4 replies to this topic

[Zarch1972]

This post over on XDA:
http://forum.xda-dev...4&postcount=203

Got me thinking about software buttons - are they really "all that" on a phone?

On a tablet, the advantage of softbuttons are obvious, but on a phone?  Wouldn't hardware buttons just suffice?


Watching movies aside, you'll always need back, menu and home buttons permanantly on show, so you'll never to use the whole of the screen unless you are a movie junkie.  So are you paying for (and wasting) screen for nothing?  The diagram on XDA suggests the screen is just 4.3" when the buttons are used.

Would you be better with a cheaper SG2 or HTC Sensation XE with their 4.3" screen and hardware buttons, then wait for ICS to come along early 2012 on either of those?  (software buttons don't pop up on screen ICS if it detects hardware ones)

Some other device sizes:

Phone				   Height (mm)	Width (mm)	  Screen	   Resolution
													  (inches)	 
San Francisco			  116			 57		   3.5”	   (800 x 480)
iPhone 4S				  115			 59		   3.5”	   (960 x 640)
Nokia Lumia 800 (Windows)  116			 61		   3.7"	   (800 x 480)
HTC Desire				 119			 60		   3.7”	   (800 x 480)
Samsung Galaxy 1		   122			 64		   4.0”	   (800 x 480)	   
HTC Desire HD			  123			 68		   4.3”	   (800 x 480)
Samsung Nexus S			124			 63		   4.0"	   (800 x 480)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sony Ericsson Arc S		125			 63		   4.2"	   (854 x 480)
Samsung Galaxy 2		   125			 66		   4.3”	   (800 x 480)
HTC Sensation XE		   126			 65		   4.3"	   (960 x 540)
HTC Rezound (US ONLY)	  129			 66		   4.3"	   (1280 x 720)
Motorola Droid RAZR		131			 69		   4.3"	   (960 x 540)
HTC Sensation XL		   132			 71		   4.7"	   (800 x 480)
Galaxy Nexus			   136			 68		   4.65”	  (1280 x 720)

So is the extra 1 cm over the SG2 and XE wasted?

You can probably tell..... i'm trying to talk myself out of buying one.  

Edited by Zarch1972, 11 November 2011 - 10:07 AM.

[Frankish]

I suppose it's easier to make a phone without hardware buttons or capacitive buttons. Less hardware to fail.

That's the best excuse I can come up with. If this camera was 8mp my GS2 would be sold but I just can't downgrade camera now!

[andrewpmoore]

Frankish, on 08 November 2011 - 05:53 PM, said:

I suppose it's easier to make a phone without hardware buttons or capacitive buttons. Less hardware to fail.

That's the best excuse I can come up with. If this camera was 8mp my GS2 would be sold but I just can't downgrade camera now!

Sorry to not talk you out of it, but to me I like the idea. I've always thought the "menu" button in android was daft as you never know if it is going to do anything. With screen buttons it'll only show when it can do something.

Of course the same could be done with hardware if they just made the led behind it light up when it could be pressed and no on other occasions.

[Zarch1972]

andrewpmoore, on 10 November 2011 - 08:11 PM, said:

Sorry to not talk you out of it, but to me I like the idea. I've always thought the "menu" button in android was daft as you never know if it is going to do anything. With screen buttons it'll only show when it can do something.

Of course the same could be done with hardware if they just made the led behind it light up when it could be pressed and no on other occasions.

Just updated the original post with more phones and dimensions...... (been building this whilst looking for a Desire replacement).  


Paul, Do you have any snippets to throw our way now you've had the Galaxy Nexus for a few days?

Size, too Big?
Screen Quality?
Camera any good?
Battery Life
Software Buttons
Notification LED
ICS in general

Or do we have to wait for your full review?  

[Ian1]

The debate about buttons on the screen vs capacitive buttonsis hard to say without using it.

What I'm wondering about is will the permanent displayof the soft keys on an OLED screen result in OLED 'Screen burn'? I have this onmy Blade with the notification bar being visible as a shadow when I run fullscreen apps and was wondering if you would end up seeing an outline of thebuttons when a video is played.

Having said that I still think I'm going to get one if I canfind the 32GB version for sensible money.