Is it the end of TrackPad/Trackball devices? - G2 and Desire Z General

I've always wondered why recently..well for awhile now why have there been so many new releases of Android devices with touchscreen without qwerty keyboards and with touch screens with qwerty keyboards..but no trackpads or trackballs? I've always find it very useful. Since The G1, Nexus one and The G2. Even the HTC mytouchs.
But now it seems they're forgetting them. I've been holding out on so many good phones just for that fact. Ima keyboard kinda guy,but I'll take a chance with an all touch phone but if it atleast had a track pad or track ball. The one for the Nexus One was absolutely awesome.
I mean what do you guys think? Are you guys like me? I mean,its like a small tiny mouse that can help select and click hard to reach links and other stuff on webpages. Very useful for people with big fingers.
What are your thoughts?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Don't care I never ever use it. Not even in recovery lol.
---------- Post added at 10:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:11 AM ----------
There is always blackberry

I certainly hope its not the end. The precision I get from my G2's trackpad is soo much better than what I can get from my finger. I still want an Android phone with a physical keyboard and a trackpad.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Trackpad is one more thing that increase the device cost to manufacturers.
unfortunately new devices don't come with it, and I don't think it will change in the future, once we have big touch screens...
Sad, RIP trackpads...

I dont need the trackpad... bigger screen would be nice No Trackpad but bigger screen thats what i like
Sent from my HTC Desire Z using XDA App

Bharakrama said:
I certainly hope its not the end. The precision I get from my G2's trackpad is soo much better than what I can get from my finger. I still want an Android phone with a physical keyboard and a trackpad.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keyboard yes Trackpad...why? Seriously what can you do with it that cannot be done with a finger faster? lol

TBH, the only time I ever use the trackpad is the wake the phone and in recovery. Newer phones are becoming all screen and you may be seeing capacitive and physical buttons going away as well, a la Galaxy Nexus (or Nexus Prime or whatever they end up calling it). Honeycomb and ICS both have on-screen buttons, which strongly suggests buttons going bye bye. Personally, I don't even use the keyboard. I came from the Vibrant and got used to using the on screen keyboard. The main selling points of the G2 were HSPA+ and the hackability because it was Cyanogen's daily driver at the time. While I may not find use for the trackpad and keyboard, I hope OEMs keep these features. One of the major selling point of Android over the iPhone and WM devices is the ability to customize and have a phone with all of the features you'd want.

Ahh, well I guess there's not many of us trackpad lovers.
It's just much more easier with it. I've used it a lot .
Especially when browseing , for those hard to reach links without having to zoom all over the place.
And track pad wake so it won't be such a hassle going to the darn power button up top.
Its also much easier to move the cursor when typing certain things.
Like me when I made a mistake,instead touching to the misspelling and always touching the wrong space,I can immidietly scroll to it with the trackpad.
But,I guess its just a few of us.
I'm afraid I'm forced to get used to a non-trackpad/trackball device sooner or later.
Thanks for your opinions guys.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

I was always fascinated by Blackberry's trackpad/ball accuracy and loved it at first on my Desire Z. But from day one, just because of moving in light, the trackpad would behave all crazy and from that day I just stopped using it. Even when I think about it now, I don't use it at all not even for corrections. So for me its a good way the manufacturers are going. Also removing them help them make full screen phones (ala GNexus) so it keeps the phone size in check as well.

RobBull69 said:
TBH, Honeycomb and ICS both have on-screen buttons, which strongly suggests buttons going bye bye.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HC is the tablet only iteration of Android. The reasoning in doing away with the buttons on tablets, is that you have so much more screen real estate on tablets, and taking some for the home/back/menu buttons is no big deal.
I think ICS supports devices having capacitive buttons or not. I haven't looked at the actual screen proportions/dimensions, but from the Galaxy Nexus screenshots, it looks like the screen is actually lengthened to accommodate the screen buttons. Otherwise, they are hogging up way too much screen area.
I personally would not like to see the capacitive buttons go away. If nothing else, the Home buttons works most the time when an app freezes up. If you are using an app and have the screen buttons hidden (like a game of watching a video), you are just stuck waiting, or maybe hold down the power button.

redpoint73 said:
HC is the tablet only iteration of Android. The reasoning in doing away with the buttons on tablets, is that you have so much more screen real estate on tablets, and taking some for the home/back/menu buttons is no big deal.
I think ICS supports devices having capacitive buttons or not. I haven't looked at the actual screen proportions/dimensions, but from the Galaxy Nexus screenshots, it looks like the screen is actually lengthened to accommodate the screen buttons. Otherwise, they are hogging up way too much screen area.
I personally would not like to see the capacitive buttons go away. If nothing else, the Home buttons works most the time when an app freezes up. If you are using an app and have the screen buttons hidden (like a game of watching a video), you are just stuck waiting, or maybe hold down the power button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
x2 hardware buttons definately help...

I think the trackball/trackpad is a legacy from pre-iPhone android... which looked a heck of a lot like a blackberry.

