Hello and questions

[glumreaper 144]

Hi folks,

 

Just placed my order yesterday after thinking about it for quite a while. I love the idea of the Pro1, and am getting quite excited for it. I actually still have my Desire-Z, fully working but not much used nowadays.

 

I have a couple of questions I've not seen the answers to yet, so thought them worth mentioning.

 

I really think this is a yes, but does anyone know if the phone operating in 'closed' mode will have standard Android on-screen keyboards? It just occurred to me to wonder. The physical keyboard is obviously the key reason to have the phone, but there will be many times when only a single word or so is needed, and it'd be clunky to have to flip the phone around for it.

 

Secondly, I know there's a physical shutter button, but does anyone know if this will be a shortcut to launching the camera when the screen is off, like on Xperia phones? Maybe that's standard Android and it'll be present, but it'd feel like something missing if not.

 

Thanks!

[Noir 112]

Welcome aboard,

 

of course there will be the on-screen keyboard available if the phone is not opened, be it landscape or portrait mode. The desire Z does have the same feature, just as any other keyboard phone where the physical board can be 'hidden'.

 

I don't have a definitive answer on the camerabutton-question, EskeRahn should be the first to answer this question based on a pre-production model. Or anyone who attendet the London-Event?

[EskeRahn 5,427]

Secondly, I know there’s a physical shutter button, but does anyone know if this will be a shortcut to launching the camera when the screen is off, like on Xperia phones? Maybe that’s standard Android and it’ll be present, but it’d feel like something missing if not.

@Noir, thanks for already answering :)

 

Yes, a double click on the power button can be used to access the camera.:)

But if it is locked with code, it (at the least currently) requires you to move the finger 2cm from the power button to the fingerprint sensor..

I do not know if there is a way to have it act in 'locked' mode, with write only option. But as the fingerprint sensor is between the power button and the camera button, it is quite natural to unlock while moving the index finger,

[glumreaper 144]

Thanks guys! I wondered about the camera button because I currently use an Xperia, and I take a lot of photos with it (mainly of my kids!) The operation with the camera button makes it so easy and quick, I love it: reach into my pocket, locate the shutter button by feel, hold it for a second (until it vibrates) to launch the camera as I bring the phone up and I'm taking pictures. It's been funny in the past I've ended up trying to photograph something at the same time as an iPhone user, and I've already snapped half a dozen shots while they're still fiddling with their screen, having had to look away to open the camera.

 

Anyway it's probably not a deal-breaker for me with the Pro1, but I thought it worth asking.

[netman 1,424]

Thanks guys! I wondered about the camera button because I currently use an Xperia, and I take a lot of photos with it (mainly of my kids!) The operation with the camera button makes it so easy and quick, I love it: reach into my pocket, locate the shutter button by feel, hold it for a second (until it vibrates) to launch the camera as I bring the phone up and I’m taking pictures. It’s been funny in the past I’ve ended up trying to photograph something at the same time as an iPhone user, and I’ve already snapped half a dozen shots while they’re still fiddling with their screen, having had to look away to open the camera.

 

Anyway it’s probably not a deal-breaker for me with the Pro1, but I thought it worth asking.

 

This is why the camera button also has me excited, fumbling around with touchscreens is frustrating and slow no matter what people tell themselves about it :). I believe launching the camera with a double press of the lock button is a standard feature in vanilla android nowadays (not totally sure but almost all phone's i've touched in the last few years have that), I've been used to double-press and then using another button to snap the picture which seems to be fast enough, however a two-stage button is really needed to get the thing to focus when I want it so i'm very happy this is a feature of pro1 :). I'm sure it'll be possible to get the pro1 to launch camera with a button in some way.

[EskeRahn 5,427]

This is why the camera button also has me excited, fumbling around with touchscreens is frustrating and slow no matter what people tell themselves about it :). I believe launching the camera with a double press of the lock button is a standard feature in vanilla android nowadays (not totally sure but almost all phone’s i’ve touched in the last few years have that), I’ve been used to double-press and then using another button to snap the picture which seems to be fast enough, however a two-stage button is really needed to get the thing to focus when I want it so i’m very happy this is a feature of pro1 :). I’m sure it’ll be possible to get the pro1 to launch camera with a button in some way.

 

If the same button is used to activate an actually take photos, it gives the risk of quite a number of accidental 'pocket-shots'...

 

But I guess it might be handled If one could come up with some clever combo of short&long press to activate it, that was not so complex it was hard to remember, but still would be quite unlikely to happen accidentally. It might also 'waste' a fraction of a second checking with the ambient sensor, to detect if it is likely to still be in a pocket, and if so ignore the activation.

[glumreaper 144]

If the same button is used to activate an actually take photos, it gives the risk of quite a number of accidental ‘pocket-shots’…

 

In five years of having Xperia phones, this had happened to maybe twice. I think they've got the balance just right of how long you have to hold it to activate the camera. The efficient of being able to use it as a camera is well worth that risk, to me.

 

That having been said one of the times it did it in my pocket, it switched onto video and was recording for about a quarter of an hour before I noticed how worryingly hot my pocket was! ?

 

 

[glumreaper 144]

however a two-stage button is really needed to get the thing to focus when I want it so i’m very happy this is a feature of pro1 :).

 

Agreed. This, as much as the speedy, screen-touch-free way of accessing the camera, is what gives a brilliant camera experience. Much as I want the full keyboard, I wouldn't have gone for the Pro1 if it didn't have a proper shutter button.

 

 

[EskeRahn 5,427]

That having been said one of the times it did it in my pocket, it switched onto video and was recording for about a quarter of an hour before I noticed how worryingly hot my pocket was! ?

