Database Users

No hardware keypboard!

I love my x7500, except this hardware keyboard that is poorly designed and not very functional. But there is the way to use this device and type very fast with built in software keyboard! Just go to the Options for keyboard and change size to Large. Now keys are accessible without using a stylus! I am very happy now.
No need to carry stinkin' keybard no more

ID64 said:
I love my x7500, except this hardware keyboard that is poorly designed and not very functional. But there is the way to use this device and type very fast with built in software keyboard! Just go to the Options for keyboard and change size to Large. Now keys are accessible without using a stylus! I am very happy now.
No need to carry stinkin' keybard no more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
even the hardware keyboard isn't that good compare to Universal, i still find it quicker compare to the soft keyboard.

Does anybody know anything technical about the KB? It should be possible to make our own keyboards for the Athena if we can just find out a little about it.
Imagine a small clip on adaptor that sticks to the bottom and has a PS2 socket on it

I've considered making a magnetic ribbon cable for "detached" use. Where you hold the keyboard in your hand and it's connected to the Athena via a magnetic cable that attached to the two components. Not sure if this would be worth anything to anyone out there but it should be VERY easy to make.

I also wondered if there was support for a docking station like use, with charger and keyboard plugged in, so you pop the athena into it and it charges as well as connects the KB.
You dont suppose the kb is actualy just USB do you?

I think some kind of slide down qwerty keyboard similar to the hermes / spv m3100 would be great. That way the keyboard could clip on the back of the Ameo and then the keyboard could slide out? if you get me?
The magnetic keyboards great if your at home, or in the office, but out and about its not practical.
I do agree that the software keyboards pretty good with large keys, thats what i use.

Yes, a slide out KB could easily be incorperated into a clip on protective case. In fact, you wouldnt need a new bk. Just mount the existing one into the slide part of the case, where the case would have a ribbon cable to make the connections.
There is a HUGE market for third party KB mods for the Athena, HTC really missed a trick here by not having some alternate kbs ready at launch.
For example, why doesnt the Dock have a KB? or a KB socket? Jeez, its not hard to put a ps2 socket in the dock, or a slot to put the normal Athena KB into it!
How about a large full size KB with Athena connector in it...

have you guys tried go-ten yet? Nothing can match this in terms of accuracy and speed. I've tried Resco, Spb, Hikeyboard, the standard default both big and small, and nothing come even remotely closed to the ease and speed of go-TEN for me. It is unconventional at first glance, but once you see it, you may wonder why was'nt all soft input keyboard so smart, easy, and quick. If you use predictive text in SMS you may get the idea right away.
There is very very small learning curve only. Only six keys most is the times, but you have the option is pressing all 26 characters.Best thing is there is a free version.
Try it, and you won't want the hardware keyboard again.

eaglesteve said:
have you guys tried go-ten yet? Nothing can match this in terms of accuracy and speed. I've tried Resco, Spb, Hikeyboard, the standard default both big and small, and nothing come even remotely closed to the ease and speed of go-TEN for me. It is unconventional at first glance, but once you see it, you may wonder why was'nt all soft input keyboard so smart, easy, and quick. If you use predictive text in SMS you may get the idea right away.
There is very very small learning curve only. Only six keys most is the times, but you have the option is pressing all 26 characters.Best thing is there is a free version.
Try it, and you won't want the hardware keyboard again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean TenGo??? Dude you had me searching the wrong thing on Google because I didn't want to be lazy and ask for a link. LOL
Check spelling bro.
Here's a link for those that want to look into his suggestion
http://www.tengo.net/4100/tengokeybd_sipintro.html

eaglesteve said:
have you guys tried go-ten yet? Nothing can match this in terms of accuracy and speed. I've tried Resco, Spb, Hikeyboard, the standard default both big and small, and nothing come even remotely closed to the ease and speed of go-TEN for me. It is unconventional at first glance, but once you see it, you may wonder why was'nt all soft input keyboard so smart, easy, and quick. If you use predictive text in SMS you may get the idea right away.
There is very very small learning curve only. Only six keys most is the times, but you have the option is pressing all 26 characters.Best thing is there is a free version.
Try it, and you won't want the hardware keyboard again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi eaglesteve.
Do you have a link to this software or developer info etc please? can't seem to find anything when googling for it.
Cheers.