Personally I like and use the trackpad quite a bit. It's perfect for adjusting typos and allowing for better cursor placement as well as coming in handy as a directional tool when using the terminal or ssh.
Plus having it light up in different colors a la the nexus one is a great way to provide notifications.
I don't really like this new over simplified approach mobile devices are getting though. Sometimes it's worthwhile to include more than one button on a device and just because android devices have different hardware than apple ones doesn't mean it's bad or that android needs to conform.
These days people seem to be opting for the Apple route of form over function. Why stop with the trackpad? Get rid of the camera button or even the volume rocker and just have a device consisting of a backplate and glass screen. I'm sure people will think it's gorgeous without taking into consideration the huge loss of convenient functionality.
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

blk_jack said:
Personally I like and use the trackpad quite a bit. It's perfect for adjusting typos and allowing for better cursor placement as well as coming in handy as a directional tool when using the terminal or ssh.
Plus having it light up in different colors a la the nexus one is a great way to provide notifications.
I don't really like this new over simplified approach mobile devices are getting though. Sometimes it's worthwhile to include more than one button on a device and just because android devices have different hardware than apple ones doesn't mean it's bad or that android needs to conform.
These days people seem to be opting for the Apple route of form over function. Why stop with the trackpad? Get rid of the camera button or even the volume rocker and just have a device consisting of a backplate and glass screen. I'm sure people will think it's gorgeous without taking into consideration the huge loss of convenient functionality.
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't form over function, it is just that most "normal" people don't use it. They have probably stadium size amounts of people that do surveys that say they don't use it. Case in point, me. I do everything with my phone literally and I've never had to use the track pad. Gimme a mouse or a screen not an in between!

I hope so,seems like wasted space that could be a screen to me.

The trackpad on a smart phone reminds me of the damn nub they used to put on laptops, I hated that thing lol

blk_jack said:
Personally I like and use the trackpad quite a bit. It's perfect for adjusting typos and allowing for better cursor placement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too.
I'd be able to get along fine without the trackpad, if every screen keyboard (including 3rd party keyboards like Swype) had arrow keys (or the option to turn them off/on at your preference). Otherwise, trying to get accurate cursor placement for correcting typos by jabbing on the screen is enough to drive me crazy.
---------- Post added at 08:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------
killj0y said:
It isn't form over function, it is just that most "normal" people don't use it. They have probably stadium size amounts of people that do surveys that say they don't use it. Case in point, me. I do everything with my phone literally and I've never had to use the track pad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not personally interested in what the masses of cattle want. While I believe that you do quite a bit with your phone (without a trackpad), most smartphone owners mostly use it to play Angry Birds and make poorly typed, one sentence status updates on Facebook, and not much more.

redpoint73 said:
Me too.
I'd be able to get along fine without the trackpad, if every screen keyboard (including 3rd party keyboards like Swype) had arrow keys (or the option to turn them off/on at your preference). Otherwise, trying to get accurate cursor placement for correcting typos by jabbing on the screen is enough to drive me crazy.
---------- Post added at 08:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------
I'm not personally interested in what the masses of cattle want. While I believe that you do quite a bit with your phone (without a trackpad), most smartphone owners mostly use it to play Angry Birds and make poorly typed, one sentence status updates on Facebook, and not much more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure you were agreeing with me, but in either case lol, i was just pointing out that it costs less not to put in a trackpad, especially considering most people probably don't use it. I am not talking down those who do, it is similar to a physical keyboard, i do in fact use it, but there is probably far more people that don't care for one, especially if there is a possibility of it lowering costs.

killj0y said:
I'm pretty sure you were agreeing with me, but in either case lol, i was just pointing out that it costs less not to put in a trackpad, especially considering most people probably don't use it. I am not talking down those who do, it is similar to a physical keyboard, i do in fact use it, but there is probably far more people that don't care for one, especially if there is a possibility of it lowering costs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand completely what you mean as far as cost goes. Me personally I like having my track pad and I'd probably miss it if it weren't there. But with all the development for the g2 I dont think I'm going to get rid of this phone for a while

AntSmoove said:
I understand completely what you mean as far as cost goes. Me personally I like having my track pad and I'd probably miss it if it weren't there. But with all the development for the g2 I dont think I'm going to get rid of this phone for a while
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That goes double for me. I was wishing big with the new nexus, but no SD slot is a deal breaker for me boo...

