I have to say, as someone coming from a hard keyboard phone one of my biggest concerns was getting used to the on -screen kybd. It has been tough so far and hoping it gets better in the weeks and months to come (only been about a week so far). But I was pretty dissapoointed when I went on my buddies iPhone (3gs mind you, not even the 4) and his screen was MUCH better at accuracy for the kb. Such an important aspect of the phone utility its hard to overlook its importance...anyone else feel this way with iPhone experience?
Dillsnik said:
I have to say, as someone coming from a hard keyboard phone one of my biggest concerns was getting used to the on -screen kybd. It has been tough so far and hoping it gets better in the weeks and months to come (only been about a week so far). But I was pretty dissapoointed when I went on my buddies iPhone (3gs mind you, not even the 4) and his screen was MUCH better at accuracy for the kb. Such an important aspect of the phone utility its hard to overlook its importance...anyone else feel this way with iPhone experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, quite the opposite actually. Ive used touchscreens from every iphone, samsungs GS phones, and now the atrix. It is, at the very least, on par with the afformentioned phones. Perhaps slightly more responsive than some.
The digitizer is the same piece of hardware as the galaxy phones as well as the iPhone I believe so the inaccuracy comes down to the software. More specifically, the motorola keyboard isn't that great. Try downloading smart keyboard pro (there's a trial version) and using an iPhone or HTC skin and see how you fare. I find it to be much more accurate and better at correcting mistakes, similar to the iPhone's keyboard.
Dillsnik said:
I have to say, as someone coming from a hard keyboard phone one of my biggest concerns was getting used to the on -screen kybd. It has been tough so far and hoping it gets better in the weeks and months to come (only been about a week so far). But I was pretty dissapoointed when I went on my buddies iPhone (3gs mind you, not even the 4) and his screen was MUCH better at accuracy for the kb. Such an important aspect of the phone utility its hard to overlook its importance...anyone else feel this way with iPhone experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dinan said:
The digitizer is the same piece of hardware as the galaxy phones as well as the iPhone I believe so the inaccuracy comes down to the software. More specifically, the motorola keyboard isn't that great. Try downloading smart keyboard pro (there's a trial version) and using an iPhone or HTC skin and see how you fare. I find it to be much more accurate and better at correcting mistakes, similar to the iPhone's keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also love the fact you have the option of allowing or disallowing the keyboard to auto correct for you.
http://damnyouautocorrect.com/
Well I'm not sure why I seem to be missing more keys on atrix but its frustrating ...right now using GB kybd ...someone had posted how its possible to resize this KB in the settings butthat option is greyed out for me...would love someone to tell me why they think soso
I think auto correct helps me more tthat it hurts me, but obviously its a win some lose some I immagine
Dillsnik said:
I have to say, as someone coming from a hard keyboard phone one of my biggest concerns was getting used to the on -screen kybd. It has been tough so far and hoping it gets better in the weeks and months to come (only been about a week so far). But I was pretty dissapoointed when I went on my buddies iPhone (3gs mind you, not even the 4) and his screen was MUCH better at accuracy for the kb. Such an important aspect of the phone utility its hard to overlook its importance...anyone else feel this way with iPhone experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought my Atrix a few days ago, coming from an iPhone 3GS, and the first thing I noticed was that the Atrix keyboard is more responsive, and I fudge what I am typing much less than with the iPhone. All in all, since rooting, and setting up the Atrix how I want it, I have to say that I think it is a much better phone than the iPhone in every respect other than the current issue with speed, which hopefully is all AT&T, and not hardware related.
I agree with the originally poster. While the entire touch screen digitizer may be MORE RESPONSIVE and SENSITIVE, it is NOT more ACCURATE. I can type much more accurately on any 3X or 4X iPhone than on any Android phone. I don't really know if you can beat Apple when it comes to this. They make the hardware and the software so they have complete control...
I have found that it varies from phone to phone, my typing accuracy anyway. using the gingerbread keyboard on my Nexus 1 and Captivate, I get about the same speeds and accuracy.
It took a little while to get used to the Atrix but after I did, I was doing just as ggood, if not better on that screen.
Depended on how fast I tried to type for tthe most part though.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
Dillsnik said:
I have to say, as someone coming from a hard keyboard phone one of my biggest concerns was getting used to the on -screen kybd. It has been tough so far and hoping it gets better in the weeks and months to come (only been about a week so far). But I was pretty dissapoointed when I went on my buddies iPhone (3gs mind you, not even the 4) and his screen was MUCH better at accuracy for the kb. Such an important aspect of the phone utility its hard to overlook its importance...anyone else feel this way with iPhone experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say the iPhone's screen is any more accurate than anything else. The reason why the iPhone's seems to be more accurate at typing is because of the spell checking, letter prediction software. The iPhone will predict what you're letter you're going to type next and increase the size of the touch response area for that key. This means it'll overlap the keys around it registering the one it thinks you're really looking for. So in a sense, yes it's more accurate, only because it's increased the touch response area for just that key and very inaccurate when you want a different key. Luckily hitting the backspace on the letter it thought you wanted turns off the prediction.
dinan said:
The digitizer is the same piece of hardware as the galaxy phones as well as the iPhone I believe so the inaccuracy comes down to the software. More specifically, the motorola keyboard isn't that great. Try downloading smart keyboard pro (there's a trial version) and using an iPhone or HTC skin and see how you fare. I find it to be much more accurate and better at correcting mistakes, similar to the iPhone's keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using smart kb pro now and it may be fav yet..
Thanks for the suggestion
i always found the iphone keyboard more accurate unfortunately
and ive used many android keyboards (gingerbread, moto multitouch, etc..)
Dillsnik said:
I have to say, as someone coming from a hard keyboard phone one of my biggest concerns was getting used to the on -screen kybd. It has been tough so far and hoping it gets better in the weeks and months to come (only been about a week so far). But I was pretty dissapoointed when I went on my buddies iPhone (3gs mind you, not even the 4) and his screen was MUCH better at accuracy for the kb. Such an important aspect of the phone utility its hard to overlook its importance...anyone else feel this way with iPhone experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats a keybd? And whats a kb?
kkeo said:
I wouldn't say the iPhone's screen is any more accurate than anything else. The reason why the iPhone's seems to be more accurate at typing is because of the spell checking, letter prediction software. The iPhone will predict what you're letter you're going to type next and increase the size of the touch response area for that key. This means it'll overlap the keys around it registering the one it thinks you're really looking for. So in a sense, yes it's more accurate, only because it's increased the touch response area for just that key and very inaccurate when you want a different key. Luckily hitting the backspace on the letter it thought you wanted turns off the prediction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is why thickbuttons is a good keyboard for those that are weaning off iphones.
The iPhone touchpanel may not be any more accurate or precise, but the iPhone keyboard has some enhancements made to it to improve typing accuracy. It predictively resizes the touch area for certain keys based on the probability that those keys will be next to push. You don't see the keys get bigger visually, but the "active touch area" of those keys does get bigger.
For instance, if you started typing a word and pressed "B" as the first letter, the active area of keys "a" "e" "y" and so forth would get bigger, while the active area of "x" and "p" would get smaller. This leads to a higher overall probability of getting the next keypress correct.
There is a lot more going on here while typing than simply relying on the accuracy of the keypress.
Source: http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2009/08/07/virtual-keyboards-on-iphone-and-android/ - Read "Dynamic Key Reszing" in the article. I thought the article that I read this in was fascinating. Having worked on some ITO panel designs and devices it opened some new insights for me.
tl;dr - Touchpanel accuracy != typing accuracy
EDIT- Just read kkeo's post above. Guess I should read more thouroghly before replyinh lol
We're just splitting hairs here.
live4nyy said:
We're just splitting hairs here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but the iphone side of the hair is better right? i mean it has to be, steve jobs said so
Dillsnik said:
Well I'm not sure why I seem to be missing more keys on atrix but its frustrating ...right now using GB kybd ...someone had posted how its possible to resize this KB in the settings butthat option is greyed out for me...would love someone to tell me why they think soso
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download the paid version. It opens up all options
Yeah, it's usually software, but honestly, Apple has one of the best software keyboards in the industry. I'm only using the built-in one because others don't take advantage of all the screen real estate, though I'll try Smart Keyboard.
