[Kacey Green]

See topic, is this possible with SE or do they have to be portrait?
A landscape VGA device would be killer, especially if you could still do portrait, the buttons and such would be laid out for landscape.

[Kacey Green]

See topic, is this possible with SE or do they have to be portrait?
A landscape VGA device would be killer, especially if you could still do portrait, the buttons and such would be laid out for landscape.

[The Yaz]

Are you sure that screen default for landscape is necessary?

From the articles regarding SE, the screen rotation can be set for either left or right hand presentation. Because of this, you already have the opportunity to use the d-pad and shortcut keys in the manner that is most comfortable for you.

Besides, default landscape is not as useful as you would think. In most situations, landscape would make the handheld a two-handed device (one to hold and one to use the buttons).

If you remember, Sharp had come out with a clamshell device that had the screen only in landscape. Their latest offering has gone back to a portrait/candybar format because of the better ergonomics (useable in one hand).

I think a better design for a pda would include optional buttons/jog dials to be added that could be turn on/off at the user's choice depending on how they would want to use their pda.

Steve 8)

[Kacey Green]

I was thinking of something with buttons below the screen so left/right hand wouldn't be an issue (I myself am a southpaw) it would still be slate or convertible, not clamshell so one handed operation won't be much an issue either. Most lefties I know (myself included), wouldn't mind where the jog dial is located as long as it is left or right, but not top or bottom. Jog dials work best with thumbs or index/middle fingers.

[AggieJon]

Maybe I'm not seeing something, but a device built to be used with landscape with the buttons on the bottom wouldn't be very useable to me. If you moved the buttons from where they are now, you could reduce the length of the device, but putting them under the screen (when rotated to landscape) would make it wider (taller), so you'd end up with something close to a square. I don't think it would be very pocketable. :?

[Kacey Green]

Think buttons the size of the 2200 series...

eh?

or you could go gameboy and have d-pad on the left and buttons on the right?

how about that?

[AggieJon]

Well, I can see how that would appeal to some people. :?

What makes me excited about landscape is having the option to rotate it. I will probably still use most apps without landscape, but it will be nice for the few that seem like they would work better with it.

If you had the buttons on separate ends, it would make it a bit inconvenient for using it in portrait rotation. IMHO it wouldn't do very well.

[Kacey Green]

I didn't say no rotation, just which position it starts in, instead of being portrait when you push the power button (to turn it on the first time), it would be landscape.