What Can Hardware Buttons Do?

[Max Kirichenko]

Perhaps, buttons management is what every PocketPC user dreams about. Sometimes it makes really annoying to get that stick out just to perform few actions on the touchscreen! We have been working on this issue since last October and now have 2 things to present.

1. VITO TaskSwitcher
- manages running tasks with hardware buttons.

2. VITO ButtonMapper
- assigns 2 actions per each button;
- enables application-depend assignments;
- enables stylus tap emulation.

Both applications can be found here: http://www.vito-tech.com.

What's next? I'm not sure I have a clear view since we have implemented most of the planned things thus I'm applying to forum audience in hope to find fresh ideas. What else can hardware buttons do?

Hope to hear your comments. Thank you.

[Rirath]

Perhaps this should go in Announcements? Anyhow...

Perhaps, buttons management is what every PocketPC user dreams about. Sometimes it makes really annoying to get that stick out just to perform few actions on the touchscreen! We have been working on this issue since last October and now have 2 things to present.

Well, first off I can honestly claim I've never once had trouble "managing" 4+ buttons. :wink: As for removing the stylus... most of us just use the good ol' fingernail for quick taps and tasks. Application dependant assignments sound good, but most applications that need that function already have it. Interesting, though. Useful to someone I'm sure.

[Pony99CA]

2. VITO ButtonMapper
- assigns 2 actions per each button;
- enables application-depend assignments;
- enables stylus tap emulation.

The one problem I have with application-dependent button mapping is when I want to use the normal mapping. For example, if I'm listening to something in Windows Media Player and I want to switch to another task, I press the button to bring up iTask on my iPAQ 3870. Of course, as I have the button mapped to Play/Pause, the song stops. I have to hit the button again to resume playing, then use the Start menu.

So I think button mapping is useful in some limited applications, like games, where you're going to use them for a while, but is limited in other contexts.

Steve

[Max Kirichenko]

What about stylus tap emulation?

[Rirath]

Well, you mention that frequently... but I've seen no details as to what it means. Don't see how it could beat the ease and speed of just tapping the screen softly with your fingernail.

[Max Kirichenko]

People say they need it, our sells show that.

My question is what else people need to perform with buttons, and I'm not actually going to dissuade you from stylus/fingernail use.

[Pony99CA]

Well, you mention that frequently... but I've seen no details as to what it means.

I'd also like to know what "stylus tap emulation" means exactly. How do you control where the stylus will tap? Are tapping, tap-and-hold and double-tapping supported? Does the user need to set up something to get this?

It's hard to give suggestions if we don't know what's already there.

Steve

[Max Kirichenko]

Stylus tap emulation allows you to emulate actions performed when you tap the touchscreen.

For instance, I frequently start Calendar just to see a Year View as I need to know about some dates (e.g., weekends, holidays) beforehand. But often calendar starts in Agenda View and I need to tap an icon to switch. This is quite time wasting for me as I'm holding it with one hand and I need to reach stylus as I'm not a "fingernail user" like Rirath.

Thus I have mapped icon tap to my Calendar assigned button and I just need to press it when I'm already in Calendar to switch to Year View. After that I turn the device off and put it into my pocket. That's it.

Well, you'd better download the software and try it.