Pirateghost said:
yeah but the iphone side of the hair is better right? i mean it has to be, steve jobs said so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, Steve Jobs don't lie
Related
...POS keyboard!!!!!
Am I stupid?
I thought the n1 had a bigger screen than the iphone and it has boggled my mind that its so so so so much easier to type on the iphone 3g and 3gs because that keyboard just looks and feels so much more spacious.
I just measured it and the damned iphone in fact does have a wider screen. I guess im an idiot but i thought the iphone was 3.5" and the n1 3.7", which i assumed to be diagonal meaning the n1 would be taller AND wider. The n1 has a taller screen by a negligible amount but a wider screen, which the inexplicably unbeatable iphone has, is far more useful. This phone was designed so long after the iphone why in the hell is such a basic feature not equaled much less improved? this is really embarrassing and no im not going to use some 3rd party keyboard, ive tried them but the problem is more the screen size and less the google software, which is definitely bested by the iphone in this department but size could have easily remedied it. just pitiful, for the first time since my g1 so long ago, im actually having to convince myself NOT to get the next iphone...
If you simply just look at screenshots of the devices side-by-side you can obviously tell the N1 is taller, while the iphone is WIDER - therefore the typing experience on the iphone is made better by that simple factor, not too much better, but I'm sure it helps.. (I just said that because I figured you would've looked at them being compared before purchasing the device) The typing experience on the iphone is also made better by the work that was put into the the on-screen keyboard, and the only Android one that can counter it in my opinion is the HTC_IME, or Swype. I'm also not a fan of the stock keyboard. (Maybe smart keyboard too.. or shapewriter.. hmm..)
If 3rd party keyboards are not working out for you, you'll simply have have to use the phone in landscape mode to maybe better your typing experience.
We just need HTC_IME for WVGA devices I find using the pixilated version of HTC_IME is better than the stock keyboard on the Nexus One.
DMaverick50 said:
...POS keyboard!!!!!
Am I stupid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A) Yes
B) Use the speech to text. How is the speech to text on the iPhone?
swype, my friend. I haven't looked back since I installed it.
seanhassars said:
swype, my friend. I haven't looked back since I installed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But can it go landscape?
iVisionX01 said:
But can it go landscape?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I believe the current one for the Nexus One goes off-screen, unless it has been corrected.
Swype in landscape mode isn't ideal anyways, I only use it portrait, where it shines the best.
And as for the HTC_IME.. wasn't it the Bravo we were going to steal that from?
Paul22000 said:
A) Yes
B) Use the speech to text. How is the speech to text on the iPhone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough. There's a new voice to text app for the iPhone but I'm willing to bet Google's is more accurate.
Eclair~ said:
If you simply just look at screenshots of the devices side-by-side you can obviously tell the N1 is taller, while the iphone is WIDER - therefore the typing experience on the iphone is made better by that simple factor, not too much better, but I'm sure it helps.. (I just said that because I figured you would've looked at them being compared before purchasing the device) The typing experience on the iphone is also made better by the work that was put into the the ono-screen keyboard, and the only Android one that can counter it in my opinion is the HTC_IME, or Swype. I'm also not a fan of the stock keyboard. (Maybe smart keyboard too.. or shapewriter.. hmm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the 3/32nds of an inch difference isnt at all obvious to me by looking at screenshots. Plus coming from g1 and mytouch 3g I couldn't help myself wanting to see what android could do with adequate power, and boy is it impressive (other than the keyboard of course) And on second thought it must just be extremely superior software because that just doesn't seem like enough of a difference otherwise.
Google has the power to crank out a super keyboard in a day or two...whyyyyyyy Google why!?
DMaverick50 said:
Fair enough. There's a new voice to text app for the iPhone but I'm willing to bet Google's is more accurate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yar. Also try out Swype:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=625910&page=1
It's pretty damn cool actually
DMaverick50 said:
Actually the 3/32nds of an inch difference isnt at all obvious to me by looking at screenshots. Plus coming from g1 and mytouch 3g I couldn't help myself wanting to see what android could do with adequate power, and boy is it impressive (other than the keyboard of course) And on second thought it must just be extremely superior software because that just doesn't seem like enough of a difference otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, well to me it looked rather noticeable. Even as such, we all view things in a different light I guess.
What is the width / height of the screen on N1 vs iPhone 3GS btw (in millimeters)?
Paul22000 said:
What is the width / height of the screen on N1 vs iPhone 3GS btw (in millimeters)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not what oyu asked for but Viewing screen is 3.7in for N1 vs iphone which is 3.5
actually if you put the two phone over each other and not side by side and compare of the width of the screens (NET WIDTH, not including bezel) i think both screens have the same width. the fact that the N1 is taller makes it look narrower.
Try it out with both screens turned on and you will see.
clubtech said:
actually if you put the two phone over each other and not side by side and compare of the width of the screens (NET WIDTH, not including bezel) i think both screens have the same width. the fact that the N1 is taller makes it look narrower.
Try it out with both screens turned on and you will see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I pulled out the old tape measure and the iPhone screen is definitely wider. Surprising I know, and it was just me and my buddy with the iPhone so I came here to complain because I didn't want him to think his phone had anything on my phone, not even for 1 second. Pretty petty of me but I can't help it , I love android!
I really don't know why people find it so difficult to type on the stock android keyboard. I've been using it for a while now - admittedly it took a few days to get used to typing on it, coming from an iPhone and Hero background, but still, I find typing on it a breeze! Even more so with Smart Keyboard Pro!
another vote for swype. i will never two-hand type again. i wish i could swype on my laptop
I think that HTC put the speech to text in the because they new the keyboard wasn't all that great!
AkumaMax said:
I think that HTC put the speech to text in the because they new the keyboard wasn't all that great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google put in the speech to text with the Android keyboard - not HTC. HTC's IME (keyboard) does not have a button for speech to text AFAIK.
So I'm going to be straight up with you guys... I (like many of you) have and many smartphones in the past. My last phone before the N1 was a iPhone 3G unlocked/jailbroken.
I loved the iPhone, however like most people I was fed up with not having background apps, Google Voice, and I really hate getting notifications on the iPhone... Yeah I jailbroke it so I could run apps in the background and get google voice, but it was still lacking. BUT it DID work, and worked so well than I rarely had to reset/reboot it. Also, the chance that an app you download will work is in the 99th percentile unlike Android apps.
BUT, I do love the N1... However I DO feel like every time I jump online and check out some of the websites (engadget, gizmodo, BRG, etc) I'm going to run across a new article putting shame on the N1... Today was one of those days regarding multitouch..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzhUzq6bTPg&feature=player_embedded
other issues I have with the phone (STOCK ROM not unlocked) are:
-PDAnet won't work when I'm on a phone call, it seems like the phone drops to GPRS every fricken time! I've wiped my phone and ONLY installed PDA net to test it even
-Memory managment = with a iPhone you realistically never have to worry about memory regarding programs downloaded, Google needs to allow apps to SD card OUT OF THE BOX.
-Overall stability = I figure I have to reboot/reset my phone at least every other day due to it hanging up on something or just acting outright odd.. In my photo gallery it won't pull up some of my photos in full resolution, WTF~comon...
-Overall radio power = this phone just seems to suck ass with regards to getting a signal whether it's 3G or EDGE compared to most other phones.
So I'm hoping/thinking that the DESIRE might have some of these issues fixed. I'm really keeping an eye on it to see what transpires. So who's thinking the same???