 

One COULD limit it to photos, simply switching to Photo-mode if started this way, so you would need to explicitly switch to Video - that would be really unlikely to happen by accident in the pocket. :)

[EskeRahn 5,427]

Agreed. This, as much as the speedy, screen-touch-free way of accessing the camera, is what gives a brilliant camera experience. Much as I want the full keyboard, I wouldn’t have gone for the Pro1 if it didn’t have a proper shutter button.

 

To me it is a pure "nice to have", very far from a "must have", but we all use our devices in our own way.

[netman 1,424]

Aled Lewis wrote:

Agreed. This, as much as the speedy, screen-touch-free way of accessing the camera, is what gives a brilliant camera experience. Much as I want the full keyboard, I wouldn’t have gone for the Pro1 if it didn’t have a proper shutter button.

To me it is a pure “nice to have”, very far from a “must have”, but we all use our devices in our own way.

 

For me it is also a nice to have, the keyboard alone makes me need the device and nice snapdragon chip makes me confident it'll be great. It's however an awesome cherry on top making me confident the folks designing the phone are designing something they actually want to use themselves :).

[glumreaper 144]

One COULD limit it to photos, simply switching to Photo-mode if started this way, so you would need to explicitly switch to Video – that would be really unlikely to happen by accident in the pocket. :)

 

Good thinking. Xperias do that with the manual camera modes and camera apps, as well as viewing photos that haven't been taken in the current camera session. Any of those actions prompts the unlock screen.

[Waxberry 638]

Virtual keyboard will disappear when slider is opened. (You can also choose to keep it if you want in settings)

 

For camera shutter key, it will act very similarly as Xperia (and a few old Lumia phones): Holding and pressing the shutter button will quickly launch the camera. We are doing more test to improving that button's hardware to balance the feeling and minimising mis-opening.

[Benni 183]

@Waxberry will suggestions still appear, as an extra bar, when the virtual keyboard is hidden?

[glumreaper 144]

For camera shutter key, it will act very similarly as Xperia (and a few old Lumia phones): Holding and pressing the shutter button will quickly launch the camera.

 

That's just excellent news for me, thanks very much!

 

 

[_DW_ 628]

I don't like the power button double press as triple press on my phone calls emergency services! done that way to many times (*^^*)

[EskeRahn 5,427]

I don’t like the power button double press as triple press on my phone calls emergency services! done that way to many times (*^^*)

 

Just took the chance on the pre-production unit, and neither triple nor other multiple press called anyone.

[_DW_ 628]

DW wrote:

I don’t like the power button double press as triple press on my phone calls emergency services! done that way to many times (*^^*)

Just took the chance on the pre-production unit, and neither triple nor other multiple press called anyone.

 

I imported my phone as it saved me £200,.it's an Indian variant and is required there apparently :D

 

[silversolver 849]

@waxberry will suggestions still appear, as an extra bar, when the virtual keyboard is hidden?

 

I have had devices defaulting both ways and have never delved into the settings to try to find out for certain, but I am pretty sure that vanilla android gives you a choice on this.

[Benni 183]

Benjamin wrote:

@waxberry

will suggestions still appear, as an extra bar, when the virtual keyboard is hidden?

I have had devices defaulting both ways and have never delved into the settings to try to find out for certain, but I am pretty sure that vanilla android gives you a choice on this.

 

I've testet with a USB-keyboard:

Gboard: No keyboard and recommendations, or full keyboard -> fail

Blackberry Keyboard: Only recommendations in portrait-mode, but full keyboard in horizontal mode -> 1/2 fail?

[silversolver 849]

Jason Bassett wrote:

Benjamin wrote:

@waxberry

will suggestions still appear, as an extra bar, when the virtual keyboard is hidden?

 

I have had devices defaulting both ways and have never delved into the settings to try to find out for certain, but I am pretty sure that vanilla android gives you a choice on this.

I’ve testet with a USB-keyboard:

 

Gboard: No keyboard and recommendations, or full keyboard -> fail

 

Blackberry Keyboard: Only recommendations in portrait-mode, but full keyboard in horizontal mode -> 1/2 fail?

 

Even on devices which offer the suggestions with the physical keyboard open, I essentially never use them. I find it clunky to leave the physical keyboard to tap a suggestion, and frankly I type fast enough that I don't get a significant speed improvement from it. I just never found their presence disruptive enough to try to remove them.

[EskeRahn 5,427]

Even on devices which offer the suggestions with the physical keyboard open, I essentially never use them. I find it clunky to leave the physical keyboard to tap a suggestion, and frankly I type fast enough that I don’t get a significant speed improvement from it. I just never found their presence disruptive enough to try to remove them.

 

Well I hope it will be there as an OPTION, as it can help both getting spelling right and, for long words, often the right word is suggested after typing the first few letters, and this can speed up things.

[michael.bosscha 142]

As far as suggestions go, I like them being around even though I hardly use them. They're more of a check in case I'm typing a word wrong.

[Benni 183]

Even on devices which offer the suggestions with the physical keyboard open, I essentially never use them. I find it clunky to leave the physical keyboard to tap a suggestion, and frankly I type fast enough that I don’t get a significant speed improvement from it. I just never found their presence disruptive enough to try to remove them.

 

On my old phones with physical qwertz-sliders, I've used the predictions mostly as a very convenient autocorrect :)

I somehow never got used to the included autocorrect, as it was either to cumbersome, or often wrong (dual language).

 

I also feel that its different with a slider vs an external keyboard, as my fingers are much nearer to the screen on a slider.