, the multi-touch screen. I saw the way that the interface had changed from the old tiny "squared of boxes" look of Windows 3.1 to a nice finger freindly "big, modern, finger menus". The more I looked, the more I liked. I struggled a bit with typing on the keyboard, and navigating on the web, but I just thought that I needed to get used to it. It seemed to tick all the boxes. At last, I thought, Windows Mobile has finally come of age. I swallowed my reservations, and took the plunge, recieving my new phone 7 days ago.
Since then, I've had a love/hate relationship. I love the fact that I can actually make/recieve calls at home again (iPhone reception was fine everywhere, except in my house!). I've got a GPS now, and the compass. I love the quality of the camera and the video. I love that I have a flash. Looking forward to getting some great apps for them. I love the whole "smooth" flow of apps like the album for viewing pics and vids. I love that I can plug it in to any PC and install an app right there.
But then i find that there's no central repository for Apps really - Windows Mobile Marketplace is a joke - there's hardly anything on it. I'm left Googling in a hit and miss way for something I want. Which brings me to the next point - touch accuracy. I just can't get used to the screen. It takes me about 5 attempts to click on any given link on a web page, usually I hit the wrong link first, and have to go back a page, then try again. Typing with the on sceen keyboard is a disaster for me. It's like the phone has Parkinson's Desease - I just can't ge the letters I want consistently, and this makes typing a nightmare. it's compounded because when I try and hit the backspace key to correct stuff, I often miss that and end up with more unwanted characters. I don't like the tiny little "x" and "ok" buttons in the top right corner to close apps.
So I thought, "what version of the software have I got? Maybe an update to ROM, Manilla, etc will improve things." I had UK T-Mobile 1.43 ROM, so I looked around and decided that I'd upgrade to Artemis 5.5. This has improved things a bit (nicer control menus for closing apps and menues), but crucially not the way the keyboard and web respond. I also seem to suffer from the "shaking" when dragging a web page up and down, occasionaly. I was videoing a scene the other day, and the video was interupted by a DHCP message, FFS! A DHCP message!!! So the scene was half filmed. What a f*** up.
The whole experience is a real roller coaster, and I *so* want to love this device, but I'm left so exasperated by some of the basics, that I find myself avoiding using it, searching for a laptop instead. And now it seems that Windows Phone 7 will not available for the device. I'm even considering cancelling my contract, and returning the device.
Can anyone use the keyboard and web accurately? Any advice or suggestions, forecasted upgrades or similar that might help?
If you got this far - thanks for listening!
To tweak the links in Opera look in the very first sticky thread in this forum, try some of the other tweaks there too.
The keyboard would be much better with swype, shame it doesn't seem to be available any more
put a 3rd party keyboard (e.g. touchpal reduced my typing errors by more than 50%, or you can use resco keyboard which has an iphone skin by default) and always double tap to zoom before clicking on a link or pinch to zoom for more. that's how I learnt loving this bad boy
you sound to me as if you want to love the HD2 like you loved the Iphone
the thing is every device has its own nuances and niggles, I still yet have to
encounter someone who was actually totally satisfied with their gadget right
from the start up to the very end of its life expectancy.
this is why we have this world wide forum of XDA so people all over the world
with their varied expertise can tweak this and that, improve this and that
you know what i mean.
when I had the device >2 weeks ago, i did not
flash straight away (despite being a junkie with the Touch HD) as I wanted to
get the original feel of the stock 1.66 ROM, I listed down some areas which may
need some improvement. One was the Camera being over exposed with flash
in a dark environment, another was the checker board when scrolling in Opera.