I don't have my N1 yet, but if I don't have any issues - then I see no reason to ever switch to the Desire. I will, however, install the Desire ROM on my N1. So, I will have a NexusDesireOne lol. Everything on the Nexus One, plus Desire's Sense ~ that is good enough for me.
Given that I don't share any of your complaints, I don't care about the optical trackpad, and I very much like having 3G, I see no reason to switch to a Desire when it becomes available, especially since I'll be able to run its full ROM when it comes out (and the beta now).
Per your first point, for all of the bad press the Nexus One has received, I have not read a single bit of it that impacts my experience with the device. I was taken care of promptly when I called HTC to have my stock sleeve replaced, a radio update found here fixed my reception issues, my multitouch seems to be working just fine even if some developer found a way to make it look inferior to the Droid's implementation of it, and I could care less how many units Google moved.
The bottom line is what the phone does for YOU, and in my specific situation, it may very well be the best phone I've ever had.
I feel the same way, but it doesn't get around the multitouch issue and horrible radio signal issues.
I tell yeah, the one thing I was deathly scared of when I moved to the iPhone was typing on a touchscreen. But the iPhone keyboard rocks! To put it bluntly, the N1's keyboard is such garbage it's basically what I was expecting the iPhone to be like.
I think it's due to the lower quality touchscreen personally... I mean I see keys/letters getting pressed from the other side of the screen a LOT if I type fast...
j.bruha said:
it may very well be the best phone I've ever had.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What other phones HAVE you had?
tropmonky said:
I feel the same way, but it doesn't get around the multitouch issue and horrible radio signal issues.
I tell yeah, the one thing I was deathly scared of when I moved to the iPhone was typing on a touchscreen. But the iPhone keyboard rocks! To put it bluntly, the N1's keyboard is such garbage it's basically what I was expecting the iPhone to be like.
I think it's due to the lower quality touchscreen personally... I mean I see keys/letters getting pressed from the other side of the screen a LOT if I type fast...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don;t have any of the problems you have.
My radio is workig fine.
I like the capacitive buttons on the N1. The Desire has a little more RAM which with my Cyanogen Kernel I don't think any more RAM is necesary. It's already overkill stock. Then throw Cyanogen on top of it and it's ridiculous how many apps I can have running. I had 49 apps running yesterday...that's retarded lol.
It has Sense UI which is nice but it's just software and can be built for the N1...Obviously.
Flash will be ready for N1 very very soon as mentioned by Adobe.
So there isn't really any reason to trade honestly.
People still complain about the radio issues but they fixed it when they released ERE27. I think people have munchausen syndrome. People have nothing to compare to, just complain. I have an N1, my cousin has an N1. My wife has my old MyTouch and I just sold my G1. I drove around Dallas, Texas with all three phones. No signal difference in the three. N1 dropped to Edge when the MyTouch did.
People don't understand that 3G coverage doesn't mean you're covered 100%, It means it's available in that area. If you lose signal then you get Edge.
What the hell for? It's the same hardware. I've got Sense on my N1 already. Plus, hardware buttons? Hideous. The only thing it has over the N1 is the trackpad, but that's all, not to mention that it lacks noise cancellation.
tropmonky said:
Also, the chance that an app you download will work is in the 99th percentile unlike Android apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the apps I've ever downloaded work fine and do what they say on the tin.
BUT, I do love the N1... However I DO feel like every time I jump online and check out some of the websites (engadget, gizmodo, BRG, etc) I'm going to run across a new article putting shame on the N1... Today was one of those days regarding multitouch..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And most of those are Apple fanboy sites. Particularly Gizmoduh and Boy Genius Retard. Your point?
-Memory managment = with a iPhone you realistically never have to worry about memory regarding programs downloaded, Google needs to allow apps to SD card OUT OF THE BOX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cute, but if you jailbroke your iPhone I'm sure you wouldn't have qualms over rooting your Nexus. Apps2sd, the end.
-Overall stability = I figure I have to reboot/reset my phone at least every other day due to it hanging up on something or just acting outright odd.. In my photo gallery it won't pull up some of my photos in full resolution, WTF~comon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? The only times I've had to reboot mine is when I'm flashing a new ROM and need to boot into recovery or whatever. Sounds like you're doing something fantastically wrong.
-Overall radio power = this phone just seems to suck ass with regards to getting a signal whether it's 3G or EDGE compared to most other phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash ERE38 radio image. Done.
I think it's pretty funny reading the "outrage" of the multitouch thing.
uum, I've yet to even notice anything wrong.
grainysand said:
It's the same hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the same. It's similar. It has 64mb more RAM. Which I already stated my opinion on that a few posts prior to this one.
dumbestcrayon said:
I like the capacitive buttons on the N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer them to actual buttons.
At least thy can't wear out.
The buttons on my G1 were almost un-recognizable after 6 months.
tropmonky said:
I feel the same way, but it doesn't get around the multitouch issue and horrible radio signal issues.
I tell yeah, the one thing I was deathly scared of when I moved to the iPhone was typing on a touchscreen. But the iPhone keyboard rocks! To put it bluntly, the N1's keyboard is such garbage it's basically what I was expecting the iPhone to be like.
I think it's due to the lower quality touchscreen personally... I mean I see keys/letters getting pressed from the other side of the screen a LOT if I type fast...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please explain your "MultiTouch" issue because I have absolutely none. It's 100% responsive to everything I do with an instant response time. What are you trying to do with it?
tropmonky said:
I feel the same way, but it doesn't get around the multitouch issue and horrible radio signal issues.
I tell yeah, the one thing I was deathly scared of when I moved to the iPhone was typing on a touchscreen. But the iPhone keyboard rocks! To put it bluntly, the N1's keyboard is such garbage it's basically what I was expecting the iPhone to be like.
I think it's due to the lower quality touchscreen personally... I mean I see keys/letters getting pressed from the other side of the screen a LOT if I type fast...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... use Swype?
Tropmonky is sounding more and more like a stray Apple fanboy
tropmonky said:
What other phones HAVE you had?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one's that have mattered in the past few years start with the N95 (almost all versions of them), almost every high-end Symbian device to come out like the N97, i8910, etc., all three iPhone variants, and a few others in between.
With the exception of the lack of multimedia capabilities, the Nexus One has been my favorite. The i8910 was a close second specifically because of its multimedia capabilities.
i would not swap my N1. the desire lacks the noise cancelling mic. it has more ram but thats because it needs it to run sense ui. the nexus works perfectly and as someoo]ne mentioned above, every one of those sites u mentioned is a totally biased apple fanboi site- esp. engadget- i have lost all respect of them only reporting half a story and putting pro apple spins on everything.
i have perfect reception. as for MT i am not sure whatt the problem is- works perfectly for me.
Henchman said:
Tropmonky is sounding more and more like a stray Apple fanboy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought from the start. Whatever problems your average Nexus may have, having to reboot/reset constantly isn't one of them. ***** please, it's a *nix-based OS. Not saying everything Linux/*nix is a gift from god--I use Windows myself, being a gamer, and enjoy Win7 just fine--but Android is pretty damn stable. It's not a BB, here.
The Multitouch issue is a bug in the Sensor or driver that gives wrong positions under certain conditions. It seems to be a bug in all N1. It's not such a big deal if you don't play certain games but it's a bit annoying to know that it is there. The unfortunate thing is that I'm 100% sure that the Desire would have the same Screen with the same sensors and therefore the same bug.
The other things aren't such a big deal for me, or I never had any problems with it.
A lot of people complain about the reception, but coming from a blackberry bold, ERE27 is great. We have a tin roof, and no one could call me when i was at home on my BB.
I might do it if the 3G issue is not fixed. But so far google is being to send out replacements..
If I have a stock N1 can I flash the ERE38 without rooting?
I've been an iPhone user since the very first one and i enjoyed the experience a lot.