Related

Major design flaws

Placement of power button is really a major design flaw, you need two hands to turn on your phone, this is ridiculous, I can turn on even my lawnmower with one hand. The reset button hidden under battery cover, hey, it's running windows, reset button is one of most important buttons. If I need to remove battery cover I can reset my phone by just removing battery as well. I don't need that button anyway. No camera button, how I'm supposed to take autoportrait? And again you need two hands to take a picture. Volume buttons on side are too big, I press them accidentally all the time so I end up in silent mode and don't hear incoming calls or SMS. What was wrong with sliding volume button on original Touch? Light sensor is great idea, however it doesn't recognize light in my room from pitch black, it has the same value (zero) so I can have minimum backlight and see nothing or I can have medium backlight and blind my eyes when I pickup my phone at midnight. You can't use this cellphone lying on table, because it wobbles because of that that camera protector. I'm talking just about HW issues so far. The are infinite software issues, but software can be tuned. HW will stay like that, HTC Touch HD is just a one huge design fault. I have been using HTC Touch (Elf) before. I have been looking forward to buy this phone since HTC announced it. I didn't expect I will get for my money this piece of ****ing ****. Excuse me.
I know how you feel. you know, I never learn. When the Omnia was announced I bought it. Was disappointed and sent it back. Then.. WOW! the HD looks cool! Bought it for £500! I've just arranged for it to be returned. Quite a disappointment all round really. Design as you say isn't great, its heavy too for its size. Not may apps run on it including TT5. Its no upgrade from the Diamond in my opinion, well not £500s worth.
I put my sim in my diamond again today and thoughthis is better, and looks better. Bye Bye HD. All I need for my diamond is a better battery, £50 done.
Also that paint chipping malarky isn't good is it? Now.. I just need to learn my lessons and stop being such a geek! My Girlfriend told everyone I'd shelled out £500 for a phone. They think i'm 'kin mad! I agree
Not may apps run on it including TT5. ...
C'mon - I doubt even WM5 was out when that was released.
you need two hands to turn on your phone, this is ridiculous...
No it doesn't. i anyway can easily turn it on one-handed.
mcano said:
Placement of power button is really a major design flaw, you need two hands to turn on your phone, this is ridiculous, I can turn on even my lawnmower with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed this is an ultimate example of stupidity. Funny how nobody complained about the same thing done by Apple though in Jesus Phone. It's just equally annoying there.
mcano said:
The reset button hidden under battery cover, hey, it's running windows, reset button is one of most important buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't care less where the reset button is, frankly. Unlike you, I'm not a big fan of pressing it, on Windows or not, so don't use it often enough to be bothered.
mcano said:
No camera button, how I'm supposed to take autoportrait?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if you want to delete it right away - this is not a camera, this is an extreme piece of garbage. Maybe HTC device users are used to this I don't know. But I was simply shocked. It's so slow that it's simply impossible to capture anything that moves faster than continents are drifting.
mcano said:
I didn't expect I will get for my money this piece of ****ing ****. Excuse me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Come on, they just don't make good phones, admit it. Any phone has tons of stupidities. There's no other choice but to accept the least of the evils out there. Somehow making excellent things just doesn't seem an attractive business model anymore. It's just so much easier to stick a stupid 3.5mm jack for headphones with no data capability for a remote control (people will buy this no matter it's less convenient in practice than extUSB Audio, if you think about it for a moment), and make a camera with a bigger megapixel count that a competitor has.
But I digress...
No camera button, how I'm supposed to take autoportrait?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhhhh, how about using the front-facing camera, duh....
vangrieg said:
Somehow making excellent things just doesn't seem an attractive business model anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera with bigger mega pixels and ever crappier plastic lens just annoys the hell out of me, but unfortunately they get away with this; because the majority of people are stupid (or ignorant, or whatever.)
Being less harsh..... I suppose in the grand scheme of things all this technology is new, once the expectation & experience of the general public catches up, finally we will see better devices.
remixme said:
Camera with bigger mega pixels and ever crappier plastic lens just annoys the hell out of me, but unfortunately they get away with this; because the majority of people are stupid (or ignorant, or whatever.)
Being less harsh..... I suppose in the grand scheme of things all this technology is new, once the expectation & experience of the general public catches up, finally we will see better devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol! Buying a Touch HD and expecting it to be good enough to replace your regular digi is stupid (or ignorant, or whatever.)
Seems to me that people forget that this is a cell phone first...it's not a digital camera with a phone feature.
yeah there are design flaws as there are for all phones
i have small hands and i can turn it one handed so i'm not sure whats wrong with your hands...
yes the reset button is poorly placed as is the volume rocker and having no dedicated camera button is weird as well.
in saying that the main fetaure of the hd over others is the screen size and display resolution.
there is no 'perfect' device, if there ever was then they'd have no room to make future stuff.
I'm pissed with the poor camera and lack of flash and it really wouldnt surprise me whetehr they release a simialr version within the next 6-12 months with these fetaures. but if they had everything we wnated this time, why would we buy the next model?
Nothing is perfect, every fone gonna have some flaws, because every1 thinks differently, and the phone are made up of only a group of ppl, so there bound to be ppl who think its ****.
So tell me a fone you think that's you think's good, then i'll tell you the "fking ****" out of it?
Major Usage flaws
mcano said:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, I am trying really hard not to laugh ... or curse at you.
Placement of power button is really a major design flaw, you need two hands to turn on your phone, this is ridiculous, I can turn on even my lawnmower with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny how millions of iphone (same location of power button) users and hundreds of HD users never complained about this problem. may be you need to examine if you are holding the phone correctly. I can turn on the phone with my either hand, my teenage children can turn on the phone with either of their small hands.. my judo coach can turn it on with either of his giant paws. so unless you have 4 fingers on each hand, i am baffled at your complaint.
The reset button hidden under battery cover, hey, it's running windows, reset button is one of most important buttons. If I need to remove battery cover I can reset my phone by just removing battery as well. I don't need that button anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is highly depended on what kind of junk you install on your phone, i never had to use my reset button since I got my phone 3 weeks ago.
No camera button, how I'm supposed to take autoportrait? And again you need two hands to take a picture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first of all wtf is "autoportrait"? you mean portrait picture? or self-portrait? or auto focus? I haven't heard of one camera that can "autoportrait" a picture for me. Secondly, I take pix on HD with one hand, landscape or portrait. the friends to whom I showed my phone to for the first time snapped pix one-handed. You are like an old grandma who doesn't want to change the way you do stuff because you are used to your thumb being the "holder" and index finger being the "trigger". if you need help, i'll be mroe than happy to take a pic of how me and my friends operate this phone with one hand.
Volume buttons on side are too big, I press them accidentally all the time so I end up in silent mode and don't hear incoming calls or SMS. What was wrong with sliding volume button on original Touch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
irritating yes, major flaw no! DeviceLock, S2U2, PocketShield, etc etc.. all provide customized lock function that will lock hardware keys. Gosh, since you are so lazy, here you go: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=449744
