Nexus S Screen: Glove-Friend or Too Sensitive?

[onthecouchagain]

Edit: Meant to say "Glove-Friendly" in the thread title.

I was happy to read about this story on Android Central: Use Your Nexus S with Gloves because it's something I'm interested in discussing.

Is the Nexus S screen too sensitive? Try hovering your finger just off the screen, without actually touching it. The phone will register that as a press. I suspect this explains why I sometimes inadvertently hit the bottom capacitive buttons or launch unintended apps on the regular screen. I also suspect this is the cause for a lot of my typing woes on the Nexus S; when typing fast, the thumbs glaze over the screen resulting in all sorts of typos and errors, and too often resulting in double-hits when I've only pressed a letter once (for example, like tthis or thiss).

Yet, oddly, sometimes the complete opposite will happen: it'll miss key presses when typing, particularly with the space bar, resulting too often in words likethis. Likewise, sometimes I'll clearly tap an app icon (it'll show the orange highlight) but it won't launch the actual app until a second tap is applied (this, however, is likely software related and if so, shame on Gingerbread).

Side note: In general, I find the typing experience on Android remains a particular sore spot. I've tried stock keyboard, Smart Keyboard Pro (my personal favorite so far), and am currently trialing Swiftkey (which can be impressive on the rare occasions it performs flawlessly, but ironically, I find completing messages takes even longer because I'm so busy making sure it chooses the correct predicted word I want). They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but it's pretty clear they are the best Android has to offer in terms of typing, and I unfortunately can't type confidently on any one of them without issue. Comparatively, I can type far more confidently and smoothly on an iPhone, or even an iPod Touch (and I've never experienced unregistered screen presses). I am hoping, one day, Blindtype will be fully implemented and change all this.

So, is the Nexus S screen too sensitive? And if so, why does it sometimes miss presses? I think it's unfortunate that the experience can be so polarizing: sometimes it's not responsive, other times, too responsive. This can make the Android experience feel second rate.

Thoughts?

 

[netninja]

very interesting post and thanks for sharing. I'm interested to hear what others say as well.

One of the attractions for me to switch to the Nexus S from the N1 is the supposedly better touch screen and true Multitouch.

 

[Smokexz]

I said the same thing, I was wiping the screen and I didn't lock the device, seconds after doing so, I launched Facebook. I then took a piece of cloth and thought this was so weird, I tried it on my Vibrant and iPod Touch... nothing. Did Google want this? if so it's a nice perk, well... not for people who live in Florida, at least.

 

[fangorious]

I vote for too sensitive. It's wreaking havoc on my Angry Birds! It's also rather awkward typing in oversized text fields in the browser (OWA comes to mind).

 

[onthecouchagain]

Others I've spoken with mentioned that it could be the curved glass. While the touch screen beneath itself is more or less flat, the curved glass means some areas (presumably the top and bottom, or the top or bottom) means the glass is farther away from the touch screen beneath, and so causes issue with registering touches. It might explain why the space bar so often doesn't register when typing, despite clearly hitting it (the space bar preview pop up will show, etc.). Or perhaps Google/Sammy decided to spike up the touch sensitivity to compensate for those curved areas? I don't know, but the curved screen might be the factor in why the screen is so sensitive.

Doesn't explain why sometimes apps don't launch unless you hit them twice though. Software issue, you say? Then shame on Gingerbread/Android.

 

[RUSH]

Interesting post. I agree with your logic about the typing experiences with Android. Sometimes it can be a headache like right now. As I type - sometimes I might make a mistake and then accidentally hit the space bar key - and the incorrect word is automatically save. Ugh! I guess they won't fix anything unless we complain.

 

[johnybravo]

Definitely too sensitive

I noticed the issue with G2 on Froyo, and then have exactly the same experience with Nexus S on Gingerbread, which leads me to think it may be software / system related.

Android will pick up many accident touches, not even "human/finger" touch but headphones cord touch. Iphone would never react to something like that.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Android will pick up many accident touches, not even "human/finger" touch but headphones cord touch. Iphone would never react to something like that.

It's true. While I'm no fan of Apple's choke hold grips and dated OS, I can still appreciate and give credit where credit is due; they deserve respect for what they get right. The screen and the touch interface is perfect. It responds to every command you have, and this spills over not just with scrolling or hitting icons, but with typing, as well. Their keyboard (which I'm sure succeeds thanks to a combination of hardware and software) is second to none. I've been an avid critic of Android's keyboard experience in other threads. Anyone who has typed extensively on both platforms will know the difference. I can type and use the screen on an iPhone or iPod Touch with confidence that it'll get what I mean to press. The same cannot be said for Android, whether it be missed presses, or inadvertent presses due to sensitivity.

At the end of the day, it's a trade-off. I stick with Android for its customizations, open-ended potential, market, and because I am a user of everything Google -- it just makes sense to stick with Android. I also don't appreciate Apple's philosophy, which essentially comes down to: "the average user is an idiot," which isn't entirely untrue and, needless to say, is a philosophy that works wonders for them. However, I am and continue to be critical of Android. I do so out of the desire to see it improve. They close the gap with every iteration, but it would be dishonest to say that they've matched areas in which Apple excels in; one of them being their touchscreen interface.

 

[DPtheKid]

It's to sensitive to me.

 

[Droid800]

Others I've spoken with mentioned that it could be the curved glass. While the touch screen beneath itself is more or less flat, the curved glass means some areas (presumably the top and bottom, or the top or bottom) means the glass is farther away from the touch screen beneath, and so causes issue with registering touches. It might explain why the space bar so often doesn't register when typing, despite clearly hitting it (the space bar preview pop up will show, etc.). Or perhaps Google/Sammy decided to spike up the touch sensitivity to compensate for those curved areas? I don't know, but the curved screen might be the factor in why the screen is so sensitive.

Doesn't explain why sometimes apps don't launch unless you hit them twice though. Software issue, you say? Then shame on Gingerbread/Android.

The space between the glass and the digitizer makes no difference, because that's how capacitive screens work; its all about how the OS INTERPRETS those touches. There's nothing wrong with how Android does it, but in my experience the software just isn't as sophisticated as Apple's implementation. Somehow, Apple's software better recognizes accidental touches, and generally provides more accurate touch sensitivity.

 

[Baconator]

I enjoy the touch friendly screen. I hate the iDevices keyboards because they are too plain and aren't as good as my Nexus' screen. They are too hard for me to type on.

 

[onthecouchagain]

I enjoy the touch friendly screen. I hate the iDevices keyboards because they are too plain and aren't as good as my Nexus' screen. They are too hard for me to type on.

A keyboard being too plain, and a keyboard being responsive are two different things. Being plain doesn't detract from the iPhone touchscreen's responsiveness to touch and commands. Not sure what you mean when you say it isn't as good as the Nexus screen; do you mean aesthetically, or do you mean responsiveness?

If you mean the latter, I'm not sure how anyone can argue for the NS. Anyone who has used an iPhone or even an iPod Touch extensively would know the difference. Again, I'm no Apple fan boy, but I can still respect the iPhone. To say it has a superior touchscreen is simply being factual.

However, everyone has different preferences. It's great you find the sensitive NS touchscreen beneficial.

 

[Droid800]

I enjoy the touch friendly screen. I hate the iDevices keyboards because they are too plain and aren't as good as my Nexus' screen. They are too hard for me to type on.

What does the look of the design matter? With a keyboard, all that matters is how it works. I've used both android and iPhone keyboards extensively, and spent some time with WP7's as well. Android's is a distant third, and it also happens to be one of the most 'busy'.