About 2 weeks ago I switched to Android in the face of the Nexus One. Fiddled with it a bit, rooted, CM, now froyo etc. I really really like the Android. It has got its flaws, but boy does it deliver.
The hardware though, i am not really sure about. iPhone 3GS feels a lot more responsive. I can type twice as fast. Touch screen on Nexus just plain sucks. OLED is really nice, but what good is it if i cant use it properly.
It really bugs me. iPhone just looks like an old phone compared to Nexus, but the screen responsiveness drives me nuts. Its ok, i CAN type, but the experience is just so much better on the older iPhone.
Obvious specs are amazing, but the devil is in the details. And in the details it doesnt look like Google partners can deliver solid hardware to match solid software.
welcome to technology
the nexus one a fantastic phone is already 6 months old, its no surprise that it has already been surpassed by its competition. and more then likely another android phone perhaps the new string of droids will utterly surpass the new iphone, and the cycle will continue. No piece of tech is top dog forever, and at the speed that android is moving im surprised the nexus one still beats the increadible and evo in most fields. when it comes down to it, all that matters is which you are happier with, if the only thing pulling you to the iphone is the touch screen you will have to weight it and see how much it means to you
I can only type as fast as my fingers will go, so I have no idea what you're talking about.
Re: Screen: Nexus vs iPhone
I have the same feeling. The only thing bad about the nexus one is actually the screen. Everything else is great.
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
Blueman101 said:
welcome to technology
the nexus one a fantastic phone is already 6 months old, its no surprise that it has already been surpassed by its competition. and more then likely another android phone perhaps the new string of droids will utterly surpass the new iphone, and the cycle will continue. No piece of tech is top dog forever, and at the speed that android is moving im surprised the nexus one still beats the increadible and evo in most fields. when it comes down to it, all that matters is which you are happier with, if the only thing pulling you to the iphone is the touch screen you will have to weight it and see how much it means to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely But its just what reaver said.....
arcticreaver said:
I have the same feeling. The only thing bad about the nexus one is actually the screen. Everything else is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You interact with the phone via display. And nexus is just sooooo freakin good, but got this majot flaw
Major Flaw?
So over the top.
Henchman said:
I can only type as fast as my fingers will go, so I have no idea what you're talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use dictionary a lot? I type mostly in russian, and that doesnt have any custom dictionaries.
Take a gander at this: pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/iphone-keyboard-secrets/ (stick http whatever whatever in front)
Specifically this part:
* Although you don’t see it with your eyes, the sizes of the keys on the iPhone keyboard are changing all the time. That is, the software enlarges the “landing area” of certain keys, based on probability.
For example, supposed you type “tim.” Now, the iPhone knows that no word in the language begins timw or timr—and so, invisibly, it enlarges the “landing area” of the E key, which greatly diminishes your chances of making a typo on that last letter. Very cool.
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Click to collapse
This is why the iphone keyboard is so "accurate" that people can type fast on it. For functionality like this on your N1 try downloading the app ThickButtons from the market.
But yes, I agree that the screen on the N1 can be more responsive Froyo made a lot of things better, but screen responsiveness was not one of them. I find myself tapping the same button twice more often and Swype registering a tap when it should be registering me holding down a letter. But I'm not worried since what I have is just a test version.
I've found that the auto-correct and prediction on the stock android keyboard much much better than the iPhone 3gs's so while the screen on my nexus may not be as responsive (I've not noticed) I type much faster on my N1.
Yeah, I would recommend trying a few different keyboards in the market. It isn't the screen responsiveness that is holding you back, it is the keyboard. I don't believe the stock keyboard even supports multitouch, while a few in the market do. So if you are typing fast, it can confuse the keyboard when both your fingers are touching.
What about Swype? I hear that's supposed to be a nice input method.
welcome to technology
the nexus one a fantastic phone is already 6 months old, its no surprise that it has already been surpassed by its competition.
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WTF are you talking about? He is comparing it to an iphone 3GS. That is almost a year old.
I switched from an iphone 3G which is nearly two years old and also noticed it was much better at detecting proper key presses and felt smoother when scrolling between home screens.
The home screen thing seems much improved with froyo and ADW Launcher, but the keyboard still seems crappy. I'm using the swype beta now and that is pretty good. It does suck to go back to a 2 year old phone and feel it is more responsive.
I will say though that things like launching apps and surfing the web are soooooo much better on my nexus one.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
hexix said:
WTF are you talking about? He is comparing it to an iphone 3GS. That is almost a year old.
I switched from an iphone 3G which is nearly two years old and also noticed it was much better at detecting proper key presses and felt smoother when scrolling between home screens.
The home screen thing seems much improved with froyo and ADW Launcher, but the keyboard still seems crappy. I'm using the swype beta now and that is pretty good. It does suck to go back to a 2 year old phone and feel it is more responsive.
I will say though that things like launching apps and surfing the web are soooooo much better on my nexus one.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
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Click to collapse
I was assuming that if he were to go back to apple it would have been a iphone 4, so i was retroactively comparing the iphone 4 to the nexus one, even though he is used to the 3gs
Yes.. the Synaptics ClearPad 2000 hardware is somewhat crappy. HTC was foolish to use it, but it works fine for my uses. Plus I would take my Android with FroYo on a phone that looks as sexy as my N1 anyday.
And in the future, HTC is going to use Synaptics Clearpad 3000 hardware, which according to reviews and videos, is AMAZING.
While we're nit-picking, I notice I get a bit of dust in the battery compartment - something I've never encountered with my girlfriend's iPhone 3G.
codesplice said:
While we're nit-picking, I notice I get a bit of dust in the battery compartment - something I've never encountered with my girlfriend's iPhone 3G.
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yeah i know and all these extra buttons on the phone make it easier to accidentally hit something, never had that problem on my old one button iphone 2g.
Blueman101 said:
yeah i know and all these extra buttons on the phone make it easier to accidentally hit something, never had that problem on my old one button iphone 2g.
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And I hear there is pretty significant battery drain if you are viewing Desktop versions of websites featuring a lot of Flash content while you're playing music off of the expandable SD card while also using Google Maps to navigate in between checking news and weather using another application....
Google really needs to get their act together.
codesplice said:
And I hear there is pretty significant battery drain if you are viewing Desktop versions of websites featuring a lot of Flash content while you're playing music off of the expandable SD card while also using Google Maps to navigate in between checking news and weather using another application....
Google really needs to get their act together.
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Click to collapse
And these damn desktop screens. All these widgets and applications make is so damn cluttered it might as well be my closet.
Blueman101 said:
And these damn desktop screens. All these widgets and applications make is so damn cluttered it might as well be my closet.
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And why the hell would I want to be able to customize my background?
Life would be so much easier if I didn't have these options.
Jeez all these options make me want to sell the damn Nexus, i don't want choice, wich iphone shall i buy a 16Gb/32Gb/64Gb? Or shall i wait for the iPhone 4? Pff to much options at the Applecamp i think i stay, my brain hurts cause i think to much
I've had the phone over a week now and I'd like to give my insight as to what I love and what I dislike in comparison with the Nexus.
Just a few sentences.
First off about me: I'm a big texter, I use Twitter, Facebook, IM and general browsing the most, as well as listening to a lot of podcasts and music. SO here are my impressions taking this into account.
The screen: it is hard to fully express how much nicer this feels than the Nexus screen, but suffice to say whites are whiter, colours seem truer and tactile response is noticeably improved. The screen feels more close to your finger somehow...it's hard to put into words. Visibility in sunlight is noticeably better - not quite as visible as iPhone but perfectly acceptable.
Build quality of i9000 is not on a par with the Nexus in terms of its chassis, which seemingly uses cheaper plastics compared to the Nexus' metal architecture. I was still fairly happy with the Samsung's build quality at first but subsequently noticed little microscopic scuffs appearing on the battery cover and a little dink on the bezel. I swear I have only had the phone in my pocket and haven't been throwing it around. Although it isn't exactly in bad condition now I still resent the fact that after only TEN DAYS of careful use and pocket-placement I am already able to detect small signs of wear. On the other hand the screen on the i9000 looks to be of higher build quality - it is made from Gorilla Glass and to look at doesn't seem susceptible to dust contamination as the relatively highly-mounted Nexus digitizer.
