Ya'll ever feel like ICS is a step backwards?

[Droid800]

That's entirely subjective. I hope capacitive buttons don't go away in the future because it will have a major impact on my decision of smartphone. Just because some like the new doesn't mean everyone else has to agree and be forced off the old. I thought Android was about choice?

Ha. Sorry bud, but whether you or others here like it or not, ICS IS android now. The old ways are dead and aren't coming back, so you better get used to them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Jaycemiskel]

That's entirely subjective. I hope capacitive buttons don't go away in the future because it will have a major impact on my decision of smartphone. Just because some like the new doesn't mean everyone else has to agree and be forced off the old. I thought Android was about choice?

Maybe some manufacturers will still keep them around. I would be surprised if some didn't. With custom roms you can change the software buttons so it's way more flexible in my opinion.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[TabGuy]

As an Android newbie I'm not in a position to say whether this is a step forward or back, but I must say - the one and only thing I've seen so far that I agree with being an irritating problem with ICS is the Home button's proximity to the spacebar. An option to disable Home key activation while typing would be great.

Other than that, what (I hear) has changed makes perfect sense to me (it would have taken a lot of frustration and "maybe if I press it HARDER IT WILL WORK @#$%" to find long press for me). And what's missing, like a timer, I have no problem downloading apps for or replacing the launcher. That's why I chose Android: I have the freedom to download apps to get an expanded - or even merely different - set of features.

I had the same issue on Honeycomb when it first came out last spring. I kept hitting the soft buttons instead of the buttons I wanted to hit. The good news is that sometime between April and now it got fixed. By ME. My brain no longer sends my fat fingers to the soft buttons by mistake. It must have happened a long time ago because I haven't had that issue for quite some time.

Since I trained myself on Honeycomb before coming to an ICS phone I have had no trouble adapting to ICS. I can't remember the last time I hit the home or back button by mistake.

So, don't worry. Your mind will adapt and your hand will follow..

 

[anon(394005)]

Ha. Sorry bud, but whether you or others here like it or not, ICS IS android now. The old ways are dead and aren't coming back, so you better get used to them.

That's funny. Our way or the highway? Sounds fruity to me.

Yes, ICS will be on future phones, but that in and of itself shouldn't affect whether capacitive buttons still exist and it won't preclude overlays such as Sense, TouchWiz, or Blur from still being used.

 

[pauldroidr2d2]

That's funny. Our way or the highway? Sounds fruity to me.

Yes, ICS will be on future phones, but that in and of itself shouldn't affect whether capacitive buttons still exist and it won't preclude overlays such as Sense, TouchWiz, or Blur from still being used.

But, Blur, Sense and etc. will need to leave halo on. Which will make it easier for developers. Odds are because of that ICS's soft keys will always be there along with the capacitive buttons.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[yosteve]

Food for thought in physical buttons. I was surfing on my friends X in a dark room and you can see the screen light don't through worn parts of the buttons and all around the buttons. It looked embarrassing.

 

[jroc]

Food for thought in physical buttons. I was surfing on my friends X in a dark room and you can see the screen light don't through worn parts of the buttons and all around the buttons. It looked embarrassing.

I actually miss the hard buttons on my DX1 when playing games and doing other things. Too many accidental presses on capacitive buttons.

I hear some ppl say the hard buttons can be noisy in quiet environments tho... lol.

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

I don't buy the argument that having the buttons like this is to save space to make the screen bigger. If this were true, why is there still bezel with plenty of room for capacitive buttons still there?

I don't think that's the case personally. Those would be small buttons because of the rounded corners if they were on the bottom bezel. The reason there is still a bezel is so you have a "staging" or resting place for your thumb so you aren't randomly hitting buttons or icons on the screen if you don't want to.

 

[ultravisitor]

I upgraded from a droid X that had actual hardware buttons. Having no buttons at all is a major adjustment.

Maybe for you it was a major adjustment, but I came from a Droid X and had no problems. I much prefer the ICS overhaul to the previous versions of Android.

 

[jafels]

I don't think that's the case personally. Those would be small buttons because of the rounded corners if they were on the bottom bezel. The reason there is still a bezel is so you have a "staging" or resting place for your thumb so you aren't randomly hitting buttons or icons on the screen if you don't want to.

This^.....If the screen went to the edges there would be a 50 page thread on how that sucked.....and if the buttons were on the current bezel there woukd be a 70 page thread on how that sucked.

 

[anon(394005)]

Food for thought in physical buttons. I was surfing on my friends X in a dark room and you can see the screen light don't through worn parts of the buttons and all around the buttons. It looked embarrassing.

Yah, I don't like physical buttons either. They seem clunky and cheap. One of many reasons I passed on the Charge.

I don't think that's the case personally. Those would be small buttons because of the rounded corners if they were on the bottom bezel. The reason there is still a bezel is so you have a "staging" or resting place for your thumb so you aren't randomly hitting buttons or icons on the screen if you don't want to.

