Recent apps and multi tasking!!??

[Lancota]

So no where could I find anything about recent apps and multitasking. Since the button is officially kaput, how do they plan to handle this? I can't see HTC being so stupid as to go backward to a post ios4 era. --- edit --

found it... double tapping the home button? come on....

 

[Ry]

So no where could I find anything about recent apps and multitasking. Since the button is officially kaput, how do they plan to handle this? I can't see HTC being so stupid as to go backward to a post ios4 era.

I think it's -

Long press on Home: Google Now
Double tap on Home: Recent Apps

HTC One hands-on | Android Central

 

[NoYankees44]

I might be alone here, but i actually do not mind this. It seems logical enough and thought out. I just hope that the buttons are easy to reach with one hand.

The dedicated button is nice, but a double tap makes you feel accomplished lol

 

[Phil Nickinson]

I think it's -

Long press on Home: Google Now
Double tap on Home: Recent Apps

HTC One hands-on | Android Central

Yep. That's right.

 

[doomstang]

Evo 3D had 4 buttons....Evo LTE has 3....HTC One has 2....anyone care to make a prediction for next year's phone?

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Evo 3D had 4 buttons....Evo LTE has 3....HTC One has 2....anyone care to make a prediction for next year's phone?

Couple ways to look at that. Fewer is simpler, right?

And with the dual speakers, the HTC logo had to go somewhere.

 

[jrun]

I can definitely see the phone only needing one button. Then you have different ways of interacting with it. Example.

Press - Go Home
Long Press - Recent Apps
Swipe Left - Go Back
Swipe Right - Search
Double Tap - Google Now

Etc etc

 

[thundersome]

Couple ways to look at that. Fewer is simpler, right?

It's not simpler when you start adding all kinds of hidden swipes and presses. A button that does "X" when you press said button is simple. A button that does "X" when you press and do "Y" is less simple.

As for their logo: Who cares? What is that logo going to do for HTC? Apple phones don't have an Apple logo on the front and they seem to sell fine.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Couple ways to look at that. Fewer is simpler, right?

And with the dual speakers, the HTC logo had to go somewhere.

Simpler... except that those 2 buttons now take extra taps and remembering of which tap does what to do more functions.

I'd agree with the fewer is better if they actually required fewer things to learn. I feel like it might be over-complicating things for average users.

Also, if any carrier removes that HTC logo for their own, I'll start flipping tables.

 

[Garrett92C]

Simpler... except that those 2 buttons now take extra taps and remembering of which tap does what to do more functions.

Plus the fact that button presses won't be instant like they are now. After tapping the home button, it'll delay taking action for a short period of time while it listens for a second tap. It's a very minor inconvenience, but would be easily solved by keeping the standard three buttons. If HTC really insists on only having two, I'd rather them use swiping or long-tap to trigger the alternate action.

 

[bjones521]

Plus the fact that button presses won't be instant like they are now. After tapping the home button, it'll delay taking action for a short period of time while it listens for a second tap. It's a very minor inconvenience, but would be easily solved by keeping the standard three buttons. If HTC really insists on only having two, I'd rather them use swiping or long-tap to trigger the alternate action.

The button presses are instant. there is a setting for it. Its 3 options, slow, fast and normal. I was looking at pocketnow videos. They had it on normal and it was much faster than my S3. Pretty much equivalent to just pressing it.

 

[anon(21022)]

The multi task button on my One X is a constant aggravation for people I pass my phone to (ie to take pics or look at something), they always accidentally press it and have no idea what's going on. My bet is HTC decided to fix that by removing it entirely...

Although it goes against the Google ICS+ design, I'm not automatically assuming it's all bad. Heck it's probably not as bad as than still sticking a menu button and confusing all the app developers and users...

 

[teletraan1]

What about multitasking on Sense 5? I haven't seen anyone talk about this yet. Hopefully it's not terrible like on Sense 4.

 

[littlenoodles]

I can definitely see the phone only needing one button. Then you have different ways of interacting with it. Example.

Press - Go Home
Long Press - Recent Apps
Swipe Left - Go Back
Swipe Right - Search
Double Tap - Google Now

Etc etc

I don't get why so few phones have switched to on-screen buttons. I think they're great on my N4. You get a menu button in apps that still need it, and you get nice visual feedback on presses - unlike the capacitive buttons on my old N1, where I was never sure I was touching the right spot. As long as the screen is extended to include the real estate currently dedicated to physical buttons, it's all plus and no minus.

 

[pazzo02]

if any carrier removes that HTC logo for their own, I'll start flipping tables.

I brought this up in another thread. I can almost guarantee that's what they're going to do. And I bet it lights up, too! (╯?□?）╯︵ ┻━┻

 

[Jennifer Stough]

I really only use the back and home key on my DNA. The recent apps button is really more of a nuisance. If it were a menu button I would use it but since it has a on screen menu button it is irrelevant. Waiting for the software update that allows preferential changing of the recent apps to menu.

Sent from my Verizon Droid DNA

 

[Jennifer Stough]

I don't get why so few phones have switched to on-screen buttons. I think they're great on my N4. You get a menu button in apps that still need it, and you get nice visual feedback on presses - unlike the capacitive buttons on my old N1, where I was never sure I was touching the right spot. As long as the screen is extended to include the real estate currently dedicated to physical buttons, it's all plus and no minus.

But most phones with on screen buttons state that the phone has an X" screen when in reality, 1/2" of screen realty is taken by virtual buttons.

Sent from my Verizon Droid DNA

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

The multi task button on my One X is a constant aggravation for people I pass my phone to (ie to take pics or look at something), they always accidentally press it and have no idea what's going on. My bet is HTC decided to fix that by removing it entirely...

Although it goes against the Google ICS+ design, I'm not automatically assuming it's all bad. Heck it's probably not as bad as than still sticking a menu button and confusing all the app developers and users...

And that's my biggest issue with it. For me personally, I never used that button on my One X and had it mapped to open Menu. Never did I use it for multi-tasking. But now that I have a Nexus 4 I use it ALL THE TIME. I can't really figure out why, but I bet if I went back to the One X I would stop using it again. Maybe it's HTC's weird implementation of multi-tasking, or maybe it's just all in my head, I'm not sure.

 

[jaescott]

Evo 3D had 4 buttons....Evo LTE has 3....HTC One has 2....anyone care to make a prediction for next year's phone?

The HTC Yu no buttons it knows what you want

 

[Garrett92C]

But most phones with on screen buttons state that the phone has an X" screen when in reality, 1/2" of screen realty is taken by virtual buttons.

Sent from my Verizon Droid DNA

Yes, but on-screen buttons are dynamic. More can be added or the entire container can be hidden depending on what an app needs. That's what really makes virtual buttons superior to hardware buttons.