The loudpeaker is important to me, and the Nexus had a crappy, hissy loudspeaker. Thankfully the Samsung i9000 speaker is more powerful with richer dynamics and less hiss. It is on a par with the iPhone 3G, if not slightly better as it seems a bit louder...great for listening to podcasts.
Camera.
Like-for-like testing of the Nexus and Galaxy in daylight shows what appear to be richer and sharper pictures on the Samsung. I suspect (judging by their use of rubbish loudspeaker components) that HTC use pretty bog-standard camera optics; and although the Nexus is pretty good most people would favour the Samsung shots under default conditions. The Nexus wins at dim-to-low-light shots though just because it has a flash and is therefore usable in more varied conditions. Video capture on the i9000 is just leagues ahead of the Nexus which not only records at a lower resolution but also produces muddier images with dreadfully low-quality audio. The Samsung also offers a consistent framerate of 30fps and handles low lighting really quite admirably compared with the Nexus.
UI
Since the i9000 only has Eclair there are a few notable missing features found only in Froyo. Despite this the Galaxy still outperforms the Nexus in all the Benchmarking tests I've seen. I haven't performed any benchmarks myself but a side-by-side comparison of both devices (Nexus with Cyanogenmod 6.0 RC) shows noticeably smoother scrolling on the Galaxy S in all apps, including the browser. There are some nice extras too: like quick access to WIFI, Bluetooth, Silent switch and Vibration mode from within the notifications bar. I also like the fact that you can change to different fonts on the i9000 across the whole UI. This gives the OS a slightly different feel which is nice.
Input -
This really fails the Galaxy S i9000. I've really come to realise how much I miss having some form of trackball with the Galaxy S.
On the face of it things seem fine; in fact RAW TEXTING on the i9000 is a lot more pleasurable than on the Nexus not only because of the greater screen real-estate but also because the screen itself is more responsive....but the caveat is that lack of a trackball or optical trackpad...
There is no reason why Samsung couldn't have included an optical button (as seen on the Omnia among other Sammy phones) to facilitate text selection. Judging by the iOS-inspired Touchwiz 3.0 it SEEMS that Samsung want some of the minimalism of the iPhone hardware and UI but what they have failed to notice is that the iPhone uses a long-press magnifying glass feature across the ENTIRE OS which allows for VERY EASY text selection, copying and pasting. Android, and Touchwiz does NOT include such a facility - just a half-hearted cursor pad in the default keyboard which is obtained by long-pressing the numeric button. This facility is clunky at best, useless at worst, since it necessitates using only the Samsung default keyboard if you wish to do any cursor movement, or irritatingly swapping from your preferred keyboard (such as my favoured Droid X IME) back to the default keyboard, then back to the preferred keyboard again. I've found myself having to do this a few times as it is often practically IMPOSSIBLE to select a passage or move the cursor to the exact right place without a d-pad or trackball. This really is a major failing for me and completely ruins things.
*EDIT* i've found that swiping from the Swype to the Sym key in Swype opens up a cursor system. I've tried to get along with Swype and haven't succeded so far but i'll give it a try again .
Media -
Owing to the great speaker, listening to podcasts on the i9000 is a pleasure. Music also sounds acceptable. The music control panel which shows up in the notifications bar when you are playing tracks is also genuinely useful.
One of the i9000's main selling points is not only its ability to record HD video but also to PLAY it. I've tested it with about twenty 720p clips from Youtube, and a number of 720p WMV files and it hasn't skipped a beat. Genuinely wonderful smoothness of playback. I haven't found a video of 720p or less that it wouldn't play as yet, although the BBC iPlayer downloads from Myplayer played without sound and necessitated Rockplayer.
Anyway I'm running out of steam now....but to conclude: I'm getting rid of the Galaxy S: it's a combination of overall build durability and a lack of nice, simple hardware features like a trackball and notification light that make me think that there will be something better along for me soon. I really like the phone and find it a joy to use but the few annoyances have spoilt it for me sadly.
If anyone near the midlands, UK wishes to buy an unlocked, unbranded Galaxy S with unopened accessories for a £290 before it goes on eBay then drop me a line.
Any other questions I will be happy to answer.
leoni1980 said:
simple hardware features like a trackball and notification light
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Click to collapse
Not to be an ass, but if you knew you wanted those features, then why did you get it? It's obvious from any picture of a SGS that it doesn't have a trackball. And early reports from this forum would have informed you that it doesn't have notification lights...
Of course one does have to wonder why Samsung didn't go all out. How hard would it have been to add camera flash among those other things you listed.
You might be interested in the Desire HD that's rumored to be coming out sometime soon.
Leoni,
I know you're not exactly in love with the swype keyboard yet, but I think you'll love it fiercely once you get into it. You know how I hated swype in the past, I think, because of my fierce liking for Tengo. But even I can like swype keyboard, and like it a lot.
The copy/cut and paste being poorly designed as compared to iPhone will be something that we had to put up with, no matter which Android phone we switch to. Granted at HTC has the iPhone-like copy and paste facility, but that's not available uniformly across the system and across all applications. So, I reckon there isn't much effective difference across different android phones in this regards. I know the lack of trackball makes text selection difficult, but not impossible I believe. But with or without trackball, the design are all bad. Perhaps a future firmware could redo cut and paste from the ground up again and get it right.
Overall, when I read your comparison, I thought it was overwhelmingly positive towards SGS, a lot more then Nexus. It was the conclusion which took me by surprise.
INeedYourHelp said:
Not to be an ass, but if you knew you wanted those features, then why did you get it? It's obvious from any picture of a SGS that it doesn't have a trackball. And early reports from this forum would have informed you that it doesn't have notification lights...
Of course one does have to wonder why Samsung didn't go all out. How hard would it have been to add camera flash among those other things you listed.
You might be interested in the Desire HD that's rumored to be coming out sometime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not so much a lack of trackball that's the problem so much as a complete lack of innovation with respect to compensating for the lack of a trackball. Ironically HTC sense implements a good system very similar to (perhaps even BETTER than) the iPhone's magnified system within the Desire browser, yet the Desire requires such a system far LESS than the i9000 owing to its optical trackball.
Text selection on the N1 is very easy in the browser: click in the trackball, move the arrow cursor click again to highlight. It's such a pity that Samsung didn't devote a little more time to core features that make the user experience more friendly and enjoyable rather than making those ugly widgets and pointless add-on apps.
Dont get me wrong I do really like the phone but it just feels too proprietary, too unfinished and too lacking in development support compared to.the N1, despite its many nice features.
INeedYourHelp said:
Not to be an ass, but if you knew you wanted those features, then why did you get it? It's obvious from any picture of a SGS that it doesn't have a trackball. And early reports from this forum would have informed you that it doesn't have notification lights...
Of course one does have to wonder why Samsung didn't go all out. How hard would it have been to add camera flash among those other things you listed.
