[Sapient2k7]

the lack of a gesture area makes this device seem a lot less appealing to me. i really doubt i'll be getting one. plus, this thing has virtually no apps and since devs have been hesitant to develop for webOS thus far, i don't see any reason why that would be changing anytime soon.

The problem with developer has always been that they demand that their efforts be utilized when a device/OS has enough market share whereas consumers demand apps for a device or an OS to be purchase worthy. So this is a classic chicken or egg situation.

HP dangled a HUGE carrot in front of the developers last night when they said they will be shipping webOS with every desktop they sell. This could potentially mean tens of millions of non-phone devices by the end of the year. This is something that could fix this issue.

[FetusSoup]

But how do existing 3rd party apps function without a back swipe?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

Twitter

[omeg12121293]

it also sucks that you would be able to do the wave gesture since theres no gesture area

[zeedale]

I'm not a big fan of push-button motions for some actions. Having a gesture area made it extremely convenient for not needing to be exact for, let's say, going to card view. Just swipe, swipe, swipe; not find button, press button. All four sides should each be a gesture area.

[DDT1345]

The biggest disappointment for me with the loss of the gesture area on the TouchPad (lame name) is that is corresponds with a loss of ELEGANCE.

WebOS as compared to Android and iOS is ELEGANT, and the reason it is elegant is in the most part due to gestures (and cards). It makes it very easy to interface with the OS and do simple things without having to tap, tap, tap.

A while back I had to get on the net and I grabbed my wife's iTouch. I didn't realize how much gestures made interfacing with my Pre so much better until the moment I tried to browse the web on her iTouch. I hated using it and realized how great gestures were and how they made my experience so much better (key differentiator). The TouchPad lost this KEY DIFFERENTIATOR! ...and it was by choice!

If Leo and HP want to be "as cool as Apple" they need to provide differentiation. Instead, we took a step backwards and what we got was an iPad that runs WebOS and can send a webpage to a Pre!

I can't express in words how dissapointed I am to see the gesture area eliminated on the TouchPad, so much so that I don't think I will buy one. But the disappointment is not just personal dissapointment, it's dissapointment with HP. If they really wanted to go up against the iPad, they need things like gestures to differentiate! When the layperson is given the choice between an iPad or a TouchPad, 9 out of 10 times I'm confident they'll choose an iPad because the TouchPad lost a key piece of its elegant interface.

The reason the iPhone was such a "revolutionary" product is becasue it improved the interface. It was basically and elegant PalmOS interface inside a nice, shiny case.

The reason the Pre was "better" than the iPhone in my opinion, was it took the iPhone's elegant interface and made it more elegant and easier to navigate with gestures (and cards).

They lost a major part of the elegance by eliminating gestures on the TouchPad (ugh, every time I type that name I cringe a little - I expected better from HP).

Did they even ask any dedicated WebOS users what they think before introducing this? Did they have focus groups?

What a dissappiontment.

[Srycantthnkof1]

I've been more of a lurker and quiet follower on the forums here for the past two years. The past few months have been very difficult listening to the negativity and hopelessness seething out of every thread. After hearing about the gesture area being left of the TouchPad and the loose release dates on their new products i can't help but agree with everyone else. I feel very underwhelmed and i feel they left ALOT to be desired. We want action not talk! :/

Also the legacy devices being left in the cold due to them not being able to handle the 2.0 update is ridiculous. Anyone that really still has a launch day Pre/Pixi has at least experimented in overclocking. At least give us a WebOS doctor for the ones that really want it!

[Zyphlin]

Yep. When I had my various windows mobile phones, my wife wouldn't touch them. When I had a iPod Touch she'd poke around and get frustrated with it. She'll routinely grab my Pre to check the weather or do various things on it. Its amazingly intuitive and just elegant, good word ddt, in its use of gestures and movement rather than buttons. Not only that, it makes the experience more enjoyable all together. Losing out on that is a definitive negative in my mind.

[kaboomaboom]

I was extremely boggled when I asked the HP representative at the developer conference about the gesture bar being gone. No it does not make things better when your losing features!!! especially ones you use at all times! Maybe we can somehow let Palm/HP know the importance of this feature!! This feature better not become missing in phones!!

[Klownicle#AC]

I don't understand how the gesture bar can be taken away.

How are apps that work on the phones with use of gestures even going to operate on the TouchPad?

They should have made each side of the huge useless black bar a gesture area that moved with orintation.

[zerohaste]

it appears to me that the Enyo framework and sizes of the device eliminates the need for a gesture area. notice that during the presentation, they never had to "go back" a scene. all of the scenes were available by just manipulated the windows.

gesture area makes sense on the phones though, since there isn't enough space to have all of the scenes in view...

noo worries here

You should be worried.