Light sensor is great idea, however it doesn't recognize light in my room from pitch black, it has the same value (zero) so I can have minimum backlight and see nothing or I can have medium backlight and blind my eyes when I pickup my phone at midnight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are not using any third party software to adjust the light, then yes, the screen tend to be brighter than it should. but it definitely never came to a point in any condition where the backlight is off and i can "see nothing". If you are using a third party software, then it's your own laziness that needs help so you can adjust the software's settings to best suite your enviroment. I use G-Light and it is working wonderfully.
You can't use this cellphone lying on table, because it wobbles because of that that camera protector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I dont even know where to begin for this one. Should I tell you to get a regular home/landline phone because you are using a cell phone on a table? or should I ask why do you care the phone wobbles if you are setting it on the table, because your attention must be somewhere else, and busy doing something else with your two hands in the meanwhile, after all that should be the reason you set the phone down in the first place no? Honestly, if your are doing something else with your two hands, and the phone is on the desk, it just wobbles on it own?!?! Or are you telling us that you get a kick out of setting a cell phone on the table and talk, while poking it with one hand to enjoy or dislike its wobbliness??
I'm talking just about HW issues so far. The are infinite software issues, but software can be tuned. HW will stay like that, HTC Touch HD is just a one huge design fault. I have been using HTC Touch (Elf) before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly, with the way you are using your cell phone, there are many other complaints to be logged. I am looking forward for more great laughs.
......this piece of ****ing ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This line is the reason for the tone of my response. if you have a problem or need help adjusting, ask, and we'll help you. if you have something valuable to share, type it down, and we will thank you. Coming here to rant just because you are not doing things right.. well.... thanks for the laugh.. again.
Excuse me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are excused.
I find it perfectly easy to turn the phone off one handed. I haven't had cause to use the reset button yet so who cares where it is. Not to mention that you don't want it in too convenient a location lest it is pressed by accident! The movement of the device while on a flat surface is minimal. Admittedly the fact that the volume buttons don't lock is annoying but something I am sure can be solved with software. The lack of a camera button is a minor irritant although accidentally pushing the button and activating the camera on my Trinity was also slightly irritating.
I would suggest that your list of "Major Flaws" hardly adds up to a minor irritant and if you are so frustrated by such small things then I doubt you are ever content. Nothing is perfect, to expect such is foolish and will only ever end in disappointment...
You can reset the device by taking the back cover off but you can also reset by holding down the power button for a few seconds
buggybug0 said:
Funny how millions of iphone (same location of power button) users and hundreds of HD users never complained about this problem. may be you need to examine if you are holding the phone correctly. I can turn on the phone with my either hand, my teenage children can turn on the phone with either of their small hands.. my judo coach can turn it on with either of his giant paws. so unless you have 4 fingers on each hand, i am baffled at your complaint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They did not complain because they don't know they could have better. Yes I can turn it on with either hand also, but it is very inconvenient. If you think this button is well placed, then you must have both hands left.
buggybug0 said:
This is highly depended on what kind of junk you install on your phone, i never had to use my reset button since I got my phone 3 weeks ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are doing experiments you just have to
buggybug0 said:
irritating yes, major flaw no! DeviceLock, S2U2, PocketShield, etc etc.. all provide customized lock function that will lock hardware keys. Gosh, since you are so lazy, here you go: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=449744
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah right, if it is not design flaw why should I ever use any third party sw to disable it? If you have to find a way how to deal with it it mean it's flawed, period. Volume button on Elf was just fine no need to bother how to disable it.
buggybug0 said:
If you are not using any third party software to adjust the light, then yes, the screen tend to be brighter than it should. but it definitely never came to a point in any condition where the backlight is off and i can "see nothing". If you are using a third party software, then it's your own laziness that needs help so you can adjust the software's settings to best suite your enviroment. I use G-Light and it is working wonderfully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has flawed hw, no software will help you, as I said light sensor is not sensitive enough to see difference between normal lighting condition in my room and pitch black, so everything in between is the same. So you cannot set different backlight for normal room and dark night.
buggybug0 said:
LOL, I dont even know where to begin for this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just place your phone on table and try to hit [X] button. that's it.
abeery said:
You can reset the device by taking the back cover off but you can also reset by holding down the power button for a few seconds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
power button won't help you in certain situations.
mcano said:
Yeah right, if it is not design flaw why should I ever use any third party sw to disable it? If you have to find a way how to deal with it it mean it's flawed, period. Volume button on Elf was just fine no need to bother how to disable it.
It has flawed hw, no software will help you, as I said light sensor is not sensitive enough to see difference between normal lighting condition in my room and pitch black, so everything in between is the same. So you cannot set different backlight for normal room and dark night.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont need third party software, a small dll edit sorts it out and some people want to be able to adjust the volume while the device is locked so they can easily change music volume.
The light sensor is suprisingly sensitive. Do as instructed, install G-Light and all your backlight woes will melt away
tingsagwaan said:
You dont need third party software, a small dll edit sorts it out and some people want to be able to adjust the volume while the device is locked so they can easily change music volume.
The light sensor is suprisingly sensitive. Do as instructed, install G-Light and all your backlight woes will melt away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Light sensor is not sensitive enough, I installed GLight, thats how I found out.
The thing that I dont like with HD is .... current TouchFlo 3D.
HD has 3.8" screen, great 800x480 resolution ... but that TF3D Today screen is just waste of space because it can only display 2 appointments.
To make it worse, I cannot install Today plugin there.
Oh yeah, I can disable and use other Today application like the old HTC Home, SecondToday or SpB Mobile Shell ...
You right, but that's not the point ... HTC should have done it right to incorporate the new hardware ... the big screen with its software, user interface, and such.
Another one, why the contact photo tab could not have "tiled" (arrange to grid) photo arrangement? I hate scrolling just to find the correct contact photo. The contact photo in Manilla is better.
Another one, why the image viewer could not operate in full screen? Yes, I know, the sliding flow animation is nice for showing off .... but to have option for full screen is much better.
So, thanks to current economic crisis, I decided to wait for the next iteration.
gogol said:
The thing that I dont like with HD is .... current TouchFlo 3D.
HD has 3.8" screen, great 800x480 resolution ... but that TF3D Today screen is just waste of space because it can only display 2 appointments.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as much as we dont like the tf3d, we have to realize, htc gave this to us for free. other companies, charge for such a program, spb mobile shell, etc.
secondly, even you agreeed this is a beautiful phone, so htc did a great job. software wise, ms mobile is bad. even worse, ms didn't open their platform, so htc can't implement this "touch " shell deeper into the OS. given their fortay is in the hardware, and this giiant obstacle, i say they did an admirable job.
as for the appointmments, using advanced config tool, i can seethe appointments of the next two days. give it a try.
gogol said:
Another one, why the image viewer could not operate in full screen? Yes, I know, the sliding flow animation is nice for showing off .... but to have option for full screen is much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by that? Go to Album, see the thumbnails, tap on a picture and voila - you have it in full screen.