You might be interested in the Desire HD that's rumored to be coming out sometime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also switched from Nexus One to Galaxy S, and didn't realize how much I'd used the trackball until it was gone. Same with the camera flash led. I knew they weren't on the SGS, but didn't think I'd miss them. I definitely do. Unlike the original poster, they're not deal-breakers for me, but throw in those two oversights and the plastic back/frame and I feel like the SGS, which had the potential to be the PERFECT phone for the next several months at least, can't claim that title clearly. I'm not getting rid of mine, though. I love Swype (Shapewriter even more) and can deal with the lack of easy text selection.
distortedloop said:
I also switched from Nexus One to Galaxy S, and didn't realize how much I'd used the trackball until it was gone. Same with the camera flash led. I knew they weren't on the SGS, but didn't think I'd miss them. I definitely do. Unlike the original poster, they're not deal-breakers for me, but throw in those two oversights and the plastic back/frame and I feel like the SGS, which had the potential to be the PERFECT phone for the next several months at least, can't claim that title clearly. I'm not getting rid of mine, though. I love Swype (Shapewriter even more) and can deal with the lack of easy text selection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already sold my Nexus. I have a 32gb iPhone which Apple have fixed for me after I left it faulty and unused for months so Im thinking of going back until something new comes along. I got the Galaxy on upgrade and suspect (as with all samsung phones) that its value will plummet very rapidly so i'm going to sell it while I can still get a reasonable price on it. Maybe I'll buy the Droid x, maybe the iPhone 4....maybe the Desire HD....either way I'm selling the Galaxy S before it gets any tattier.
I agree with the points of the OP, I'm in the same situation, coming from a Nexus One to the Galaxy S. I'm coming to a different conclusion though: I'm keeping the Galaxy S. I find the cell signal/reception to be significantly better, pretty outstanding actually. Also, it just feels much faster in terms of data both via 3G and Wifi.
It's still early, the Nexus One has had a lot of time to mature. I believe the ROMs along with the upcoming 2.2 will give the Galaxy S the polish it needs. As for the casing, well, the material will certainly scuff faster but I'm not really feeling the back plastic is too cheap-- it feels just like my old iPhone 3G, which no one accused of feeling cheap.
leoni1980 said:
The loudpeaker is important to me, and the Nexus had a crappy, hissy loudspeaker. Thankfully the Samsung i9000 speaker is more powerful with richer dynamics and less hiss. It is on a par with the iPhone 3G, if not slightly better as it seems a bit louder...great for listening to podcasts.
Input -
This really fails the Galaxy S i9000. I've really come to realise how much I miss having some form of trackball with the Galaxy S.
This facility is clunky at best, useless at worst, since it necessitates using only the Samsung default keyboard if you wish to do any cursor movement, or irritatingly swapping from your preferred keyboard (such as my favoured Droid X IME) back to the default keyboard, then back to the preferred keyboard again. I've found myself having to do this a few times as it is often practically IMPOSSIBLE to select a passage or move the cursor to the exact right place without a d-pad or trackball. This really is a major failing for me and completely ruins things.
*EDIT* i've found that swiping from the Swype to the Sym key in Swype opens up a cursor system. I've tried to get along with Swype and haven't succeded so far but i'll give it a try again .
Anyway I'm running out of steam now....but to conclude: I'm getting rid of the Galaxy S: it's a combination of overall build durability and a lack of nice, simple hardware features like a trackball and notification light that make me think that there will be something better along for me soon. I really like the phone and find it a joy to use but the few annoyances have spoilt it for me sadly.
If anyone near the midlands, UK wishes to buy an unlocked, unbranded Galaxy S with unopened accessories for a £290 before it goes on eBay then drop me a line.
Any other questions I will be happy to answer.
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Click to collapse
The ending was a surprise to me, but to each there own.
From all comparisons I've read, this has a better speaker than the iPhone 3G (not sure about anything beyond that), the iPhone 3G didn't even have as good a speaker as the iPod Touch 2.
leoni1980 said:
"This facility is clunky at best, useless at worst, since it necessitates using only the Samsung default keyboard if you wish to do any cursor movement, or irritatingly swapping from your preferred keyboard (such as my favoured Droid X IME) back to the default keyboard, then back to the preferred keyboard again. "
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Click to collapse
I am either misunderstanding or you have it wrong, I use SwiftKey and I can select text, and select text very well. The screen is so accurate and I don't have to do much. Wherever my cursor is it will start there, so if I'm not where I need to be I move the cursor there which typically takes one touch, then I select my ending point which again I get right more often than not. Where I'll agree with you though is in apps, I read engadget and God is there touch accuracy off in that app for whatever reason. I have to literally be a cm away from the location I want and maybe above/below where I want. Typically I just settle for retyping extra...a trackball here would be marvelous.
distortedloop said:
I also switched from Nexus One to Galaxy S, and didn't realize how much I'd used the trackball until it was gone. Same with the camera flash led. I knew they weren't on the SGS, but didn't think I'd miss them. I definitely do. Unlike the original poster, they're not deal-breakers for me, but throw in those two oversights and the plastic back/frame and I feel like the SGS, which had the potential to be the PERFECT phone for the next several months at least, can't claim that title clearly. I'm not getting rid of mine, though. I love Swype (Shapewriter even more) and can deal with the lack of easy text selection.
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Click to collapse
tenshi888 said:
I agree with the points of the OP, I'm in the same situation, coming from a Nexus One to the Galaxy S. I'm coming to a different conclusion though: I'm keeping the Galaxy S. I find the cell signal/reception to be significantly better, pretty outstanding actually. Also, it just feels much faster in terms of data both via 3G and Wifi.
It's still early, the Nexus One has had a lot of time to mature. I believe the ROMs along with the upcoming 2.2 will give the Galaxy S the polish it needs. As for the casing, well, the material will certainly scuff faster but I'm not really feeling the back plastic is too cheap-- it feels just like my old iPhone 3G, which no one accused of feeling cheap.
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Click to collapse
I was thinking of getting an N1 in addition to my Galaxy S. I'm in Korea and the N1 has been available for about a month, I got my Galaxy S about 3 weeks ago when they first came out. Now they are moving to unlimited data and free tethering so I was thinking about going with 2 devices. Samsung Hub just reported that FroYo is coming to Korea in about 2 weeks though, which takes some of the steam out of me wanting the N1.
What do you 2 think? Would you get the N1 unlocked, without a plan? I was 67% going to get it when I heard the data plans, then now it's flipped to 33% now that I heard FroYo...what to do?
Good balanced review, though I am surprised at the conclusion
The SGS certainly has some annoyances compared to my old N1+Froyo, however I'm confident the SGS firmwares will improve on this great hardware.
For me, camera flash = consistently rubbish looking photos; I don't miss visual notifications because the SGS is in my pocket and its more important the phone be loud; Cut-and-Paste - yes a little easier using the N1 trackball but I seem to rarely want to do c'n'p except to share a URL or whatever; Positioning the cursor was definitely easier using a trackball but I'm a big fan of Swype and I use the cursor positioning so rarely that it's not a big deal for me to use the Swype cursor keys. The iPhone definitely has the superior c'n'p implementation, but for a function I use so infrequently I don't miss it that much (before the N1, I was on a iPhone 3G).
For me the trackball/cursor issue ismt just about being able to cut copy and paste, its about being able to get the cursor back where it was supposed to be if it happens to move! And it seems to happen to me a lot
just so you can see my point, try typing out a sentence here on these forums within the browser then move the cursor slightly....see how efficiently you can put the cursor back where it should be
I can see where Leoni is coming from and why his decision makes sense though. With iPhone 4, Droid X, and Desire HD in the horizon, it does make sense. Leoni has experienced just about every phones available. The only thing i wonder is if he's leaving enough money for his retirement.
eaglesteve said:
I can see where Leoni is coming from and why his decision makes sense though. With iPhone 4, Droid X, and Desire HD in the horizon, it does make sense. Leoni has experienced just about every phones available. The only thing i wonder is if he's leaving enough money for his retirement.
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Click to collapse
EDIT**** The trackball-less system strikes again
I don't know what you mean Eaglesteve: in the last year i've only owned an iphone 3G, T-Mobile G1, Sony Ericsson C905. HTC Magic, iPhone 3Gs, HTC Hero, HTC HD2, Motorola Dext, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Omnia 2, Google Nexus One, HTC Desire and a Samsung Galaxy S....
;-)
leoni1980 said:
I don't know what you mean Eaglesteve: in the last year i've only owned an iphone 3G, sony Ericsson C905.
