[nitens]

I'm just wondering if anyone else is wondering why the heck the touchpad has a button the front? I've had mine for over a week now and I haven't used it once. The elegant swipe up from the bottom gesture in webOS is far better IMO.

Is this a case off apple try handedness/bone headed design? Or is there some purpose to this blemish on the front of my pad that I haven't realised?

</rant>

[Jophiel]

I have a couple apps that don't seem to respond to bottom swiping so a "hard" means of going back to the card view is appreciated. I never thought of it as a blemish.

[Antioch]

Double tapping to get to the launcher is also a bit faster than swiping up twice. Power+Home button takes a screenshot.

[Spybreak]

It helps people that are unfamiliar with WebOS navigate the system. The swipe up gesture isn't immediately clear to anyone that hasn't ever used WebOS and there is nothing funnier than watching someone try to use a Blackberry Playbook for the first time and sit there wondering how the hell do they access the app list or get out of the open app.

The button makes the TP a lot more accesible and also functions as a notification light. Use it or not, I have no problems with it and I think it improves the product.

[Cube1701]

The swipe up from bottom is "elegant"?

Try swiping across one of the bottom corners.

[jmpierson]

As much as I love gestures its still nice to have some physical buttons on a device... What I think is strange is how webos seems to "hide" some of the best features of the OS... once you powered it on it should have popped up a tutorial on how to use gestures...

[laingman]

They were hoping to trick people into thinking its an ipad and buy it.

[sledge007]

I use the "elegant" card button on the keyboard, the majority of the time.....but that's just me

[KallistiMan]

I'm just wondering if anyone else is wondering why the heck the touchpad has a button the front?

Because HP desgined the TouchPad hardware even before they bought Palm.

[beardedspoooon]

The button feels kind of cheap to me, would prefer capacitive. The power and volume buttons feel pretty solid though.

[bevcraw]

Without it, they would have to find a different method for you to be able to take a screenshot or perform a hard reset.

[looktall]

The button feels kind of cheap to me, would prefer capacitive.

it took me about two months to get used to the capacitive buttons on my desire s after two years of using a magic.

i've had my TP for over a week now and i still can't get used to having an actual button.

[mrak]

Speaking of which, has anyone thought about the fact that it is going to be rather difficult to navigate android without the presence of physical buttons? Everyone is so excited for the port but I have yet to figure out how you will be able to navigate it.

[tnguy88]

The two finger swipe up also works in the touchpad.

If you need to bring up the launcher while in an app, instead of doing two "swipe up", do a two finger swipe up and it will minimize the card and bring up the launcher.

[pgarcia]

I think I've used it around 5-10 times in 1 month of use...

[frankos72]

I'm just wondering if anyone else is wondering why the heck the touchpad has a button the front? I've had mine for over a week now and I haven't used it once. The elegant swipe up from the bottom gesture in webOS is far better IMO.

Is this a case off apple try handedness/bone headed design? Or is there some purpose to this blemish on the front of my pad that I haven't realised?

</rant>

It has been said that the TouchPad is a design that was around HP before they aquired Palm. That is the reason for no gesture area. The same article that sited this also said that Jon Rubenstien was not happy with the hardware but was forced into shoehorning webOS onto it rather than being given new a new hardware design.

That said, if it is true, then the hardware is likely a leftover from HPs onagain offagain attemts at a windows tablet device. And since that didn't have gestures, then they had to have at least one physical button to move around inside the OS.

[OrionAntares#CB]

It has been said that the TouchPad is a design that was around HP before they aquired Palm. That is the reason for no gesture area. The same article that sited this also said that Jon Rubenstien was not happy with the hardware but was forced into shoehorning webOS onto it rather than being given new a new hardware design.

That said, if it is true, then the hardware is likely a leftover from HPs onagain offagain attemts at a windows tablet device. And since that didn't have gestures, then they had to have at least one physical button to move around inside the OS.

Actually this is likely the Android tablet they had announced then canned after they bought Palm.

[mike5]

I miss the back gesture more than anything. Each app has its own place for going back & as the user, we have to search for it. there are some apps, I can't find the back button & I have to minimize the card or exit the card to go back. To the developers that were having trouble w/the up gesture, I suggest it is because the TouchPad was designed w/o the gesture. It was added at the last minute & it is not nearly as functional (100% accuracy) or as elegant feeling as on the phone. I love webOS, own the Pre- and the TouchPad, but sometimes on the TouchPad, I don't even feel like I am using webOS.

For those that say newcomers to the OS wouldn't know what to do--come on. This was the most intuitive of all the OSs to learn, IMO. it is what an educated sales force (I know, I know) and tutorial videos and this forum is about.

Again, sometimes I wonder if I am actually still on webOS.

[looktall]

The two finger swipe up also works in the touchpad.

If you need to bring up the launcher while in an app, instead of doing two "swipe up", do a two finger swipe up and it will minimize the card and bring up the launcher.

two finger swipes work when navigating through the launcher as well.
ie. get from apps to favourites by swiping two fingers.

[beardedspoooon]

Speaking of which, has anyone thought about the fact that it is going to be rather difficult to navigate android without the presence of physical buttons? Everyone is so excited for the port but I have yet to figure out how you will be able to navigate it.

Softbuttons for navigation will be in the notification bar. CM7 has a mod that puts the bar at the buttom of the screen, sort of similar to Honeycomb.