Anyone miss the track pad?

Just wondering if any of you HD owners are missing the trackpad of the original desire?
Currently using the desire I find the pad very useful for navigating text entry boxes, though I have to admit I don't use it all the time. Just wondered if I'd miss it should I move to the HD as I am considering doing.
Whilst I think about it, interested also to hear from those of you that have moved from the desire to the HD. In general, having been used to the compact size of the desire how are you getting in with the HD?
Personally moved from HTC Magic and the only time i really miss the trackball is when I'm navigating menus in recovery, otherwise the larger screen allows selection of text boxes with fingers with reasonable ease
when my old legend was booted i never used the optical scroll thingy, and i always thought how much nicer the thing would look if they just removed it and made is shorter ect..., however i did use it for the recovery thing not sure how easy that would be without it.
I also previously had a Legend and rarely used the optical trackball. So far one the DHD I am not missing it at all. I find it easier editing text on the DHD.
I came from nexus one. I also miss scrolling around recovery with the trackball but doing it with the volume keys isn't that much more effort. I'm only in recovery 2-3 times a week anyway so who really cares? The other thing about the nexus is that I was always worried the trackball would pop out while I was pulling it out of my pocket one day.
I'm finding that the larger screen is much more accurate for touch input. 80% of the time if I'm editing text, I can just touch the screen and the cursor goes to the right place. The other 20% of the time the magnifier box works a treat. I find it no slower than using the trackball for accurate cursor placement.
Size wise it was a bit of a shock at first carrying around the much larger DHD but after a couple of weeks I'm used to it and the nexus one looks kinda small to me now. Still I would definately not wish to have anything bigger. The DHD is at my limit for size.
I've had both an HTC G1 and Motorola Milestone before the DHD and I thought I would miss it a lot. However, the G1 trackball was awful and the Milestone navpad was fiddly to use when I think about how they felt in use. I can honestly say that I don't miss it at all because it's very easy to select boxes with the larger screen and if you need to select a letter or move the cursor to a specific point, eg in a text message, you can tap near to it and then use the small cursor keys. It's a lot less fiddly than the other methods and makes me wonder why it hadn't been done sooner.
If I have one issue with the software keyboard cusor keys it's that only the HTC keyboard seems to offer them. I hope other market keyboards offer them, specifically SwiftKey. The method the default keyboard lets you select text for copy / paste / quick lookup is second only to the iPhone's implementation in my opinion.
I am so not missing the track pad. It was one of the reasons I sent the desire back.
I found that as I was typing a message it was far too easy to graze the pad and end up moving your cursor and hence text input making for some interesting reading. I never did figure out how to disable it.
Nope, the magnifier that appears when holding down on the textbox is far more usable and faster than the trackpad.
Eddie1506 said:
Nope, the magnifier that appears when holding down on the textbox is far more usable and faster than the trackpad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I love about it but if you have to select or move the cursor to text near the top of the screen you get into all kinds of trouble. You can just about see where it is but it's very difficult, could use a tweak.
Thanks for all the replies ... seems pretty unanimous that the lack of trackpad is not an issue.
My only real concern now is the speaker - I know it's said to be rubbish but can it REALLY be as rubbish as the original Desire? I was trying to watch a clip of a stand up show using Rock Player last night and could barely hear anything over the slight noise going on in the room at the time.
I know there are threads for this, just wondered if anyone here had any quick views in direct comparison to its predecessor.
xspyda said:
Thanks for all the replies ... seems pretty unanimous that the lack of trackpad is not an issue.
My only real concern now is the speaker - I know it's said to be rubbish but can it REALLY be as rubbish as the original HD?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
original HD? there's only 1 HD and this is it, or you mean original Desire?
Oops, yes that's what I meant. Thanks, corrected
Well, having not actually seen the phones that people were complaining about (speaker wise) i cant say with certainty, but i suspect it may have been just a dodgy batch.
My DHD is fine speaker wise, it isnt loud by any means (its louder than my x10 though).
I would like it to be louder, but its not an issue, more of a little niggle, i honestly would worry about it.
I think it really depends on what you are comparing it to. I'm not familiar with the X10 so I wouldn't know how that performs but I do know that my Nokia 5800 knocks spots off ANYTHING I have heard since and the N95 was pretty good too.
The Galaxy S is not as good as the Nokia's but is what I would call passable. The Desire (original) on the other hand is just poor, very poor. I'm really interested to know if the DHD is as bad as the Desire or an improvement which could bring it towards the same league as say the Galaxy S.
I'd be VERY surprised if it's a hardware fault on early models as HTC are not known for either their camera or sound quality when it comes to mobiles.
Not really, just another piece of hardware to break.
And just another thread to necro.
Btt: no not rly.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk
It was only useful for recovery in my opinion. It was also for the most part an irritation point, when sliding through the different homescreens or locking the phone using only one hand, it always grazed the trackpad making it either select or swipe homescreen.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
I have just come from a standard desire to a hd, i have to admit that i prefered the trackpad for recovery and also trackpad wake and unlock alot better than having to press the power button on top of the HD all the time.
Speaker on the HD is slightly better I would say, but not alot tbh.
Preferred the AMOLED screen on the standard, I find the viewing angles and black levels crap in comparison on the HD.
I do however really like my HD with bigger screen, faster proc, more mem and ram and better camera.
I miss the trackpad for quick text selection, and I preferred to use the button for taking a picture. It was nice to be able to feel for the button when taking the picture. The magnify selector is pretty good for text selection though.
The speaker on the DHD is much better than the original desire, at least in my opinion. If you like your Original Desire, then you will absolutely love your DHD.