No worries found it. Thanks for the heads up.
http://www.tengo.net/tengo_pocketpc.html

ID64 said:
I love my x7500, except this hardware keyboard that is poorly designed and not very functional. But there is the way to use this device and type very fast with built in software keyboard! Just go to the Options for keyboard and change size to Large. Now keys are accessible without using a stylus! I am very happy now.
No need to carry stinkin' keybard no more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tere Igor
Have you tried any of the soft keyboard options out there?

TenGo is not as intuitive as it appears, but is smart software.
OK just given the TenGo SIP a good run for it's money tonight. It is a very nice lookin application that has real potential.....BUT....the learning curve is a major drawback IMHO and not worth the time to learn. Why do I say that?
Firstly, I/we use QWERTY keyboards of one type or another every day and wether it's afull sized USB PC keyboard or a slide-out PPC keboard or SIP based, the QWERTY principle really has left an intuitive mark on me at least over the years and learning a new system does not make much sense to me if it is not going to be everywhere....just on my Ameo.
2ndly, I have no time to keep checking if the predictive text has recognised the word I intended for it to type. I mean if you don't check what you're typing regularly, then by the time you've reached the end of your document/txt, you'll struggle to make sense of what you have typed yourself!
3rd and last, I like to use slang terminology and this causes the predictive technology more problems in recognising what I have typed e.g. it will try to guess what slang I have used and effectively translate it to something similar in it's perfect english database.
Verdict? Perfect for those who write perfect english all the time and have the time to learn and train a new system,....BUT useless for those who already know what they want to type and just want it done quickly without spell checking every word as they type. It is very smart software indeed, but not natural or smart enough for the human mind. Gimme a larger SIP panel instead.
Not for me, but thanks for the heads-up.

mackaby007 said:
3rd and last, I like to use slang terminology and this causes the predictive technology more problems in recognising what I have typed e.g. it will try to guess what slang I have used and effectively translate it to something similar in it's perfect english database.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me but for me it's the fact that I regularly communicate in a number of languages.

mackaby007 said:
OK just given the TenGo SIP a good run for it's money tonight. It is a very nice lookin application that has real potential.....BUT....the learning curve is a major drawback IMHO and not worth the time to learn. Why do I say that?
Firstly, I/we use QWERTY keyboards of one type or another every day and wether it's afull sized USB PC keyboard or a slide-out PPC keboard or SIP based, the QWERTY principle really has left an intuitive mark on me at least over the years and learning a new system does not make much sense to me if it is not going to be everywhere....just on my Ameo.
2ndly, I have no time to keep checking if the predictive text has recognised the word I intended for it to type. I mean if you don't check what you're typing regularly, then by the time you've reached the end of your document/txt, you'll struggle to make sense of what you have typed yourself!
3rd and last, I like to use slang terminology and this causes the predictive technology more problems in recognising what I have typed e.g. it will try to guess what slang I have used and effectively translate it to something similar in it's perfect english database.
Verdict? Perfect for those who write perfect english all the time and have the time to learn and train a new system,....BUT useless for those who already know what they want to type and just want it done quickly without spell checking every word as they type. It is very smart software indeed, but not natural or smart enough for the human mind. Gimme a larger SIP panel instead.
Not for me, but thanks for the heads-up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha ha, that was my first reaction too. So I almost passed it up initially without giving it a fair chance.
This are the facts:
1. You have not given up your qwert keyboard. It is still functioning 100% as one. If you choose to press the precise position of each individual 26 keys, what u type on is also one of the words that can b selected. Therefore you can still use slang such as lol, gtg,brb,etc. C how I can intentionally use shortened words on this post?
2. It is to b thought is as a very forgiving qwert keyboard, because of the built-in intelligence. You can type in the exact spelling of your words, not just limited to the words in the dictionary.becausr while it tries to predict what you want to type, what you actually type also appears as one of the choices. Now you see why slang is not a problem?
3. the system is actually very smart in selecting the default hint word out of all the suggested ones. The default choice is the underlined and first hint word. You don't need to do anything in order to select it other than the space bar ( which u hve 2 anyway w normal qwert keyboard) The only difference is u need not be precise in typing. U merely hve 2 touch the correct keygroup. U got it?
I thnk u r really going 2 like it once u go thru the 3 min tutorial. THERE IS ALMOST NO LEARNING CURVE!
JUST WATCH YOUR TYPING SPEED FLIES!