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Click to collapse
Is that right? I thought you had an HD2 and HTC desire as well, no? What about Nexus one? BTW, why did you get an iPhone 3G instead if 3GS last year?
eaglesteve said:
Is that right? I thought you had an HD2 and HTC desire as well, no? What about Nexus one? BTW, why did you get an iPhone 3G instead if 3GS last year?
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Click to collapse
See my revised post. Ironically the cursor decided to move and in the process of trying to get it back in place I hit 'submit Reply'. Can you see why I am getting annoyed with this phone now??
Yes I KNOW there is the XDA app 'brought to me by Tapatalk' but I just don't blinking LIKE it....
OMG...I know you've tried many phones but not in my wildest dream that many, hahaha.
eaglesteve said:
OMG...I know you've tried many phones but not in my wildest dream that many, hahaha.
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I forgot to mention the Nokia 5800 and the cheap N95 I picked up.
One or two devices barely saw a week's usage!
I still like the iPhone for pure 'appliance' slickness and have loads of iPhone docks and external battery add-ons; sadly I despise Apple's closed ecosystem. I may yet change my mind about the Galaxy S - I'm just particularly irritated with it this morning.
miker71 said:
Good balanced review, though I am surprised at the conclusion
The SGS certainly has some annoyances compared to my old N1+Froyo, however I'm confident the SGS firmwares will improve on this great hardware.
For me, camera flash = consistently rubbish looking photos; I don't miss visual notifications because the SGS is in my pocket and its more important the phone be loud; Cut-and-Paste - yes a little easier using the N1 trackball but I seem to rarely want to do c'n'p except to share a URL or whatever; Positioning the cursor was definitely easier using a trackball but I'm a big fan of Swype and I use the cursor positioning so rarely that it's not a big deal for me to use the Swype cursor keys. The iPhone definitely has the superior c'n'p implementation, but for a function I use so infrequently I don't miss it that much (before the N1, I was on a iPhone 3G).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the soft d-pad of the Galaxy works suprisingly good when it comes to text selection. It is triggered by default in the newest firmware (don't believe it is triggered in the older firmware).
Anyway one can manually trigger the soft d-pad by holding down the "?123" button on the standard samsung keyboard. Very nice feature....
appelflap said:
I think that the soft d-pad of the Galaxy works suprisingly good when it comes to text selection. It is triggered by default in the newest firmware (don't believe it is triggered in the older firmware).
Anyway one can manually trigger the soft d-pad by holding down the "?123" button on the standard samsung keyboard. Very nice feature....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But that necessitates using the default keyboard and despite trying to like it for four days straight I just found it very unlikeable
leoni1980 said:
But that necessitates using the default keyboard and despite trying to like it for four days straight I just found it very unlikeable
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Click to collapse
I think it all depends on the device you are comming from. I come from a HTC HD2 and the keyboard is a relief for me. (due mostly to the better cap. touchscreen of samsung)
It's good to have device by device comparisons. But I think one always have to take into perspective the platform or device one particular person is comming from. For a HD2 user the nexus maybe worse than the galaxy. For a nokia user maybe not. Persons are historically situated
I've been waiting for a good slider for a long time and the Priv was pretty much it. Sadly, it's not to be. I went to the store yesterday to try it out. Within seconds I realized this phone wasn't for me. The keyboard is tiny. It is usable but very small, I typed 3 sentences and my thumbs started hurting. 10 minutes after I was done typing the thumbs continued to hurt. I realized this is for the diehard blackberry users, not for us who've been using sliders with a bigger, more comfortable keyboard.
I understand with every new keyboard there's a learning curve. Hell, even between laptops there's a learning curve, but with this phone there may be way too much, and long messages will be pretty uncomfortable.
The other issue is the actual placement of the keyboard. The phone is too big and heavy. This is essentially the same size as the Blue Angel, just not as heavy. However that keyboard was, for some reason, easier to use than this one. Being that the BA was thicker, it had good grip. The Priv doesn't. I felt it was going to slide out of my hands, which added to the stress of holding it, which added to the uncomfortable typing. All in all I played with it for a good 20 minutes, and I just am not convinced. I may have to bite the bullet and get a non keyboard phone...
devis said:
I've been waiting for a good slider for a long time and the Priv was pretty much it. Sadly, it's not to be. I went to the store yesterday to try it out. Within seconds I realized this phone wasn't for me. The keyboard is tiny. It is usable but very small, I typed 3 sentences and my thumbs started hurting. 10 minutes after I was done typing the thumbs continued to hurt. I realized this is for the diehard blackberry users, not for us who've been using sliders with a bigger, more comfortable keyboard.
I understand with every new keyboard there's a learning curve. Hell, even between laptops there's a learning curve, but with this phone there may be way too much, and long messages will be pretty uncomfortable.
The other issue is the actual placement of the keyboard. The phone is too big and heavy. This is essentially the same size as the Blue Angel, just not as heavy. However that keyboard was, for some reason, easier to use than this one. Being that the BA was thicker, it had good grip. The Priv doesn't. I felt it was going to slide out of my hands, which added to the stress of holding it, which added to the uncomfortable typing. All in all I played with it for a good 20 minutes, and I just am not convinced. I may have to bite the bullet and get a non keyboard phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I moved away from a BlackBerry with a physical keyboard a few years ago, and then had to use one with a physical keyboard again, it usually makes ones thumbs hurt since on a screen you're tapping, on a physical keyboard you tap the button, but have to press down as well.
I'm interested in actually feeling what the Priv feels like, I don't think I'll be able to get it in my country for another month or so, but I thought the Priv might be heavy, BlackBerry phones usually feel heavier.
I have the phone and it's great so far. Yes typing on keyboard may seem tiresome and slow but once you get used to it, u will ove the fact that u have the whole screen estate to type long emails chats etc. The phone build quality is pretty good too and slim bezels considering front speakers.
varun.gid said:
I have the phone and it's great so far. Yes typing on keyboard may seem tiresome and slow but once you get used to it, u will ove the fact that u have the whole screen estate to type long emails chats etc. The phone build quality is pretty good too and slim bezels considering front speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget you can set keys as short cuts and the keyboard is capacitative so can be used like a limited track pad. Unique features for productivity.
And, of course, you do not even have to use the physical keyboard.
Im not sure how the Priv could be seen as slippery. I've played with a couple now, and also own a Z30 with the same back material. The glass weave is an extremely grippy material. I can hold my Z30 at probably a 60 or 75 degree angle with only three fingers flat on the back
Damn, it's been a while I'm waiting for it, I loved my htc desire Z (2009).
But no manufacturer tried to do a physical keyboard since then...
But what the hell BB?!?
Most providers will sell it almost at the same price as an iphone 6s.
Even the note 5 is half cheaper!
BB was know for replaceable battery and FM radio, which was I small difference compared to others. Anddd they get rid of it .
What's their marketing goal?
BB have hard time : Lets sell it at way higher price than most of flash ship phones, remove some nice features and let the rooting difficult.
( I believe rooting not necessary equal to security flaws )
oVeRdOsE. said:
Damn, it's been a while I'm waiting for it, I loved my htc desire Z (2009).
But no manufacturer tried to do a physical keyboard since then...
But what the hell BB?!?
Most providers will sell it almost at the same price as an iphone 6s.
Even the note 5 is half cheaper!
BB was know for replaceable battery and FM radio, which was I small difference compared to others. Anddd they get rid of it .
What's their marketing goal?
BB have hard time : Lets sell it at way higher price than most of flash ship phones, remove some nice features and let the rooting difficult.
( I believe rooting not necessary equal to security flaws )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Motorola Photon Q (XT897) 5 row keyboard slider - last best qwerty phone FYI.
I also have 2x G2's/DZ's, and the original G1/Dream.
The Photon Q design with the side (landscape) slider 5 row (similar to the G1) is probably the best layout, just needs to be built again with update specs.