Getting my G2 tomorrow! Very excited!

It finally will arrive from the buyer. Can't wait to root it and get some more CM6 action. Also can't wait to get my Nexus on eBay.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Grats!
Sent from my cm7src powered HTC Vision using XDA App
Congrats pal.
So are you selling nexus s or one on ebay to get g2?. If yes, why? I have nexus s and thinking about exchanging it for g2.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
nohcho said:
So are you selling nexus s or one on ebay to get g2?. If yes, why? I have nexus s and thinking about exchanging it for g2.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I'm doing. Here's why (pros = +, cons = -):
Nexus S: (can sell for $650)
+beautiful SAMOLED screen
+instant updates from Google
+very light and sexy
-all-plastic housing is a fingerprint and scratch magnet
-no notification LED
-it's a Samsung
G2: (bought for $400)
+hardware keyboard
+matte finish is not a fingerprint magnet
+notification and charging LEDs
+SLCD is also beautiful, albeit less saturated
+HTC quality
-smaller screen
-heavier and larger
-non-Google updates (but I use CM)
Since they're both fairly equal on the specs level (minus the above nit-picks), I'd rather have the extra $250 and the G2's quirks over the Nexus's quirks. I'm also expecting a lot of "next-gen" Android devices to be unveiled at CES, so I'm probably only going to have this phone for 4-6 months anyways. The Nexus is just a little too pricey for something that isn't far enough beyond the G2; they're both essentially in the same hardware "generation."
TheBiles said:
That's exactly what I'm doing. Here's why (pros = +, cons = -):
Nexus S: (can sell for $650)
+beautiful SAMOLED screen
+instant updates from Google
+very light and sexy
-all-plastic housing is a fingerprint and scratch magnet
-no notification LED
-it's a Samsung
G2: (bought for $400)
+hardware keyboard
+matte finish is not a fingerprint magnet
+notification and charging LEDs
+SLCD is also beautiful, albeit less saturated
+HTC quality
-smaller screen
-heavier and larger
-non-Google updates (but I use CM)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't possibly agree with all your + and - points....
AMOLED is WAY oversaturated. Nice in theory, but doesn't actually look right. It is quite a ways from being on par with SLCD for image quality.
On the VISION, the smaller screen is a ***PLUS***. I actually find the Vision's screen to still be too big. The DREAM's touch screen was a good size. I would never own a phone with a 4+ as it just gets to be too much stretching for 1-handed operation.
Also, being heavier and larger is also a POSITIVE. As an example, try to see how long a ford focus will last out on a battlefield against tanks and machine guns. A phone has to be sturdy and have a substantial mass to it because it IS used in a hostile environment -- temperature changes, water, being dropped, etc. It is also easier to hold when it has some weight. The tiny and low weight junkies are seriously confused people. Its not as if the thing is as big as a cell phone from the 80's.
dhkr123 said:
I can't possibly agree with all your + and - points....
AMOLED is WAY oversaturated. Nice in theory, but doesn't actually look right. It is quite a ways from being on par with SLCD for image quality.
On the VISION, the smaller screen is a ***PLUS***. I actually find the Vision's screen to still be too big. The DREAM's touch screen was a good size. I would never own a phone with a 4+ as it just gets to be too much stretching for 1-handed operation.
Also, being heavier and larger is also a POSITIVE. As an example, try to see how long a ford focus will last out on a battlefield against tanks and machine guns. A phone has to be sturdy and have a substantial mass to it because it IS used in a hostile environment -- temperature changes, water, being dropped, etc. It is also easier to hold when it has some weight. The tiny and low weight junkies are seriously confused people. Its not as if the thing is as big as a cell phone from the 80's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Relax. They were my own opinions.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
TheBiles said:
Relax. They were my own opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am relaxed. I'm just helping to improve your perspective on the device you have chosen to own. I.e., you should feel even better! What you've chosen is, by FAR, the best phone out there.
Yep got mine last week, awesome phone..running gingerbread rom nicely
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
I'm still using CM6.1.1 until we get an official CM7 RC. I just love my CM extras too much.
Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk
I won't be touching CM7 on Vision until I know that it can be trusted. Phone has to actually work. Experimental stuff to happen on the Dream.
I finally took the plunge and I have ordered a Desire Z to arrive tomorrow. I almost bit the bullet and bought it at launch but during the delays in Europe, I read so much about the hinge issue and chickened out.
My Touch Pro 2 has developed the dreaded newton rings for the second time in 6months and I have sent it away to be repaired on warranty. I will sell it when it returns.
This situation forced me into buying a new phone and I looked at the Desire Z (again), Nexus S and Desire HD. I just couldnt bring myself to accept the size of the DHD. I have used phones with keyboards for the past 3 years and I dont think I can live without a keyboard. I went to Bestbuy on a few occassions to try out the touchscreen keyboard on the NS but it just didnt feel rght. I know how frustrated I got when I tried to type simple mesages on the screen of my TP2.