btw, there is a known problem with tengo installation. You may have problem selecting this as the default sip, or even selecting it.
i'll find the thread later and post it here.

eaglesteve said:
btw, there is a known problem with tengo installation. You may have problem selecting this as the default sip, or even selecting it.
i'll find the thread later and post it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installation problems aside, I agree that one can write a very nifty speeds and that the learning curve can appear to be low. My point was that it is not natural, certainly not to me.
I see your point about being able to use slang, but as it will not be the default word selected, you have to select it yourself each time you use it or teach the database a new word (slang) in order for it to recognise it in the future.
If it works well for you eaglesteve that's great and I wish I was as capable at adapting as you are, but for me and possibly for others, I'm looking for a SIP keyboard that will help to improve/enhance the way I'm already used to typing without feeling unsure if my document/txt is being typed correctly. I know you know what I mean.
However as your experience has taught you, maybe one evenings worth of testing is not enough for me to dismiss it so easily. But then I have kept it installed for further testing alongside my usual SIP methods.
Thanks again for the heads up though.

mackaby007 said:
No worries found it. Thanks for the heads up.
http://www.tengo.net/tengo_pocketpc.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go here for free tengo:
http://free.tengo.net/
Go here for commercial versions"
www.tengo.net
It supports vga
You may use it exactly the same way as your old qwert board is you go choose.
But then,you'll right away realise that there is a much easier way....quicker... More flexible..enjoy.

mackaby007 said:
I
I see your point about being able to use slang, but as it will not be the default word selected, you have to select it yourself each time you use it or teach the database a new word (slang) in order for it to recognise it in the future.
I'm looking for a SIP keyboard that will help to improve/enhance the way I'm already used to typing without feeling unsure if my document/txt is being typed correctly. I know you know what I mean.
though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to teach the dictionary that the slang is a valid word. when you use it the first time, there will be an audio warning. But if you used it once, it automatically gets into the dictionary, and become just another normal word the next time you type it
Funny it is exactly because I want an SIP keyboard that will help to improve/enhance the way I'm already used to typing without feeling unsure if my document/txt is being typed correctly that I think tengo is the answer.

mackaby007 said:
Hi eaglesteve.
Do you have a link to this software or developer info etc please? can't seem to find anything when googling for it.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.tengo.net/

Screen Orientation - VueFlO

Has anyone thought about linking the screen orentation to VueFLO so it automatically changes depending on the orientaiton of the device? Is this possible? I would certainly be interested

apd said:
Has anyone thought about linking the screen orentation to VueFLO so it automatically changes depending on the orientaiton of the device? Is this possible? I would certainly be interested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Idea!

would LOVE to see that....

Would VueFLO be able to tell the difference between tilting the device to the left (when in landscape) and rotating it into portrait?
A really REALLY cool idea though

Less talk and more results !!!
This would be truly a great app to have on the advantage. Anyone out there willing to build this app for us, it would be appreciated to the entire forum.

is it possible....and if so..how..?? doesnt VueFlo..uses manual buttons..can any1 care to explain if its possible or not..buh if it is..then it wud be great

i would to wite a programe for VueFlo on athena but i can't find any way for connect to VueFlo
i would write the programe for a thing like anti thief
it mean for example if i take athena on the table and turn the programe on, then if someone takeit, it play a sound and ...
i hope you can underestand my post
sorry for my bad English