Sent from my XT897 using XDA Free mobile app
varun.gid said:
I have the phone and it's great so far. Yes typing on keyboard may seem tiresome and slow but once you get used to it, u will ove the fact that u have the whole screen estate to type long emails chats etc. The phone build quality is pretty good too and slim bezels considering front speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue I had when I tried it out at the store was that i didn't think i could get used to it. I've used sliders for nearly 10 years now, and never had an issue getting used to a physical keyboard, including the BB 7390 or the 8200 which i used myself or the other models which I supported in my job. This one just doesn't seem to do it... and i was so looking forward to having an high specs phone. Oh well...
The other issue is that ATT wants a 35 dollar restocking fee if I return it, and since this phone is nowhere else but ATT, I just don't feel I should shell out 35 dollars so that i can try it out for 2 weeks.
devis said:
The issue I had when I tried it out at the store was that i didn't think i could get used to it. I've used sliders for nearly 10 years now, and never had an issue getting used to a physical keyboard, including the BB 7390 or the 8200 which i used myself or the other models which I supported in my job. This one just doesn't seem to do it... and i was so looking forward to having an high specs phone. Oh well...
The other issue is that ATT wants a 35 dollar restocking fee if I return it, and since this phone is nowhere else but ATT, I just don't feel I should shell out 35 dollars so that i can try it out for 2 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always buy the unlocked version for a whopping $700 and return it, free of charge.
Since the keyboard looks mediocre at best, and that's the only reason I want this phone, I'll pass.
I'm getting the unlocked model and will use it on T-Mobile. I'm sure the keyboard leaves much to be desired but I'm sure this will be the " last of the Mohicans " as far as keyboard sliders go. Especially if it flops. It's been said marshmallow will come to the priv. So the only other chance could possibly be project Ara, but I haven't heard anything about that in quite some time.
I'm not surprised, to be honest at the price point there are far better Android devices out there. And I know may BB users are convinced it'll be a game changer but I'm not.
The starting price is insanez and the build quality isn't anything particularly good.
Ok phone, but not for me. On screen keyboards are so good now that they are even much better and faster than real physical BlackBerry keyboard. Maybe if they got into Android few years earlier. How can they move on if they can't let go?
I've had mine for two days.... it runs REALLY hot. Just browsing, it gets warm instantly. Battery life is great when you're not actually using the thing. I lost something like 2 percent overnight. But as soon as you pick it up and start using it, it heats up a lot. I've been running android on my s5 for years so I know I don't have anything particularly nasty running in the background. I had a little reddit browse for half an hour in bed after waking up, and the battery went from 99 down to 85 in that short time.
The keyboard is good, but it lags. If you double type a letter, it doesn't keep up. Typing google gives me 'gole' sometimes, for example. Also, you can type from the home screen to universal search. However, because the process isn't killed upon exit, i search for 'google' the first time, and then later in the day i'm after 'spotify'. The problem is, the new search is 'googlespotify' which obviously brings up nothing.
There's also movement in the screen when the slider is closed, i can tap on the left half and feel the whole screen move.
Overall I think it could be a great phone but the software is very slow, and just very inefficient. Lags all over the place, and the physical keybaord just can't be missing inputs like that. I've got a few days left to decide if I can make it work. If not I will return it. It's too much money to be 'sort of happy'
Dejan92 said:
Ok phone, but not for me. On screen keyboards are so good now that they are even much better and faster than real physical BlackBerry keyboard.
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Click to collapse
Better than a blackberry keyboard? Maybe. Better than my Samsung Relay keyboard? Not a chance. I find it rare to see a touch keyboard user able to walk and type without looking at their screen. I do it flawlessly on my 5-row relay keyboard.
Picked this lovely device up last night, and have been putting it through its paces. Thus far, here is my analysis of things, which hopefully will answer some concerns users have had.
The heat/battery issue: I believe the causes here are largely related to apps, though reception may also be a factor. As noted in another thread, the core system apps in the phone do not immediately inform you that they require updating, and you will only know to update them by accessing the app's page on the Play Store. I've seen this with other Android 5.0 devices, though, so I suspect it might not be unique to the Priv. Once I updated all the core BB apps, the phone was significantly more stable and have had less heat and drain issues on that front.
I mention reception, as there appears to be a flaw with LTE reception. Whether it is hardware or software, I'm not certain, though I have a hard time believing it would be software, but when running the phone on LTE, I am lucky to get more than 1 bar of service anywhere in the city of Toronto, which has excellent coverage. My former device, the LG F3Q, was able to get 5 bars of LTE practically everywhere in the city, and most certainly did at my office. Right now, my Priv is seeing 0~1 bars of LTE coverage at the office. Forcing the phone to 4G/HSPA+ helps things a bit, I get 3-4 bars, but that's not really a solution. On crackberry, a lot of users are reporting the same problems with reception, so it appears to be a device-wide problem, and I'm certain BB will address it however they need to.
So, between those two factors, I believe that is the source of the heat/battery drain.
In terms of build quality otherwise, the phone is quite excellent. I don't understand the upset about the keyboard, I find it very excellent, and it's certainly more finger-friendly than pre-10 BB devices, which is all that I've used.
My only complaints on the build quality are somewhat minor nitpicks, such as placement of the power/volume buttons (I'd have preferred them reversed), the placement of the 3.5" jack (why the bottom?! even the holster case doesn't account for the placement!), and the size of the camera bezel. It sticks out so far that I'm slightly paranoid to set the device down on flat surfaces.
All-in-all, for me, this device is as close to perfection as I could have ever hoped in a device. Once the antenna problem is resolved (which I can't see not being resolved, otherwise it'll be a massive failure for the company), I'll be extremely satisfied. It may not be the device for everyone, but it is the device for me.
TPMJB said:
Better than a blackberry keyboard? Maybe. Better than my Samsung Relay keyboard? Not a chance. I find it rare to see a touch keyboard user able to walk and type without looking at their screen. I do it flawlessly on my 5-row relay keyboard.
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Click to collapse
Well yeah, i was thinking about typing when you looking at keyboard... Typing without looking at screen will never be flawless. :fingers-crossed:
Dejan92 said:
Well yeah, i was thinking about typing when you looking at keyboard... Typing without looking at screen will never be flawless. :fingers-crossed:
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Click to collapse
I've known people who claim they can do it, but I haven't seen it. I'm frequently on the go. I walk and text all the time. Walking and texting is such a problem that the last company I worked for would escort you off the campus for attempting it.
Meanwhile I'm looking straight ahead while doing it and don't understand it at all lol
schmandroid said:
Motorola Photon Q (XT897) 5 row keyboard slider - last best qwerty phone FYI.
I also have 2x G2's/DZ's, and the original G1/Dream.
The Photon Q design with the side (landscape) slider 5 row (similar to the G1) is probably the best layout, just needs to be built again with update specs.
Sent from my XT897 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The moto wasn't a flagship. Development was dead even at the beginning. Most north america carrier don't sell it or even advertise it.
So, imho, that wasn't the ''last good'' physic keyboard device.
The desire Z had pretty impressive performances when rooted. 800mzh stock, and 1.8ghz stable OC.
oVeRdOsE. said:
The moto wasn't a flagship. Development was dead even at the beginning. Most north america carrier don't sell it or even advertise it.
So, imho, that wasn't the ''last good'' physic keyboard device.
The desire Z had pretty impressive performances when rooted. 800mzh stock, and 1.8ghz stable OC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DZ had a 4 row keyboard, unlike the G1, which had a 5 row, so I consider that a step backwards.
The Priv also has a 4 row, so entering numerical data will require holding or double tapping a function key mid sentence.
Photon Q has 5 row.
Whether it is/was sold at a convenient store to you is irrelevant - with a sim mod, it is usable everywhere around the world. I guess you've missed out.
Compared to the G2/DZ, the PQ is a much more powerful & up to date device - if it wasn't, I wouldn't be using it.
Sent from my XT897 using XDA Free mobile app