The Galaxy Nexus bezel looks large enough to easily hold capacitive buttons, even the normal four instead of just three (like the soft key buttons). In fact that area looks about the same size as the bottom bezel on the Thunderbolt which isn't very large either and easily contains four capacitive buttons. They are smaller than most other phones, but personally I like that as it's sleeker and along with the narrow bezel across the top maximizes the screen real estate and keeps the overall size down. As to a "staging" area for your thumb, don't need one. I either hold the phone by its edges (portrait or landscape) and use the other hand to touch the screen/buttons. Or if using one hand, just hover your thumb! Or if you have a native kickstand, one finger will suffice!

 

[ultravisitor]

Other than that, what (I hear) has changed makes perfect sense to me (it would have taken a lot of frustration and "maybe if I press it HARDER IT WILL WORK @#$%" to find long press for me).

Yep. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to new Android users how long presses work. It's just not something most people would ever think of doing, and that's something that they readily admit after being told. "I never would have guessed that" was a common refrain.

 

[anon(394005)]

Yep. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to new Android users how long presses work. It's just not something most people would ever think of doing, and that's something that they readily admit after being told. "I never would have guessed that" was a common refrain.

It's cool to make things easier for noobs. But why take away the functionality for power users or those who know about it and want the feature. That is the real issue here. This is similar to the latest Windows releases where they changed things to supposedly make it easier for noobs, but at the same time either removed the old functionality power users know/prefer or made it so it took MORE steps than it used to. This is designing for the lowest common denominator and thus the step backward most are referring to.

 

[yosteve]

I've used long press since Christmas now, thankfully your issues can be solved by apps, people have issues that can't.

 

[TabGuy]

The Galaxy Nexus bezel looks large enough to easily hold capacitive buttons,

Well, it's a capacitive screen and there are three buttons on the bottom. Voila! It has capacitive buttons. Isn't it amazing?

 

[Droid800]

It's cool to make things easier for noobs. But why take away the functionality for power users or those who know about it and want the feature. That is the real issue here. This is similar to the latest Windows releases where they changed things to supposedly make it easier for noobs, but at the same time either removed the old functionality power users know/prefer or made it so it took MORE steps than it used to. This is designing for the lowest common denominator and thus the step backward most are referring to.

It isn't a step backwards. Long press is a stupid way to interact with a small screen device in many different ways. Just because the method of doing something is different, doesn't mean its a backwards step. If they had removed the functionality that the long press leads to, you might have a point. As it stands now, its just whining because its different than what you're used to.

You guys seriously just need to accept it and move on. It isn't changing, and it isn't coming back. If you hate it so much, go buy a 2.3 device and never let it update. That's the only way you'll get what you miss back.

 

[Grawbad]

This my first smartphone in general so for me I am very much enjoying the experience.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[Droid800]

That's funny. Our way or the highway? Sounds fruity to me.

Its always been this way with Android. Users have never been able to choose what features are included in stock Android or what the devices support. You guys are basically whining that Google is making these decisions without consulting you, but you're missing the forest for the trees. This is about making Android more competitive with Windows Phone and iOS, and fixing issues and mistakes that have been present in EVERY version of android up until ICS.

It doesn't matter if you don't like it, because it isn't changing. This is the direction Android is headed in now. If you don't like it, choose a different platform.

Yes, ICS will be on future phones, but that in and of itself shouldn't affect whether capacitive buttons still exist and it won't preclude overlays such as Sense, TouchWiz, or Blur from still being used.

It won't, but considering that these new methods are better, you're going to see all of those skins adapt these changes, including the software buttons, into their overlays. The days of the capacitive buttons are numbered.

 

[TabGuy]

I firmly believe that new phones that are sold with ICS installed will only have Android's soft buttons. It reduces the cost of the unit and reduces the cost of OEM software development as they don't have to program the interaction with the buttons. There might be a few left in the pipeline that won't adhere to this but any new hardware designed once ICS's soft buttons were known will only use soft buttons.

Get used to it. Also, archive these posts as the whining about soft buttons won't exist this time next year. People will have adapted and no one will think about it.

 

[anon(394005)]

I firmly believe that new phones that are sold with ICS installed will only have Android's soft buttons. It reduces the cost of the unit and reduces the cost of OEM software development as they don't have to program the interaction with the buttons. There might be a few left in the pipeline that won't adhere to this but any new hardware designed once ICS's soft buttons were known will only use soft buttons.

Get used to it. Also, archive these posts as the whining about soft buttons won't exist this time next year. People will have adapted and no one will think about it.

Love the repeated comments about "whining" and get used to it. Nice way to dismiss people's real concerns and opinions. I disagree about the cost factor or that soft buttons will take over and capacitive will go away. It would be a short sighted move and hurt sales.