I decided on getting the DZ since the hinge 'problem' only surfaces when the phone is held in a ridiculous way you probably will never hold it in most real world situations. Anyway I bought it online so I have 7 days to return it if the hinge seems to be a really big problem.
TheBiles said:
That's exactly what I'm doing. Here's why (pros = +, cons = -):
Nexus S: (can sell for $650)
+beautiful SAMOLED screen
+instant updates from Google
+very light and sexy
-all-plastic housing is a fingerprint and scratch magnet
-no notification LED
-it's a Samsung
G2: (bought for $400)
+hardware keyboard
+matte finish is not a fingerprint magnet
+notification and charging LEDs
+SLCD is also beautiful, albeit less saturated
+HTC quality
-smaller screen
-heavier and larger
-non-Google updates (but I use CM)
Since they're both fairly equal on the specs level (minus the above nit-picks), I'd rather have the extra $250 and the G2's quirks over the Nexus's quirks. I'm also expecting a lot of "next-gen" Android devices to be unveiled at CES, so I'm probably only going to have this phone for 4-6 months anyways. The Nexus is just a little too pricey for something that isn't far enough beyond the G2; they're both essentially in the same hardware "generation."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of the clearest break downs I've seen for choosing a G2. These are some of the reason I chose the G2. Plus I really feel like both the Nexus S and Gingerbread were a rush job for the Christmas dough.
That said, I almost got the Nexus S just for the resale value. Because, come april-may 2011 the G2 probably won't fetch more than $175-200 tops.
Oh well I saved money on this end.
lombardo8 said:
I have used phones with keyboards for the past 3 years and I dont think I can live without a keyboard. I went to Bestbuy on a few occassions to try out the touchscreen keyboard on the NS but it just didnt feel rght. I know how frustrated I got when I tried to type simple mesages on the screen of my TP2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't stand "traditional" touchscreen keyboards either, but Swype works really well. I am finding myself surprised at how often I use Swype instead of the hardware keyboard on my Vision. I still use the hardware keyboard for longer messages. But for my next phone, I may seriously consider a phone without a keyboard.
redpoint73 said:
I can't stand "traditional" touchscreen keyboards either, but Swype works really well. I am finding myself surprised at how often I use Swype instead of the hardware keyboard on my Vision. I still use the hardware keyboard for longer messages. But for my next phone, I may seriously consider a phone without a keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That has to be a matter of personal preference. Swype, to me, was absolute garbage, so I deleted it.
dhkr123 said:
That has to be a matter of personal preference. Swype, to me, was absolute garbage, so I deleted it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personal preference? Absolutely. But I'm surprised you would go so far as to call Swype "absolute garbage". What about it didn't you like? As a "regular" touchscreen keyboard, its seems just about as good as any other. As far as 'swiping' words, I find it very good at predicting the word I intended, even when I often know for fact that I didn't hit the letters exactly right.
redpoint73 said:
Personal preference? Absolutely. But I'm surprised you would go so far as to call Swype "absolute garbage". What about it didn't you like? As a "regular" touchscreen keyboard, its seems just about as good as any other. As far as 'swiping' words, I find it very good at predicting the word I intended, even when I often know for fact that I didn't hit the letters exactly right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swype is the thing of gods. I couldn't use a software keyboard without it.
I tried Swpe on a colleagues Galaxy S and was very impressed. I could get used to using Swype but the problem is I type mainly in slang and a kind of english (african patois) which means I woud have to use the Swype keyboard like an ordinary keyboard most times.
lombardo8 said:
I tried Swpe on a colleagues Galaxy S and was very impressed. I could get used to using Swype but the problem is I type mainly in slang and a kind of english (african patois) which means I woud have to use the Swype keyboard like an ordinary keyboard most times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you type the word once it will learn it.
What a phone! So so beautiful! That hinge is not an issue. Under no circumstances would I hold my phone the way that we see in all them videos on the internet.
ALK say on their website that u cant transfer copilot live 8 from a windows mobile to an android phone but its a big lie!. it was the first thing i installed and it works a treat. I have also downloaded angry birds, I know everyones going crazy about that so I thought i would join in. I am going to try and install Swype in a minute. I have only had the phone about 45 minutes and I am completely blown away. I was actually able to watch hustle on BBC iPlayer in my browser. Phone technolgy has grown in leaps and bounds since I bought my TP2.
Thank goodness I didnt allow those videos about the hinge put me off from buying this truly wonderful phone.

