Database Users

How good is G1 & Android at "getting things done"?

Hi,
The last two phones I had have both been Blackberry's.
I tried an iPhone recently (1 week) and just found myself pausing to do things that I would do on the blackberry very quickly.
It was almost like I had to completely stop what I was doing and give all my attention
and thought to navigating my way around the iphone, where as with the bb, I seem
to be able to do many tasks with one hand and dont have to think about the task
too much.
I'm wondering if I switch to a G1 how will I go on. Will I find myself waiting for the OS to catch up, continually opening the keyboard to do simple tasks etc?
I like the idea of placing shortcuts on the home screen to dial numbers etc, are there other shortcuts like this?
One task I find myself doing on the bb a lot is taking a quick photo and sending it to a single email address. (the same address every time).
Would this be possible on the G1?
I press the side camera button which opens the camera app,
take the photo by pressing the trackball,
move the trackball to the right and press once.
This gives me the sharing options, "send as email" is the top one.
Click the trackball which adds the photo as an attachment,
type my two letter alias in the To field,
scroll to the subject, type something.
Click the trackball once more and press send.
It sounds a lot when you read it but its pretty quick and simple. Any way of doing this without opening the keyboard?
Thanks
Mike

The camera after taking a pic will offer 4 options, Save/Set As/Share/Delete.
With SnapShotPro you get these options, Save/Delete/Share/Edit.
Touch Share and it will give you a list of options....Gmail/Email/MMS/Myspace/Picsay...the more apps that are able to use your camera the more options...
You only need to open the keyboard to start typing the contact and it will autofind the name for you. But you will still need to open it since there isnt a onscreen keyboard for it yet.

I love snapphoto.. but jesus it's slow to save a photo.

Dirky said:
Hi,
The last two phones I had have both been Blackberry's.
I tried an iPhone recently (1 week) and just found myself pausing to do things that I would do on the blackberry very quickly.
It was almost like I had to completely stop what I was doing and give all my attention
and thought to navigating my way around the iphone, where as with the bb, I seem
to be able to do many tasks with one hand and dont have to think about the task
too much.
I'm wondering if I switch to a G1 how will I go on. Will I find myself waiting for the OS to catch up, continually opening the keyboard to do simple tasks etc?
I like the idea of placing shortcuts on the home screen to dial numbers etc, are there other shortcuts like this?
One task I find myself doing on the bb a lot is taking a quick photo and sending it to a single email address. (the same address every time).
Would this be possible on the G1?
I press the side camera button which opens the camera app,
take the photo by pressing the trackball,
move the trackball to the right and press once.
This gives me the sharing options, "send as email" is the top one.
Click the trackball which adds the photo as an attachment,
type my two letter alias in the To field,
scroll to the subject, type something.
Click the trackball once more and press send.
It sounds a lot when you read it but its pretty quick and simple. Any way of doing this without opening the keyboard?
Thanks
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The biggest hindrance to super quick operations on the G1 is the lack of on screen keyboard. Without one you'll be much happier on a BB.

hopefully we will get an on screen kb soon. Perhaps with cupcake or it ported over from another phone. It would be so useful for small simple tasks like thsi

axion68 said:
hopefully we will get an on screen kb soon. Perhaps with cupcake or it ported over from another phone. It would be so useful for small simple tasks like thsi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm being drawn to the G1, an on screen keyboard for occasional use will be very nice.
I'm not keen on the G2 as this will only have an on screen keyboard so it seems?

IMO the real problem is developers making user workflows that require using a keyboard. In many cases I feel that if an app is written properly the need for a keyboard (flip-out or onscreen) should be minimized unless you're doing heavy data entry. As the apps get better over time it's my hope this situation will improve.