No gesture area on a device that uses 3.0. The only device that uses 3.0. Apps that are built for 3.0 will be made to not use a gesture area.

What happens when phones finally get 3.0? No apps that uses the area, so there's no need to put on on the phone, either. I'm willing to bet Pre 3 and Veer will not be getting 3.0. They're sticking with 2.x and the phones after those will be using 3.0. Old apps that uses the gesture area are now called "legacy" apps by HP themselves. They will stop support for them eventually, just like PalmOS support was removed with 2.0.

So that will leave any owners of the Pre3 and Veer in the same situation that us Pre owners are. Screwed.

[Rennat]

I was kinda shocked about it at first but the more I thought about it the better it seamed. Now with HP talking about how Enyo works it make all the more sense. Yes the guesture area is cool but if you go and read in and be a diligent WebOS lover you will find that the Enyo platform without a gesture area seems completely fine.
And as Mhunterjr said, Enyo makes no need for a gesture area. No having to go back and forth, this way and that. It is a beautiful elegance of it. This way there is NO NEED for a gesture area, so why would they leave it? To make past apps work? NOPE. They have a whole system setup to make unobtrusive back buttons to replace it in the mojo apps.
---Its like when they invented the first non stick shift car. It takes the pain of going back and forth with the clutch. But HP has looked at the way people like a stick shift (gesture area) because you get more control and have combined both to make the best hybrid device possible!

[orizzle]

oh wow so lame. gestures was a key feature replaced by a stupid button.... i don't want a stupid button!!!! might as well get an ipad2.

[japomani]

it also sucks that you would be able to do the wave gesture since there's no gesture area

That is a great point! I use the wave all the time. I will miss it's convenience. But I have seen similar things on the android and playbook without a gesture area, just swipe in from the bezel and navigation and controls appear.

[Rennat]

You should be worried.

No gesture area on a device that uses 3.0. The only device that uses 3.0. Apps that are built for 3.0 will be made to not use a gesture area.

What happens when phones finally get 3.0? No apps that uses the area, so there's no need to put on on the phone, either. I'm willing to bet Pre 3 and Veer will not be getting 3.0. They're sticking with 2.x and the phones after those will be using 3.0. Old apps that uses the gesture area are now called "legacy" apps by HP themselves. They will stop support for them eventually, just like PalmOS support was removed with 2.0.

So that will leave any owners of the Pre3 and Veer in the same situation that us Pre owners are. Screwed.

To zerohaste's problem that they will eventually stop supporting them.

The whole PalmOS thing was COMPLETELY different because the OS was old and decrepit and the reason why Palm launched with an emulator to run it is to make the transfer much easier for those using PalmOS (including companies). They stated this and then told us that their hope was to make it so the users didn't have to live on the junk of the past and operate all on the modern OS.
++As to the Pre3 and Veer getting left in the dumps.... not going to happen. Because they are fully able to run Enyo "at an optimized state". The only thing that is missing is the button but !what! the gesture area can dubble as one! lol but overall, I don't think it matters much because #1 thats years away #2 by the time they are an endangered species of device if it still your primary phone... GET A NEW ONE because it is probably 3 years old!!

[japomani]

What happens when phones finally get 3.0? No apps that uses the area, so there's no need to put on on the phone, either. I'm willing to bet Pre 3 and Veer will not be getting 3.0. They're sticking with 2.x and the phones after those will be using 3.0. Old apps that uses the gesture area are now called "legacy" apps by HP themselves. They will stop support for them eventually, just like PalmOS support was removed with 2.0.

I think you are right, I am going to skip this generation of phones and wait until the "real" hp phones come out. I will probably skip this touchpad too, first generation and all

I'll wait till they get this all sorted out

[Rennat]

What sorted out?!?!?!!
You Be Crazy not to get a Pre3 or TouchPad!
BTW what are you going to get if your not getting a Pre3? An iPhone? An Android? You crack me up...because I have an Evo right now and I cry at night because I want WebOS back

[DDT1345]

I don't understand how the gesture bar can be taken away.

How are apps that work on the phones with use of gestures even going to operate on the TouchPad?

They should have made each side of the huge useless black bar a gesture area that moved with orintation.

one of the latest article on the front page of P|C mentioned an emulation mode and within that mode there will be BUTTONS to "emulate" the gestures!

How innovative!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I have 2 please?

[Garrett92C]

one of the latest article on the front page of P|C mentioned an emulation mode and within that mode there will be BUTTONS to "emulate" the gestures!

How innovative!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I have 2 please?

Sounds like Classic 2.0... lol lol

Swyped from my HTC HD2 (CM7)

[johncc]

Now we know why Matias left. Couldn't stand the direction 'his' interface was heading.

[japomani]

What sorted out?!?!?!!
You Be Crazy not to get a Pre3 or TouchPad!

Wow, I hope that is sarcasim