[REF]Capacitive touchpad apps

[Riel]

Since there IS a topic about using the G-sensor, I guess it is a good idea to come up with a thread about using the capacative touchpad of the diamond.

Since the test-tools were out, we saw that the left and right part of the centre-button is a multi-touch enabled touchpad.

It could be used in so many ways, for gestures, extra 'hardware' keys, etc. That's the reason for this topic.

[Koush]

Hey, I reverse engineered the Nav wheel. It may be multitouch, but the raw data I get back from the Diamond does not indicate that it is. The only data I was able to retrieve is rotations per second. I also have not figured out how to reverse engineer the center button.

[NisseDILLIGAF]

Hey, I reverse engineered the Nav wheel. It may be multitouch, but the raw data I get back from the Diamond does not indicate that it is. The only data I was able to retrieve is rotations per second. I also have not figured out how to reverse engineer the center button.

Maybe you have already seen it .. but check out the 'NavDbgTool.exe' here... :)

http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Diamond_Testing_Tool (http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Diamond_Testing_Tool)

[Da9L]

Since there IS a topic about using the G-sensor, I guess it is a good idea to come up with a thread about using the capacative touchpad of the diamond.

Since the test-tools were out, we saw that the left and right part of the centre-button is a multi-touch enabled touchpad.

It could be used in so many ways, for gestures, extra 'hardware' keys, etc. That's the reason for this topic.

Good idea ! I was thinking about starting such topic.. :)

What about a unlocker ? If you slide your finger from Home key to the Answer key and at the same time you slide your other finger from the Back key to the Don't Answer key ? Could be nice.. :) just an idea!

[Riel]

What I have seen, that is quite hard, since above and below the nav-pad is no touch-pad. It sees it as 'nav-pad action' then.



I thought of navigating in another way.
What multitouch-applications do there exist, and are any of them usable for the limited space we have besides the nav-wheel?

It DOES give 4 extra 'hardware' keys. Even key-combinations can be made :)

Maybe some genious will find a slick way of text-inputting via the 2 pads ! :)

[Riel]

Just give it a small kick upwards
:)

[mooooooa]

Dont let this topic die?

[Chainfire]

I was just looking at this for a bit, think I get some clues about how to get the data. I have a time-problem, though :D Will probably be a while before I pick it up again.

However, I think I saw Schaps mention he is using it in his new touchxperience UI, that'd mean he knows how to do it. Why not just ask him?

[surur]

I can see one use already. Capacitive sensors are more responsive than resistive screens, so it would be cool to use this in place of touching the screen to scroll through touchflo3d tabs.

Surur

[uniqueboy]

Does any one know if this is implemented in the touch pro? and if so, in what way? Maybe we will inherit whatever the pro has to offer in this regard.

[Sergio PC]

YESSSS!
This is awsome!
Did you guyzz see the vid vid (http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/08/20/htcs-touch-diamond-pro-are-multi-touch-gods-just-not-how-you/)?

Unlocking the Diamond with no Hard button touch at alll?.
Cheers fellasss

[uniqueboy]

Nice, looking forward to a nice task manager and launcher mouse pad thing in the future!

[surur]

A mouse like on the Samsung Omnia would be a good idea.

Surur

[space123monkey]

OK, I've download the NavDBG tool and played with it... strictly speaking this isn't multitouch, or not multitouch in the way that the apple looks at it. It's single touch but split into 3 areas. Basically imagine the button area at the bottom of the diamond is split into 3 columns.

You have 3 single touch areas:
1) On the left with the home and dial buttons
2) In the middle tracking outside the circle or also detecting a touch (not a button press) inside the circle. If you finger touches both outside and inside the circle, outside the circle takes precedence
3) On the right with the back and hangup buttons.

The multitouch impression comes from the fact that all 3 of these single touch areas can be used simultaneously.

This doesn't in my opinion open up brilliant options in terms of pinch to shrink spread to enlarge ala apple, but it does mean that a device fairly limited in terms of buttons could get a lot of good enhancements to useability.