CLIQ gets added button functionality 01/28 through OTA

http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/MOTOR...available-STILL-1-5-though/td-p/304863/page/2
There was an OTA update to the CLIQ today, which was taken down after 15 minutes. Reports say this added functionality to their home button as such:
There is also a new option to double-click home button to launch, contact, voice search, etc... it's under Application Settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As for the double tap on the home screen, you can now set that as a shortcut. So if you press the home key twice, it will open up a certain function of the phone. Like take you to your contacts or open something else. By default it opens up google voice search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you can't customize the Double Tap. It is located under Settings - Application Settings and gives you the choices of Voice Search, Messaging, Dialer, Map, Contact and Camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any chance that something like this can be either a) ported over, or if it's not possible, b) developed for the Nexus One? (Basically if it is possible to add button functionality using the standard SDK tools?)
And even better, edited/hacked so as to allow home button double-tap to launch ANY app? (And even add double tap functionality for the other buttons?)

I don't see this working too well with capacitive buttons, tbh.

double tap on track ball
I wish there is a way to have double tab on he track ball to launch the dialer or to my favorite contacts. It would make it easy for making phone calls.

nuc70st said:
I wish there is a way to have double tab on he track ball to launch the dialer or to my favorite contacts. It would make it easy for making phone calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can dig that!
but with the option to change it like camera, txt, etc...

nuc70st said:
I wish there is a way to have double tab on he track ball to launch the dialer or to my favorite contacts. It would make it easy for making phone calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That too!
The reason I ask if this is even possible to develop using the standard SDK tools is because I've been searching and searching and searching and searching over the past year with my G1 for some app on the Market that adds or alters button functionality. To date, there is not a *SINGLE* app that does this for *ANY* Android phone.
Until yesterday's update of course. Finally!!!
Is this something that ONLY Motorola (and other carriers) can do?

Personally, I would love to see a mod in spare parts or something that would make it so that all of the capacitive buttons at the bottom of the screen on the Nexus would require a double-tap to be activated. This would help us avoid brushing up against them accidentally when not meaning to. Granted, it would take a little bit of getting used to double-tapping them to make them work, but I'm sure some people would appreciate and use such a mod. I'm talking about a purely optional mod that you would not have to have turned on (but could via Spare Parts) and would be off to keep the button behavior stock by default.

kylez64 said:
i can dig that!
but with the option to change it like camera, txt, etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess the longevity of the trackball is low, at least it is on my blackberry. if you are onto this, mate, then, maybe, it could be either dblpress or longpress - to chose from?

tutech said:
Personally, I would love to see a mod in spare parts or something that would make it so that all of the capacitive buttons at the bottom of the screen on the Nexus would require a double-tap to be activated. This would help us avoid brushing up against them accidentally when not meaning to. Granted, it would take a little bit of getting used to double-tapping them to make them work, but I'm sure some people would appreciate and use such a mod. I'm talking about a purely optional mod that you would not have to have turned on (but could via Spare Parts) and would be off to keep the button behavior stock by default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah, different strokes for different folks. I wouldn't use that, but that's exactly why it should be customizable.
Can any Android developers comment on this?

I found one! It's called Button Shortcut in the market. Great App!

Paul22000 said:
I found one! It's called Button Shortcut in the market. Great App!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using it now. Works great. Replaced search-button long press with Dialer.
Perfect!

karthikjr said:
Using it now. Works great. Replaced search-button long press with Dialer.
Perfect!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell yeah! Now I wonder what it would take to get a back button long press?

I emailed the developer to see if a Back button long press was possible. His answer:
It is not possible to override function of back button.
-social mobile <[email protected]>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well that's a bummer! I do like this lite app Button Shortcut at least for a Dialer launch button!

How do I accurately select text?

After pressing the bottom left hardware botton to select text, I'm having problem placing the cursor to accurately indicate the starting and ending position of the selection. What is the big secret on how to do this operation right?

i have the exact same problem.. i wish the phone had arrows or a trackball.. and when you select text twards the far right of the text box, it auto moves the screen back to the center of the box.. its very difficult, the only advice i can offer is pinch zoom in very close, till the text takes up most of the screen, and highlight better. of course pinchzooming method will only work for email and web pages.. no help for texting..