Arya said:
i would to wite a programe for VueFlo on athena but i can't find any way for connect to VueFlo
i would write the programe for a thing like anti thief
it mean for example if i take athena on the table and turn the programe on, then if someone takeit, it play a sound and ...
i hope you can underestand my post
sorry for my bad English
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eybi nadare dadash.. Your english is just fine...
And that sounds like a great idea... look, i do some xcode programming for iphone and being a close plathform i feel you can do more on that then Athena. dont get me wrong i love my Athena and i wouldnt change it but i think it is capable of so much more ... i broke my x7500 and got iphone and wasnt doin it so i got another athena. i use the both and i love my athena more than i phone....

fatouraee said:
Eybi nadare dadash.. Your english is just fine...
And that sounds like a great idea... look, i do some xcode programming for iphone and being a close plathform i feel you can do more on that then Athena. dont get me wrong i love my Athena and i wouldnt change it but i think it is capable of so much more ... i broke my x7500 and got iphone and wasnt doin it so i got another athena. i use the both and i love my athena more than i phone....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you learn persian
eyval eman jan, pas irani hasti
thanks
i think athena is very better and i love my athena and don't change it with any other
but there's some small problem on it, like phone call sound recording and some other...
tanX for your answer and sorry for my english too

So is anyone actually create this program, or are they going to bull**** about how cool it is, and easy to make ......

SupraSkylineSTI said:
So is anyone actually create this program, or are they going to bull**** about how cool it is, and easy to make ......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i guess you could just always do it

irus said:
well i guess you could just always do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, If I could, I would.

Some coding god needs to reverse engineer to vueflo apps to work out how the hardware is accessed. After that, any coder can do it just like the iphone/ipod people are all making stuff that uses the accelerometer in them.
Its not an easy task. We need somebody in HTC to leak the details really.

Arya, so you were never able to fix your phone call recording problem? The built-in recorder handles it, I forget now why you were still having a problem. Off-topic, I know, discuss on the original thread.
On-topic, the motion sensor on the hard drive is just that... a motion sensor. Not an orientation sensor (like mercury switches are). Just turning the unit on its side won't let the OS know its now on its side, however, by adding some kind of motion code it will work just fine. Like shaking it twice downward in the direction you want to be down. Shaking it once would produce too many false changes, but twice or maybe 3 times would send the right message.
This type of phone input has been in the news a lot lately, along with vibration as a feedback. The idea on the news is you would shake your phone to see if you have any messages waiting, and it would vibrate back if you do. Unfortunately since the Athena doesn't have a vibration motor the output part isn't possible, but the input part is, since it has the motion sensors already! (the lack of vibration is one of the top-5 flaws of this device, IMO, hopefully it will get added on the X7502)
So, taking the topic of this thread one step further, how about creating an application that launches apps based on motion input? Yes I know there is a program out there that lets you reprogram most of the function buttons to do this (I forget its name at the moment, I haven't bought it yet), but adding motion to this mix would be so much cooler!

shake it baby?
these ideas seam very good but sahaking it multiple times and to open programs seams like it may cause problems because our device is just tooo big, imagine to shake or rotate ur device a specific way to get pie running (maybe it could be shaken to the rythem of ur favourite song (which has to be the Smashing Pumpkins..) and it shakes out of your hand on to the concrete pavement below wooops!!! just imagine the insurance form for that

Well, the unit's motion sensitivity is quite high. Easily confirmed by changing the viewflo sensitivity to high and then gently tilting the unit when you are in a browser. You wouldn't have to create martinis or milkshakes to launch an app, just a gentle flick or two will do. A downside of all this is carrying it around would present problems (either on your belt or in your hand). Even if you ignore the g-sensors when the cover is on, the cover-on switch is so faulty you might get to work and find that you wired $150 Euros to the Red Cross and sent all your checking account information to some guy in Nigeria.

techntrek said:
Arya, so you were never able to fix your phone call recording problem? The built-in recorder handles it, I forget now why you were still having a problem. Off-topic, I know, discuss on the original thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tanX
i can't record call when i talk with handsfree
only when i used load speacker it record, but on load speack can't talk good, and call quality is not good!!
I try some of software that the friends tell me, but nothing not work
this is the Thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=346126
tanX

apd said:
Has anyone thought about linking the screen orentation to VueFLO so it automatically changes depending on the orientaiton of the device? Is this possible? I would certainly be interested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why did i just know someone would suggest this. hahaha prolly cause i thought that too! hahaha
1 reason of many i can think of is Iphone look alike

