Edge Panels: A Solution In Search Of A Problem

[PsychDoc]

Good gawd, what is the purpose of this thing? There is utterly nothing this offers that I can't get to with greater ease from my home screen. Yes, for the uninitiated it offers a bit of "gee whiz, that's a really cool feature," but once you get beyond that (which is to say very quickly) it really almost falls into the category of 'bloatware' -- something Samsung was so infamously famous for in Galaxy iterations 3-5.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this phone with it's speedy processor (still wish we would have gotten the exynos chip as it's more battery efficient and runs way cooler), great battery life, amazing camera, expandable memory, jaw dropping screen, overall physical beauty and stunning quality of production. But Samsung still need to learn the ethos of 'less is more.'

OK, rant over....now I feel batter.

 

[limitbreak09]

I use it as a wifi,data, bluetooth, location toggle. I dont have to reach the top of my phone to do that thanks to edge.

-S7Edge

 

[PsychDoc]

I use it as a wifi,data, bluetooth, location toggle. I dont have to reach the top of my phone to do that thanks to edge.

-S7Edge

Not to take issue with you, but how is it any easier to swipe in from the side of the phone than to swipe down? Seems pretty equivalent to me.

 

[dpham00]

I like the contact edge panel. It will show when I get emails or calls from specific contacts. The calendar and weather panels come in handy for me too. Of course, to each his own. It obviously isn't useful for everyone.

 

[recDNA]

If the s7 were the size of the 7 edge and had the battery of the 7 edge I would prefer the s7. It is the size of the phone and the larger battery I find attractive. The curves are just pretty. The disadvantage may outweigh the advantages however if it turns out the curved edges are more likely to break in a fall. Some claim they scratch easier too. I don't see why that would be true.

 

[limitbreak09]

Not to take issue with you, but how is it any easier to swipe in from the side of the phone than to swipe down? Seems pretty equivalent to me.

Yeah np. Well I always want to use my phone with 1 hand, but s7 edge is tall enough that everytime I have to turn on/off the wifi or bluetooth, etc, I always feel like Im gonna drop my phone. So having the access to those toggles from just swiping from the edge solve my problem.

 

[meyerweb#CB]

As limitbreak suggests, the side panels are easier to operate one-handed compared to swiping down from the top of the very tall phone.

Aside from that, I find being able to access a new app without having to first go back to the home screen, or hitting the recently use button to be pretty handy, as is the ability to access frequently dialed numbers without having to stop what I'm doing. Getting a quick look at upcoming calendar events is also convenient. If I'm typing an email, for example, and want to double check what time a meeting is happening, it's easier to swipe in from the side, see my agenda, and be right back in the email without having to completely swap apps. It would be even better if I could look beyond just today's events, though.

Are any of these functions necessary? No. But they all add to the ease of multi-tasking, which is a good thing. If they don't work for you, then don't use them. You can easily turn the whole function off. But just because you can't see the value doesn't mean it isn't there for others. For some of us, more is more.

 

[ajb1965]

I think the point is that it's customizable enough for it to be useful for some, and can be disabled for those who choose not to use it. If you choose not to, no harm no foul. You've still got a great device.

I could certainly live without it, but to me it's useful.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[jinzen]

They're shortcuts so they can let you do somethings faster from any screen.

I have Calculator there for example, because I don't want Calculator on my main screen or have to look for it in my app drawer.

iOS's swipe from bottom is a far better solution in reality.

 

[PsychDoc]

iOS's swipe from bottom is a far better solution in reality.

Unfortunately swipe from bottom is now used by Samsung Pay....admittedly another largely 'gee whiz' feature, but one that's cool as hell to use out in the wild.

 

[jinzen]

Unfortunately swipe from bottom is now used by Samsung Pay....admittedly another largely 'gee whiz' feature, but one that's cool as hell to use out in the wild.

Samsung Pay? Um, no. Samsung Pay encrypts each payment and your real credit card information is never exchange with the server, providing a huge layer of protection against fraud or payment terminal hacks. If everyone used it and Apple Pay or Android Pay, then the recent damages from Target, home depot TJ maxx etc hacks could have been alleviated.