If I zoom in, then either the beginning of end of the selection block is no longer in view, and dragging does not automatically scroll the screen like in iPhone.

eaglesteve said:
If I zoom in, then either the beginning of end of the selection block is no longer in view, and dragging does not automatically scroll the screen like in iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As someone who is coming from an iPhone I can tell you that this is something that I really miss.
Android needs to learn how to do proper copy and paste (this is not just a Samsung thing).
On a side note, I am really hating the email client on android, this is not a phone very usable in a corporate (Exchange) environment!

Perhaps it is a mistake to omit the trackball?? Looks like trackball is extremely crucial for any Android phone.
Kurtbee, you're right. Google has not thought through the design of copy and paste properly yet.

eaglesteve said:
Perhaps it is a mistake to omit the trackball?? Looks like trackball is extremely crucial for any Android phone.
Kurtbee, you're right. Google has not thought through the design of copy and paste properly yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, trackballs are a step backwards. Android should simply implement a better way to select text - the iPhone does it beautifully.
I also am not in love with any of the email clients - even K-9 has a crappy/ugly interface. And why isn't there a way to force check email in the Integrated Mailbox?

MacGuy2006 said:
No, trackballs are a step backwards. Android should simply implement a better way to select text - the iPhone does it beautifully.
I also am not in love with any of the email clients - even K-9 has a crappy/ugly interface. And why isn't there a way to force check email in the Integrated Mailbox?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agreeing with you. However, copying Apple might land Google into a law suit, so I think they'll be weary of that.
BTW, for INPUT field only, I accidentally discover a way to accurately do it. Here's how:
1) On the Swype keyboard (that's why it is only limited to input field, unfortunately), draw a North west to south east line going across the upper right corner of the Swipe key. In other word, from the upper case arrow position to the SYM key. This will change the keyboard to one that contacts cursor, home, select all, select, text, cut, copy, paste.
2) Then use the cursor key to move to the one end of the selection block.
3) Press the select text button
4) Move cursor to the other end of the selection box, followed by either a cut or paste key depending on what you want to do. This will copy the block to the clipboard.
Unfortunately, often I need to select from non-input field as well, and there is no solution for that yet.
Hope this little tip helps everyone. Cheers.

Same thing for the samsung keyborad if you press the 123 field for a long time.
Now we need to find a way to do the same on a web page ...

nicoloco said:
Same thing for the samsung keyborad if you press the 123 field for a long time.
Now we need to find a way to do the same on a web page ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but how do I change the keyboard from Swype to the Samsung keyboard? Is this keyboard from Samsung or from Google?

Just touch the text until you see a pop up.
Then you should have the possibility to change the keyboard
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Got it. Thank!

Wow, thanks guys, this will make typing a lot easier! You would think the arrowy keyboard thing would be more highlighted and easily accesible since it's making the experience much better. Well, maybe in the gingerbread, they didn't hire the Palm UI guy for nothing...

I find it a little difficult, but can usually get it after 2 or 3 tries max.
Maybe using fingernail is more accurate?

Finger nails do not work on capacity touchscreen though. Even if it does, how do you deal with situation where the selection block span outside the screen? There is no provision to scroll the screen during the selection process.

HTC Sense Androids have a great copy-paste feature identical to IPhone. Hopefully it can get ported to galaxy

There are those few instances when no trackball is not an option.

Yes, there are always gonna be a run around but take this situation for instance. When I go to my video player [stock vibrant] the only way I can delete the video from there is if I somehow have my selection over the video I want to delete. Which is not possible without clicking it to open it without a trackball, or pad.
Also, when I want to read the whole name of certain apps in the market, with a trackball, i could move my seletion over it to auto scroll the name but without a trackball, i can't do that.
Is this something we are going to have to live with or will there ever be a program where we can have some sort of a mouse control program, on the desktop that acts as a trackpad.