Hi, i'm interested in an iphone-like app too.
I still can't understand why HTC inserted a hardware which can handle with orientation, and then it's only possible to use scolling in PIE or Opera.
Why not Scrolling in PIE AND Opera. I love this feature, and want it always and for other apps too, like Rotate Screen automaticly, skip music file or backwards in WMP, Forward/backward in PIE/Opera when moved left/right.
I don't unterstand this. The difficult part is the integration of hardware, and HTC didn't develop a simple app which makes the hardware really do what it is supposed to do.
I even don't believe they added the G-Sensor for the Microdrive.

nothing new?
even with the new softwares incluede in devices such as Omnia or Diamond?

How important is D-pad to you?

The missing D-pad has caused a bit of discussion. Some say it is completely unnecessary to have a D-pad, some say it is useless piece of device without it, some say the device is very difficult to use without it, while others say it is only a minor annoyance.
I would like to do this survey, and hopefully the design team in HTC will see the result and take it into account when designing the successor to Touch HD.
For those who vote that the device is impossible to use or a major inconvinience, please explain your case to to support why you have voted that way. This is to give others the chance to help you find alternative ways of using the device, and perhaps increase your satisfaction.

Its the one thing i am really missing on my HD........

I don't have mine yet.
But when I had the SonyEricsson P900 and Nokia 7710, I didn't use the hardware buttons much.
Though not having an "enter" button could be an annoyance.

...Which DPad? can you please remind me, after two weeks of touch HD, why do you need a Dpad and for what?

SingaporeAirlines said:
Though not having an "enter" button could be an annoyance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be possible to re-map any of the other buttons to "enter" ???
Also, at first I voted 'important', but then I considered the only times I really used the D-pad was for browsing and for some games, which I haven't been playing for a long time.
After all I think basically everything could be managed by using fingers or stylus.

pzucchel said:
...Which DPad? can you please remind me, after two weeks of touch HD, why do you need a Dpad and for what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I like it in Pocket informant contacts, the work around is to open the sip as this has the left, right, up, down, enter, just wish I could have those keys with out the Letters.
Maybe on a rainy day somebody will modify the Keyboard files and save it as a D-pad Keyboard.
That way you could swap the keyboard from standard to DPAD over the up icon at the bottom middle of the screen (the setings menu).

I didnt like it at the start, but Im not use to using it without it and I dont miss it anymore.

I got into a royal rumble with some psychos (who wanted to convince me that the lack of TV-OUT is worse than Armageddon) earlier so I will just post a few points I used previously:
1. If I am using a TOUCH screen I don't expect to NEED a D-pad.
2. If I am using a NON-TOUCH phone, then by all means, I am going to need a D-pad.
I can't be any clearer than this.
Now, if I do need a D-Pad then either:
A.) I don't understand the concept of a TOUCH screen.
B.) I play games like a 4 year old on my $1,000 SMARTphone.
C.) The screen sensitivity sucks and the software sucks even more.
C is on the manufacturer- if I just bought a TOUCH-screen phone and I NEED a D-Pad then they have F'n failed miserably. And I guess I have failed as a consumer for not doing my research.
These are MY thoughts, since you asked.

Back in the ipaq days, those units came with a sleeve you can attach for for example, a keyboard, CF expansion slot etc.. I wonder if there can be a USB expansion for a Dpad?

a soft d-pad
a d-pad works well when using the phone single-handed where you need the more precise control.
As suggested above a "soft" d-pad would probably be just as good, especially with haptic feedback and large buttons... anyone...?

A Soft-D-Pad would be excellent.

All device should have a dpad
Every time I see a device without a dpad I shake my head because it always looks as if a 5way would have fit in nicely. Its retarded to eave it out for looks! It is such a pain to navigate a cursor threw text with your finger.

Remembering my P900 days, that six-way wheel thing on the side was pretty nice.
They could have done something like that.

