[leadtrumpetdave]

I use FieldPlus all the time...but that is mostly because selecting text with a fingertip or pulling out a stylus is a pain. On the Pre, finger usage is anticipated so I expect that selecting text with a finger will be much easier than on Treos.

Furthermore, as far as adding similar functionality to FieldPlus, don't forget that the Pre is capable of not only gestures, touchscreen, and keyboard input, but also has an accelerometer for "shake" type input if a programmer wants to use it.

[B-model#CB]

Hmmm .. reading this is just realize something.

The Guesture area at the bottom. Can;t that act as a 5 way navigation. It has a button in the middle, and we can move left rght up down just by touching the phone ....

[jhoff80]

Hmmm .. reading this is just realize something.

The Guesture area at the bottom. Can;t that act as a 5 way navigation. It has a button in the middle, and we can move left rght up down just by touching the phone ....

It's very possible, yes. Though, I don't think you can make the button do anything but display the card view.

[nitf]

It could be a time based feature, if you hit the middle button within a programmable amount of time from your last virtual Dpad press it acts like a middle button otherwise it just jumps to the card view.

[graylion]

I feel that the D-Pad has pioneered the one handed use for smart phones. I really like this Pre but I also need to hold it.

Regards

[LupeValenz]

I was thnking the same thing and posted my thought at 1src about maybe having something like the zune pad be flushed with the device. The pad is touch sensitive so you won't lose your gestures and the edges of the pad are clickable so you can have the 5way navigation intact. I will miss the dpad and the hard buttons. It was so easy to switch out view for calendar by simply hitti g the calendar button to cyle through the views. Still even with that loss I will get the Pre.

[samkim]

I just think its a little silly to not have the center button at least be a trackball. If its close enough to one that people were mistaking it for one, why not just make it one? And I don't mean as a mouse pointer or anything like that, but for text navigation it'd be perfect.

I think the gesture area could function fine as a trackball.

[jhoff80]

Yeah, but my point was that people thought it actually was a trackball at first glance.

And I really think that the center button is going to be hard-coded to always display the cards. I sort of doubt developers will be given the ability to override the functionality of it in the SDK, timer-based or otherwise, contrary to the suggestion above.

[steinbej]

i am concerned about loss of D-pad AND stylus. Each of these devices allowed a user to navigate a cursor precisely into text or applications. Now both are gone. I'd be less concerned if the stylus stayed, and I'd be less concerned about loss of stylus if the D-pad stayed. But with both gone... we'll have to see.
-- Josh

[SolarPlexus]

I use the D-Pad all the time.
But I don't know that I will miss it at all....

[doctoss]

Is the button on the Pre just a button, or a ball like the blackberry? I thought I read somewhere it was a ball? A ball could almost replace the d pad.

[anon(45821)]

Is the button on the Pre just a button, or a ball like the blackberry? I thought I read somewhere it was a ball? A ball could almost replace the d pad.

Just a button, no trackball.

[midmofan]

Until this thread, I guess I didn't realize how great the D-Pad and hard buttons are for the way I use my 755p. I really can to a lot without even looking at the thing.

I'm guessing no matter how good the UI is on the Pre is, it wont be THAT easy to use no-look/one-handed.

I'm also pretty sure the trade off will be worth it

[anon(45821)]

I don't have an iPhone, but I do have a iPod Touch, if it's similar in navigation then I don't forsee missing the dpad. Just a lot more screen touching. I'm willing to give up the dpad for a larger screen. I only wish they would've made the screen as large or larger than the iPhone.

[Scott_L]

I use the D-Pad somewhat frequently, but still find myself using the stylus when that darn cursor just won't go where I want it. I'm having a tough time imagining being without both of these methods.

[MisterB#WN]

The D-Pad is actually quite poor compared to the trackball on a BlackBerry.

That being said, I think the Pre's button is supposed to do more than you may be thinking. I read something about how if you are reading a web site in landscape mode, you can glide your thumb over the button and it will scroll the page up or down depending on which way you move your thumb over the button. They said they don't want people to block their view of the screen when reading by having to constantly touch the screen to scroll.

[ADGrant]

The D-Pad is actually quite poor compared to the trackball on a BlackBerry.

I don't agree, I prefer the D-Pad and I use both devices every day.

[zbop]

I still prefer having both (d-pad and touch) interfaces; for certain operations, it is just easier to use a d-pad one-handed.

Hopefully once the current trend of form-over-function passes, phone designers will get back to doing what works best, rather than what's the most trendy.

[Darth Pooh]

I have found that with rubberbanding and finger flick scrolling, the d-pad quickly becomes antiquated. I don't think my post will ever convince anyone differently, but hey everyone has a different opinion.

[midmofan]

And its not JUST the D-pad for me. Its the hard buttons and the hot buttons I have set up with Butler and how great it all works with the D-Pad

I hit the phone button and I get Dial By Photo. I dial my wife with center click, go one to the left for my office, one to the right for my daughter, two clicks to right for son, to clicks to left for my folks. I don't have to even look. Its the reason I don't use any kind of voice dial as well.

IF I hit phone button twice, Takephone comes up and again the D-Pad takes me to the screens I need instantly. Most used is one to the left for the call log.

Holding "I" takes me to the web home page, "Y" takes me to DA, "A" takes me to my alarm, "w" takes me to weather "m" too google maps and so on.

Hard to imagine a full touch screen phone doing all this without mutiple swipes on multiple screens that I will have to pay attention to to make sure hitting right area of the screen with the correct gesture.