By reading through and searching and participating, I found that Dutty HG 1.1
had most of my problems solved, so I flashed it, and its been almost a week
on and I can say to myself I am a bit happier with it than the Stock 1.66 ROM
I would'nt say i'd be happy with this totally and forever, things out there are improving and developing.
to summarize things it all settles down on how much you stick out and appreciate
any device/gadget. happiness is a fleeting feeling, enjoy each moment
while it unfolds in your eyes and fingers.
that is my little piece for winmo.
ozkaya said:
put a 3rd party keyboard (e.g. touchpal reduced my typing errors by more than 50%, or you can use resco keyboard which has an iphone skin by default) and always double tap to zoom before clicking on a link or pinch to zoom for more. that's how I learnt loving this bad boy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always double tap too - Stopped most of the wrong link selecting for me !
don't give up on your typing skills just yet. It took me about 2 months to get used to it, now I'm typing nearly as fast as on a laptop.
screen (over) sensitivity and dodgy key input are the two biggest drawbacks of the hd2.
install bsbtweaks for the screen sensitivity reduction tweak, and using swype (from the omnia, not the t mo one which can cause issues) solved it for me. typing takes a good few weeks to get used to, but gets easier and easier as you get used to it.(typing this on the bus using swype)
sn0rg said:
But then i find that there's no central repository for Apps really - Windows Mobile Marketplace is a joke - there's hardly anything on it. I'm left Googling in a hit and miss way for something I want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try OpnMarket for apps. Marketplace indeed is a joke...
As for the rest; don't give up yet. I had the same issues as you do now regarding typing and generally touch interface. I'm running Tom's ROM right now and I find typing is much improved compared to 1.48 or 1.66... I don't use the reduced sensitivity cabs floating around xda or BsB Tweaks. 1.48 was a catastrophy, but things improve all the time. So don't give up just yet - you'll get used to your device. I took you some time before you loved (ieeeeeuw, nasty ;-)) your iPhone, give your HD2 a month or two. It's a superior device, really.
Grtz from fellow windows sysadmin
Lukas
The Resco keyboard really helps with typing. And a new ROM speeds the Leo up. I think the reason perhaps the iPhone seems better is because its a simpler device. Our Leo's do a considerable amount more, so learning it is bound to take some time.
witch1 said:
The Resco keyboard really helps with typing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I tested Resco and it looks really nice,
but
- the different skins did not work and
- in the standard iSkin I have only two field:
a numerical and a alphabetical.
There I miss some keys, for example < > [ ] and Backspace ....
Is this only in the test version the case?
eshd
Thanks for the replies I'm working through some of the suggestions now
Let's make it simple: some HD2 devices are definitely flawed and have a physical touchscreen problem that you won't be able to fix with software tweaks, new ROMs or whatever.
The first thing you need to know is if you device is flawed or not. A very simple test is to use the Note application and try to draw straight lines when you use your finger slowly.
The second thing you need to do is check out this very complete thread (click here). In there, you'll find most symptoms that are associated with these flawed devices. Some of these symptoms is called "The Electrocardiography"... It seems like that is what you called with another medical term "Parkinson's desease".
If you have one or more of these problems, you might want to check the hotfix that was given by the same guy who run the thread. The hotfix is in this thread here. It won't correct 100% of the problem, but it might be a BIG help.
If you go through all these steps and are not fully satisfied with the results, you might consider sending back you device to customer service (that's what I did until I got a perfect unit).
Think about it all.
Are you sure your HD2 is working correctly? I had the same issues as you and after two weeks I decided enough was enough and sent it back for a replacment. I have had that for three days now and it is a big improvement. The shaking when scrolling has gone and the typing is as good as the iPhone I tried. I am now very happy with the HD2.
http://www.gizmag.com/cypress-hover-truetouch-touchscreen/14910/
Cypress Semiconductor has enhanced its TrueTouch touchscreen solution so that hovering a finger over a capacitive display mimics mouseover functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting to say the least.
This would solve Adobe's issue with mouse-overs and enable quite a few innovations on the web to work properly.
What do you think?
I don't particularly like that approach. I suppose I could learn to live with it, but the idea of having to figure out how close to get my finger without accidentally brushing the screen doesn't appeal to me.
For mouseover, I like the approach taken by Skyfire in the Windows Mobile version (I haven't found it in the Android version yet, but I hope it's coming): a toggle button that lets you choose whether a swipe is intended to drag the window contents, as normal, or move the mouse cursor. Very handy, and neatly addresses Steve Jobs's criticism of Flash being designed for mice instead of touch screens.
I think Nokias implemenation of a cursor is pretty slick.(N900)
muncheese said:
I think Nokias implemenation of a cursor is pretty slick.(N900)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Explain, I don't own or have used a N900.