I have no necessary use for a dpad with my customized rom & apps...

galaxys said:
I have no necessary use for a dpad with my customized rom & apps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that? In what way does the customized rom & apps help?
From my perspective, I missed D-pad only in mails application, MP3. In your rom, how is navigating from mail to mail, from mail account to another account, screen blanking and unblanking, song skipping done?
Appreciate you sharing these tips with us. Thanks.

jamespaulritter said:
Every time I see a device without a dpad I shake my head because it always looks as if a 5way would have fit in nicely. Its retarded to eave it out for looks! It is such a pain to navigate a cursor threw text with your finger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you refering to things like page up, page down of a document? Do you not have FtouchFLO, FtouchSL and stuff like that to do the same thing? I don't use D-pad for things like these.

maati said:
A Soft-D-Pad would be excellent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose if the D-pad is not a soft keyboard the use of which involves changing the keyboard first, then it would be okay. If it is a soft keyboard, then I think it is not worth the trouble.

exe said:
Back in the ipaq days, those units came with a sleeve you can attach for for example, a keyboard, CF expansion slot etc.. I wonder if there can be a USB expansion for a Dpad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then what? You have something dangling out from the HD's USB port?

For the four posters who said HD is useless without the D-pad, would you mind describing what applicatoins and what you were trying to do that were made impossible due to the lack of D-pad?
Thanks and cheers.

eaglesteve said:
Are you refering to things like page up, page down of a document? Do you not have FtouchFLO, FtouchSL and stuff like that to do the same thing? I don't use D-pad for things like these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not mean page up or page down. I think it is difficult to place and move a cursor threw text such as when you are editing a few words here and there in a document.

What is WMob like without a stylus/direction pad?

i'm dying to get the HD2, but I've never yet had a phone that didn't have either a jog dial / rollerball / direction pad or some way of moving around the screen without just using touch...
you Blackstone owners are the guys in the know - i guess you've had the HD for a year or so - how do you find it? Do you wish you had a hardwarde key to scroll around the screen while browing etc? It always struck me that without a direction control a touch screen definitely became a two-handed device whereas with a jog-dial or similar one is enough for most things.
be great to hear some views - Thanks!

hey... I thought I will miss the direction pad when i first went for the HD, but I didnt... (maybe the first week only when I was allready used to use the D-pad on my Polaris)..
As far as the stylus is concerned, I hardly use it as well... I mean i use it only when i text somebody, simply because i want to text faster without pressing the wrong letters, but with a bigger display on the HD2 I can't see this being a problem... I don't text a lot so its not a problem for me... To be honest I used it a lot more on my Polaris on the smaller display...
Now you know is down to the individual and what you use on a daily basis... WM6.5 is created as such you will not need the stylus a lot... As for browsing I use it one handed, scrolling with my thumb.
take care

wilbur said:
i'm dying to get the HD2, but I've never yet had a phone that didn't have either a jog dial / rollerball / direction pad or some way of moving around the screen without just using touch...
you Blackstone owners are the guys in the know - i guess you've had the HD for a year or so - how do you find it? Do you wish you had a hardwarde key to scroll around the screen while browing etc? It always struck me that without a direction control a touch screen definitely became a two-handed device whereas with a jog-dial or similar one is enough for most things.
be great to hear some views - Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think most people would agree with me and state they wished the HD had a d-pad, however with the latest roms available and some extra apps installed like AEBPlus (for directional up & down) you can manage without a d-pad or stylus for everyday use. Unfortunately when it comes to games you are very limited and without this excellent sites dev's most games would be useless for the HD. Thankfully if you search the apps, software & games forums you should be able to find a d-pad usable for games.
I was however a little disappointed that the HD2 doesn't have a d-pad (or drivers) as I thought HTC may have learnt, obviously not

leftkats said:
WM6.5 is created as such you will not need the stylus a lot...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true, but with the capacitive screen of the HD2, you can't use a stylus at all,so not needing it much is still a big problem. This is paticularly true if you use Office mobile a lot like I do or want to accurately cut and copy text.