My biggest annoyance with the device is when you are trying to gesture in TF3D or in an app (eg scrolling in opera) and it decides you've tapped mid gesture and follows a link etc, using the louch sensitive lower areas for gestures would eliminate this problem and make for a much better user experience (in my opinion).

Also, for games, the potential to use the touch sensitive lower area for a range of game controls would be great.

So all good stuff, but not strictly speaking multitouch.

edit: Additionally it seems to only see a narrow horizontal band in the middle (wheel) section. Interestingly it seems to register about 1cm on each side of the wheel and inside the button, it seems to infer rotation around the wheel based on the finger movements as it crosses these areas.

[surur]

This doesn't in my opinion open up brilliant options in terms of pinch to shrink spread to enlarge ala apple


Seeing how small the pad area it, this would still work, just with fingers on different sensitive areas. If fact, this sounds like a perfect first implementation - zooming in Opera Mobile (although a bit senseless since the scroll wheel works with one hand while pinching will need two).

Surur

[rumpleforeskin]

i think the biggest advantage of this revelation will the benefit of some new added buttons. I can think of a few uses for them too.

left/right touch to

move fwd/back through tabs in opera
skip fwd/back tracks in music player
pounding the hell out of when playing daily thompsons decathalon (if anyone remembers that great 80's game) :D

[aydc]

I remember reading somewhere that someone is preparing a SDK for this. I think it's very important since we have almost no programmable keys. This can be used as extra keys. Any news on this front?

[Sergio PC]

I remember reading somewhere that someone is preparing a SDK for this. I think it's very important since we have almost no programmable keys. This can be used as extra keys. Any news on this front?

I would love to see this!
My full on support.:)

[Riel]

I was thinking of using the touchpanels for a mousepointer control!


I know, when browsing opera, my fingers are too fat to click small links.

Must keep zooming.

I wonder if it was possible to pop up a mouse cursor, and move it with one small touch-panel. The other panel for left and rightclicks.

I have held my diamond with that idea, and I think it is very useful and finger-friendly!

[ZuinigeRijder]

I did make a Proof of Concept of CapacativeFingerLock (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=436671). This one gives another possibility of locking/unlocking the Touch Diamond or Touch Pro.

[flipper44]

Not having a touch yet I'm curious...do these three seperate areas function like a mouse NOW for some programs...right side Right Click/Left side left click, Wheel=cursor?
Or That A software project just waiting to happen and maybe just released with that in mind but never programmed?


OK, I've download the NavDBG tool and played with it... strictly speaking this isn't multitouch, or not multitouch in the way that the apple looks at it. It's single touch but split into 3 areas. Basically imagine the button area at the bottom of the diamond is split into 3 columns.

You have 3 single touch areas:
1) On the left with the home and dial buttons
2) In the middle tracking outside the circle or also detecting a touch (not a button press) inside the circle. If you finger touches both outside and inside the circle, outside the circle takes precedence
3) On the right with the back and hangup buttons.

The multitouch impression comes from the fact that all 3 of these single touch areas can be used simultaneously.

This doesn't in my opinion open up brilliant options in terms of pinch to shrink spread to enlarge ala apple, but it does mean that a device fairly limited in terms of buttons could get a lot of good enhancements to useability.

My biggest annoyance with the device is when you are trying to gesture in TF3D or in an app (eg scrolling in opera) and it decides you've tapped mid gesture and follows a link etc, using the louch sensitive lower areas for gestures would eliminate this problem and make for a much better user experience (in my opinion).

Also, for games, the potential to use the touch sensitive lower area for a range of game controls would be great.

So all good stuff, but not strictly speaking multitouch.

edit: Additionally it seems to only see a narrow horizontal band in the middle (wheel) section. Interestingly it seems to register about 1cm on each side of the wheel and inside the button, it seems to infer rotation around the wheel based on the finger movements as it crosses these areas.

[Oxymoron]

Couldn't we alter the control pad panel to recognize diagonal input? It would be great for playing NES/Sega/Snes games through emulators, and it would eliminate the need for a joystick (I never bought one, but some have).