Stylus or no stylus???

What do you guys think? Is there a good use for it? Do you use it? What are your thoughts in general.
i use a stylus once in a while, but its not what i expected originally. I had played with the digitizer stylus on the htc flyer earlier, and that was such a fantastic stylus experience, i thought i would be able to have that same level of detail, but apparently it doesnt work that way on other tablets, htc flyer has a special digitizer layer on top of the capacitive screen, that makes input form the special digitizer pen more accurate, like i can literally write chicken scratch on that thing and it is perfectly legible.
but on regular capacitive screens, the best stylus wont do much more than what your finger does. If you want to use the stylus just for swiping, and moving stuff, then it's okay i suppose, especially when its cold. But its not a handwriting replacement, or even a decent sketching tool, just a finger replacement. Regular styluses have this weird squishy foam tip also, that annoys me.
fraz82 said:
i use a stylus once in a while, but its not what i expected originally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^^^
This.
I have the Samsung stylus and use it all the time. To me, it's a tad more precise than my finger and it keeps the screen clean of finger prints. The only app it seems to work better than average in is the Asus notes app that's available in the dev section. Even then, it's for quick notes and phone numbers not actual writing.
I'm using one now. The biggest advantage for me is when entering text. My wife asked for one. I grabed one at Walmart, tried it out and had to get one for myself. I like it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Yep I agree with everyone above. I purchased the Jot stylus which is supposed to be one of the better ones and it was just bleh. I wanted to use my Tab for note taking and stuff and it just won't register cleanly especially if you're trying to write 'normally'. For drawing and bigger letters it's fine, but anything smaller, forget it.
spyder560 said:
Yep I agree with everyone above. I purchased the Jot stylus which is supposed to be one of the better ones and it was just bleh. I wanted to use my Tab for note taking and stuff and it just won't register cleanly especially if you're trying to write 'normally'. For drawing and bigger letters it's fine, but anything smaller, forget it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an app for that. Touchscreentune in the dev section. It helps a great deal, though it doesn't make the Tab perfect. One caveat... You need to be rooted to use it.

Are you cool with on screen buttons?

Hey,
I am cool with the storage, no removable battery and HSPA+. But on screen button little bugging me lol. Don't you guys think it will used some screen space or you guys don't even bother with that space
Having a gnex, i'm pretty cool with them! Capacitave buttons is so 2010
Sent from my Transformer TF101G using XDA Premium HD app
I begrudgingly accept the fate that is software buttons. I don't like them, but I'm not going to refuse to buy a great phone because of them.
I'm actually loving em in my nexus 7 so why not in a mobile phone? To be honest I wasn't too convinced by them at the beginning, but after some time I really like them
Sent from my amazing Nexus 7 using xda developer's app
As I said in another thread, if your device is rooted it's just a matter of adding a line to the build.prop file to get rid of them.
I use my GNex fullscreen, navigating with Virtual Button Bar, it's not free but works great. When I need the buttons I just pass my finger on top of proximity sensor and they appear! Totally customizable.
Someone says it's dangerous because you're screwed if the service stops... I never had a problem in six months using it this way.
Hardware buttons are below the screen, and to hold the phone with comfort, my thumb has to stretch downwards (a bit too far) causes fatigue mostly on large phones like the SG3. My hands aren't small but to support a phone and use it, it's a pain.
On screen buttons means the buttons are higher up so less strain.
imo.
jacklebott said:
I begrudgingly accept the fate that is software buttons. I don't like them, but I'm not going to refuse to buy a great phone because of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here, the only problem is those on screen button. if they had to added those button, why not make the screen itself little bigger cause there was extra space on the bottom which empty and looks kinda ugly
I love the on screen buttons, check out the mods for them in the galaxy nexus forum. Customization is fun!
On screen or capacitive. Just not the physical home button like the s3. I think it messes with the fluidity of a device. Lightly touching the screen and capacitive buttons then having to firm up your grip to push the stupid home button. Such an inconvenience.... lol
Oh the crap we complain about....
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I love the software buttons, i even use them on my Sensation, i like that i can modifiy them, i like that they disappear while watching a vid and i love how the device looks while the screen is off, so damn clean.
-xLychee
Edit: They made the screen bigger, 0,1" and 1280*768 instead of 1280*720.
Didnt mind them on the galaxy nexus im sure they will be fine on this
I thought I was going to hate them before I had the G nexus, but now I would hate not having them. With AOKP (and others) you can change the order of the buttons and even add more. I have a menu and search button in addition to the regular ones on mine. You can even program more to quickly open apps or kill an app ect. It really is a huge improvement if you ask me.
For those that wish to have a full screen option, check out LMT Launcher. It totally made the gnex experience for me much better. It's an app that can be found on this forum. A video demonstration can be found on youtube as well.

Categories

Resources