Moandal said:
That's true, but with the capacitive screen of the HD2, you can't use a stylus at all,so not needing it much is still a big problem. This is paticularly true if you use Office mobile a lot like I do or want to accurately cut and copy text.
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oh yes... I forgot the cut and paste thing... I use my stylus for that as well... I am sure I will figure out something else to mask the problem...

leftkats said:
oh yes... I forgot the cut and paste thing... I use my stylus for that as well... I am sure I will figure out something else to mask the problem...
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Click to collapse
What does cut&paste have to do with the stylus? Is there some feature I don't know of?
Fallen Spartan said:
Think most people would agree with me and state they wished the HD had a d-pad, however with the latest roms available and some extra apps installed like AEBPlus (for directional up & down) you can manage without a d-pad or stylus for everyday use. Unfortunately when it comes to games you are very limited and without this excellent sites dev's most games would be useless for the HD. Thankfully if you search the apps, software & games forums you should be able to find a d-pad usable for games.
I was however a little disappointed that the HD2 doesn't have a d-pad (or drivers) as I thought HTC may have learnt, obviously not
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Well - I don't agree at all! Screen size is everything - and if the HD2 had a DPAD, the screen would have to be smaller... I can't think of a single situation where I would need a DPAD! What do you need it for?
And concerning the OP: I use the device with one hand most of the time as well... When texting, I can use my thumb (or both thumbs if I want to type faster) without problems. The same applies to scrolling. The only problem I have is with older WM builds with the start menu icon in the top left corner - it's hard to stretch the thumb all the way across the screen - but with newer builds (6.5.1) the start menu has moved to the bottom. So that problem is going to be taken care of!

MAMeingast said:
What does cut&paste have to do with the stylus? Is there some feature I don't know of?
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It is much easier to select text with your stylus in order to cut or copy text. It is more precise, as mentioned on an earlier post.

MAMeingast said:
Well - I don't agree at all! Screen size is everything - and if the HD2 had a DPAD, the screen would have to be smaller... I can't think of a single situation where I would need a DPAD! What do you need it for?
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If you had read my post I was hinting at a d-pad for gaming.......everyday use I don't need it, but for gaming, thats a different matter for a lot of people.

An optical pad is not that big. No need to cut the screen size.
The difference is such like hard keyboard and touch keyboard.
quite some people cannot live without a hard keyboard.

leftkats said:
It is much easier to select text with your stylus in order to cut or copy text. It is more precise, as mentioned on an earlier post.
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Ah - ok! I thought there was some special way to copy and paste using the stylus. Yes: That's very true. Text selection is alot easier with the stylus. That would be an issue they'd have to address on the HD2. Isn't there some zoom & select feature on the iphone? That would make alot of sense to me...
Fallen Spartan said:
If you had read my post I was hinting at a d-pad for gaming.......everyday use I don't need it, but for gaming, thats a different matter for a lot of people.
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Ok - some games do require a DPAD. But many new games will not, specifically because devices like the HD and the HD2 do not have one. Also, as I've said: screen size is everything to me. I don't really care for games (there are enough good games working without a DPAD) and prefer a bigger screen. And that was my point: Your post began with the sentence "Think most people would agree with me and state they wished the HD had a d-pad" and I just wanted to reply: I don't!

I only use the stylus when I play solitaire and surf the web; clicking links could be quite an annoyance without a stylus.

MAMeingast said:
Ok - some games do require a DPAD. But many new games will not, specifically because devices like the HD and the HD2 do not have one. Also, as I've said: screen size is everything to me. I don't really care for games (there are enough good games working without a DPAD) and prefer a bigger screen. And that was my point: Your post began with the sentence "Think most people would agree with me and state they wished the HD had a d-pad" and I just wanted to reply: I don't!
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No probs, but I actually agree with you. I don't really use the stylus at all any more and I'm not into gaming that much either, but there has been a lot of development in the software forum for a d-pad for games not specifically designed for the HD so there is still a demand for a d-pad.

Toss3 said:
I only use the stylus when I play solitaire and surf the web; clicking links could be quite an annoyance without a stylus.
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Think this is were some of the improvements in the HD may really shine with the new capacitive screen. Hopefully this will make browsing more like the iphone experience...or hopefully better again. Only time will tell.

