04-08-2009, 07:30 PM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Buttons Or No Buttons?
My Matrix Pro Smartphone has 2, my Touch Pro has 1, and my T-Mobile Dash has none. What am I referring to? Hardware buttons that can be mapped to different features on a device (as opposed to those which are fixed in function, such as keyboards, power buttons, softkeys, etc..). Five years ago, it was pretty common to have 3-4 buttons on a device that the user could map to. Now you're lucky if you get one. While in many ways better touchscreen response or a full keyboard has reduced some of the need for these buttons, there are times I just wish I had a few more. So what's your opinion - more hardware buttons or is 0 the magic number? picture source
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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04-08-2009, 08:04 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 59
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I miss my buttons (have an iphone now)...
Part of my WM reinstall is always to install hbutton from xda-devs... excellent tool to map several shortcuts to a single button.
I found i really only needed 2 at the max.. any more and I'd forget what was where.
The best (or worst) of hardkey remapping I had was when I had an old palm PDA and had remapped all 4 hardkeys to 3-4 apps each. short press, long press, double press, triple press...
Those were the days....
HButton - PocketPC Button Enhancer
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04-08-2009, 08:23 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 68
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I don't like this move to all touch devices.
I thought MS was moving towards one handed devices and combining the Pro and Standard version of WinMo.
Now that the iPhone is king, everyone is trying to copy it. The iPhone is pretty great but most iPhone users would have bought what ever decent device Apple put out. Also at $200 there's no reason to come up with half witted versions for $300+. Plus another couple of bucks for expanding the memory. It's a joke.
MS and everyone are now adding swipes and flicks for the sake of swiping and flicking and MS device partners are taking away d-pads and buttons.
Let me say this again. Everyone that wants an iPhone has one. It's $200 with contract. It's a steal! Stop copying it and come up with your own intuitive system that doesn't need to be reset 12 times a day and does not lag for no reason.
I'm using an AT&T Tilt with a Hyperdragon ROM from September. All the newer ROMs have an updated version of PocketIE and it sucks! I like having buttons and I like setting them for long holds and double presses. I like the d-pad and single handed operation. The Tilt even has a jog wheel and two button on the side. By mapping them to the left & right soft keys I can do almost everything with one hand. Not only do I want buttons, but I wish double push and holding would be program specific so holding the Internet button would open up favorites and double pressing would go to the home page.
The default AT&T dialer is a joke and the buttons are too small. Also, most of the time I tap the screen one place and it highlights another part of the screen. Why the hell do they still have a useless tiny keyboard? The new honeycomb launcher is painful on the eyes. Half the time swiping cause the tap hold menu to pop up. Let's take away all the buttons and keep the same non responsive touch screen that was made to be used with a stylus. Also, what the hell is wrong with a stylus? No one has trouble with it on the DS?
I vote to keep buttons and d-pads but make the screens responsive enough for touch as well.
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04-08-2009, 08:33 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 338
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For all the buttons my XV6800 has, I can honestly say half of them could disappear and I wouldn't miss them. I rarely use the IE or Messages shortcut buttons, the "speak command" button or the wireless button. I do, however, use the phone on-hook/off-hook, windows key and "OK" button a lot.
I find myself poking options on the screen more and more. I don't know - is it because I started using these devices when there weren't as many buttons? Or am I just old fashioned and think I have to 'click' an icon on a screen to do something?
My vote goes to investing more in the user interface, making it easier to select things and making it faster with no delays or hesitations.
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04-08-2009, 08:34 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,520
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The decrease of hardware buttons and the increase in multi-touch and other such gestures does seem to put the "one-handed operation" in jeapardy.
Can you browse efficiently on a device if the only way to zoom in and out is through multi-touch?
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04-08-2009, 09:51 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Coming from the Windows Mobile Standard world like I do, I really like buttons - namely, mapping applications to speed dial functions. I really like being able to press and hold the number nine to start the task manager, number five to start Windows Live search, etc. Having to do everything via navigation isn't efficient.
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04-08-2009, 10:12 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 68
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I also have WinMo Standard 6.1 on an old 3125 Str Trk and I really like it.
Everything on WinMo Pro seams like it requires an extra tap or two.
WinMo Standard 6.1 is way underrated.
One app that comes to mind is Google Maps. They've made the on screen icons for Pro larger but for some reason I always have to tap and tap and tap.
Don't take away the d-pads!
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04-09-2009, 12:45 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phillip Dyson
The decrease of hardware buttons and the increase in multi-touch and other such gestures does seem to put the "one-handed operation" in jeapardy.
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Why? That's only true if such gestures are required. On the iPhone, they're not.
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Can you browse efficiently on a device if the only way to zoom in and out is through multi-touch?
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I almost never zoom using the "pinch" maneuver. Apple (and Palm, and I presume Opera) added a "double-tap" which zooms to the column you're tapping on.
In general, I preferred buttons on WM, but I did notice end-users were very inconsistent in button use, especially on WM Pro devices with the touch screen. Many of them would tap the screen instead of, say, scrolling using the d-pad between buttons on the dialog and clicking the middle to "hit" the button.
--janak
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04-09-2009, 03:31 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 359
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I miss buttons as well. Touch-screen is nice, but it's a balance between touch-screen and physical keyboard buttons that makes a perfect device IMO. I got so used to grabbing my smartphone and "feeling" for an application button I wanted to start. Now I have to take time to carefully look at the screen with most newer devices.
Don't manufacturers realize that some people like keyboards and buttons still? That will never go away--I hope!
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04-09-2009, 03:47 AM
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Oracle
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 984
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Quote:
Originally Posted by superrrguy
Let me say this again. Everyone that wants an iPhone has one.
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Except for me; my two year contract is up in December, and I don't feel like paying a fee to break it.
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WinMo Standard 6.1 is way underrated.
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It must be ten times better than Windows Mobile 6.0 Lame Edition then, which cannot search calendars(!), cannot set a category for calendar items(!!), cannot set, say, a 20 minutes alarm for an event(!!!), has a completely lame browser, has no copy/cut/paste. Etc.
What one finds beautiful another finds ugly.
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