I feel your pain, but you can delete files in movie player without a d-pad. Hit the menu button and select delete file. Select boxes will appear. You can then select one or multiple files to delete. I do miss the trackball though.

how about on the terminal when you want to repeat a command??

I hate it when I am in Remote desktop and I want to move around.. the trackball was a perfect mouse..
Also, when you want to change one letter when you are typing, I used the N1 trackball all the time to go back a few letters, now it is easier to just delete until the errro and retype the word...

duglas said:
I hate it when I am in Remote desktop and I want to move around.. the trackball was a perfect mouse..
Also, when you want to change one letter when you are typing, I used the N1 trackball all the time to go back a few letters, now it is easier to just delete until the errro and retype the word...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha i know the feeling "_"

Don't forget that you can swype from the swype tip button to the "sym"button to get directional arrows. I also miss the trackball, but doing this makes it more tolerable.
Hope this helps some of you.

What kills me is this ridiculous inconsistency between various implementations of THE SAME PHONE! All these Galaxy S phones are essentially the same hardware, and while the original "reference" implementation had it all, we're getting all these ridiculous omissions on the various carriers. WTF was wrong with the trackpad on the original S?

SuperMiguel said:
how about on the terminal when you want to repeat a command??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That never worked even with a trackball. It enters characters something like [<[<[<
Or maybe all 5 of my G1's were screwed? lol

uwradu said:
What kills me is this ridiculous inconsistency between various implementations of THE SAME PHONE! All these Galaxy S phones are essentially the same hardware, and while the original "reference" implementation had it all, we're getting all these ridiculous omissions on the various carriers. WTF was wrong with the trackpad on the original S?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe the fact that it WASN'T a trackpad.

cashless said:
That never worked even with a trackball. It enters characters something like [<[<[<
Or maybe all 5 of my G1's were screwed? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure it did, you just needed a decent shell. You were using the stock "sh". If you had used "ash" or "bash", you would have gotten command history.

Does anyone know of a way to enter a control character in Swype? I downloaded "Full Keyboard" from the Market so that I can be able to hit control-c in Terminal, but switching IME's back and forth is becoming a true PITA, and I wonder if I am missing some obvious workaround to do this.

does scrolling in android suck?

i'm asking this because it sucks when i want to get to the bottom of a contacts list or a long text file and I have to scroll it down manually. only some apps support the movement of the "scroll button" on the right (i hope you get what i mean, it's where the button gets bigger). is there any work around to this?

yeah i guess your right. Some of the system menus have that bigger "quick scroll" button, some dont. If the ones that dont end up having many items in them they can annoying, even though the momentum scrolling can go really fast its still not ideal. Unless there is something I am not aware of, I would have to agree with you

there must be some work around. if winmo can, so why can't android?

No I think its great!

you must be using mattc froyo 1.0

tdizzle404 said:
No I think its great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great how? do you find 20 seconds of scrolling to get to the end of a page great?
dapoharoun said:
you must be using mattc froyo 1.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm using the latest nexushd2.

I don't see how it sucks.... Not matter how long the file is, you just flick it up quickly and it will most likely scroll right to the bottom. Obviously depending on how many lines but it won't take you 20 times to scroll....

Willievi said:
I don't see how it sucks.... Not matter how long the file is, you just flick it up quickly and it will most likely scroll right to the bottom. Obviously depending on how many lines but it won't take you 20 times to scroll....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but still, the ability to go straight to the bottom would be nice. imagine if you're in a life or death situation where your life depends on a data at the bottom of a text file.

You suck at the scrolling of the names maybe? Maybe your phone make seperate post that say "do human with tiny fingers suck at scrolling maybe".................
Titties

dan138zig said:
but still, the ability to go straight to the bottom would be nice. imagine if you're in a life or death situation where your life depends on a data at the bottom of a text file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Put google search widget on home. Type name of contact. The name pop right up in search after 2-3 letters.
Titties

Don't blame Android, blame the dev of the app that doesn't have it. Android provides the option, and some apps are better off without such a quick scroll handle, so I'm glad it's an option and not forced.