MAMeingast said:
Ah - ok! I thought there was some special way to copy and paste using the stylus. Yes: That's very true. Text selection is alot easier with the stylus. That would be an issue they'd have to address on the HD2. Isn't there some zoom & select feature on the iphone? That would make alot of sense to me...
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Regarding the zoom thing.. I saw a video the other day where igo8 was running on HD2, and the guy would pitch and zoom on the map, but it seemed as the whole program was zoomed in, not just the map. If this is true and it can be achieved in other programs then selecting text won't be (that much of) a problem...

IMHO, having no D-pad is a major pain, particularly with single handed contact's selection and controlling music FF,play,pause,skip without having to pull it out of your pocket, turn the screen on and do it there.....it really is such a backward's step for what I've just said, its not even debatable in my eye's
Have tried a couple of games with the onscreen controls briefly and thats as much as I ever want to try it....I thought it was useless.....missing D-pad's is one of the biggest backward's step's with most newer model's for me.
Stylus is my reason for using WM, if it didn't have it, I wouldn't use it, high res screen's with small text and icon's, precision, clean screen, faster typing [for me]...stylus is windows mobile imo, although the shell's and interface add on's have made them much more useful without a stylus...what's the point, might as well buy one of the other three major mobile OS's as you lose the benefit's of point precision combined with dense data and high resolution.
The stylus is less of a pain on the diamond and HD because pulling it out also turn's the device on, although I would prefer it top mounted than the bottom.
My 2 cent's anyway.

Regarding text selection on the HD2:
http://pocketnow.com/software-1/selecting-text-on-the-htc-hd2

in that video he says that new text selection functionality is only available in the HTC Sense part of the UI, and not in the basic Windows Mobile bits... which is a shame.
The main use of a direction pad / rollerball for me is selecting links while browsing, esp where there is a long vertical list of links to chose from - using my G1 if i don't use the rollerball I am always hitting the wrong one (and I don't want to zoom in just to select a link!).
Having switched to Android, the only reason I feel like giving WMob another go is the specs on this thing - primarily the RAM, which is just awesome. I guess that given that most of the new ultra-high-end android devices that I am chosing between are similar in not having any other form of input other than the screen (htc rachel, acer liquid etc) I guess it shouldn't alter my choice much.
I think the real deciding factor is that the HD2 is going to be the first one that is actually going to make it to the market and the fact that i am eligable for an upgrade is burning a hole in my pocket!

Low Profile Virtual D-pad

I've done some searching and can't find a keyboard input that only shows the up/down/right/left arrows. There are a few d-pad apps out there but they take up half the screen! All I need is to be able to switch my input from my regular keyboard to a directional one so I can turn the pages in my old scripture reader. A bar across the bottom, that didn't take up a ton of real estate, would be great.

Riverplace said:
I've done some searching and can't find a keyboard input that only shows the up/down/right/left arrows. There are a few d-pad apps out there but they take up half the screen! All I need is to be able to switch my input from my regular keyboard to a directional one so I can turn the pages in my old scripture reader. A bar across the bottom, that didn't take up a ton of real estate, would be great.
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I fully agree. Is there any app out there?

Buy a Iolite..... !

You would think that this would be a priority for some gamers out there! There are plenty of games that need d-pad to play.

Frank Caarls said:
Buy a Iolite..... !
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No disrespect intended my man, but this is the first unhelpful post I've seen you make. He chose to buy a Mega, I chose to buy a Mega, some of us are limited in our choice of phone.
I happen to think the mega is the best phone I've ever had in my twenty...something years of life.
So no, we don't wanna buy another phone for 1 feature, he wants an app, a touch input that offers this feature to the phone he chose.

Dear Uppy,
It was never my serious intention to have somebody buy a new phone which is just out on the market nor offend Mega users....sorry if people read it that way.....
And after searching again did not find the application our friend wants.....unfortunately

Oh i wish some think like that exist ... i'd want it on my whitestone too... i was just wondering can any one extraxt the dpad of the ezinput and make it work like a seprate SIP... Lol that would be cool

Handwriting
For the moment I'm switching to the "handwriting" input whenever I need the arrows. It has arrows and doesn't use up as much room on the screen. Still, it could be better if it were just the row of arrows at the bottom.