Disabling orientation change on power on and keyboard slide.

[JohnHind]

Anyone know if it is possible to change the TyTn's annoying habit of making unwanted reversions from landscape to portrait orientation?

On my machine it:

1. Always changes to portrait when the device is switched on, even if it was in landscape when it switched off. Some idiot obviously thought this was a "feature" since it comes up in landscape initially and then switches to portrait as you watch.

2. Changes to portrait when the keyboard slide is closed even if it was in landscape before the slide was opened. This is a useful feature poorly thought through. Auto switch to landscape on open IS logical, but it should not assume you want to go back to portrait when the slide is closed again.

I'd be very happy if I could just disable both these "features", but ideally I'd be able to keep "switch to landscape on slide open", with or without "revert to previous orientation on slide close".

[rob.ocelot]

Anyone know if it is possible to change the TyTn's annoying habit of making unwanted reversions from landscape to portrait orientation?

On my machine it:

1. Always changes to portrait when the device is switched on, even if it was in landscape when it switched off. Some idiot obviously thought this was a "feature" since it comes up in landscape initially and then switches to portrait as you watch.

2. Changes to portrait when the keyboard slide is closed even if it was in landscape before the slide was opened. This is a useful feature poorly thought through. Auto switch to landscape on open IS logical, but it should not assume you want to go back to portrait when the slide is closed again.

I'd be very happy if I could just disable both these "features", but ideally I'd be able to keep "switch to landscape on slide open", with or without "revert to previous orientation on slide close".

I don't have problem #1, and I wonder if it's being caused by the orientation sensor being triggered at the wrong time. The sensor is magnetic, so if there is a magnet (any magnet) making contact the screen orientation will be landcape. Others here have noticed that even the magnetic closures on the official Tytn case from HTC will trigger the change.

Problem #2 is strictly software and yes, it's damn annoying when a UI designer assumes that the only functionality needed is the one that best fits his/her needs with no regard to anyone else. The only solution I can offer you, short of writing an app to do this yourself is to map a key to orientation switching and switch it yourself once you retract the keyboard. (A side gripe here is why the orientation settings are buried so deep that only a power user can find it).

[mikechannon]

I think I did see an app for changing orientation but will need to search.

By the way it starts (sometimes) in landscape because the mechanism that changes orientation is a magnet switch. A magnet on the keyboard is moved when you slide it open and operates the switch. Howver since there are powerful magnets in some carrying cases these can operate the switch (as if the keyboard was open) Then when you take it out of the pouch it takes a second or to and reverts to portrait.

You can operate the switch manually by running a magnet along the side of the casing. (not that I'm suggesting that as a solution:D )

EDIT: perhaps this will help
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1098622#post1098622 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1098622#post1098622)

Mike

[JohnHind]

Thanks guys.

I have been able to get a rotation icon on the today screen (iLauncher) and to map rotation to a hard-key using a combination of iLauncher and Resco KeyMapper. But rotation takes a noticable time (seems to redraw at least four times, probably a poor model for the today screen plugin architecture) and it is irritating to have to do it twice when you do not want it at all.

With further experimentation I find it goes according to the slide position when switched on - if you open the slide and then turn on, it always switches to landscape, if you switch on with the slide closed it always switches to portrait. I suppose this makes sense - it reads this magnetic switch at power on and acts accordingly. But if Rob is right, maybe this is a "feature" of one of the utilities I've installed. Next time I have to do a hard reset I'll see if it still happens with the base OS.

I was really hoping there'd be a registry key I could change to modify this behaviour or that there'd be some utility I could buy that allowed me to hook any action I wanted to the slide switch (or none). For example, it would be more ergonomic if it turned on on opening the slide as well as changing to landscape.

See what you mean about the magnet - maybe if I got a strong enough one it would permanently magnetise and stick!;)