Lack of d-pad

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I didn't want to hijack the 'lack of stylus/capacitative screen' thread, but I currently have an original Tilt collecting dust while I've been using a borrowed iPhone 3G until something much better comes along (re: TP2, HD2, Droid??) etc

As mentioned in the other thread, one of the key differences between the iPhone and WinMo devices, is that iPhone developers knew they were developing for devices without styluses or d-pads or keyboards etc, so they suited the app for that experience.

With WinMo, there are so many great legacy applications (productivity and most notably games) that rely on a stylus and/or a dpad to successfully navigate and use the applications. I know from personal experience I was apt to use the stylus less and less on my Tilt because I was able to navigate menus quickly with the dpad etc when they were small.

I know the lack of d-pad is the new trend with a lot [most] WinMo devices and I was hoping someone could comment on that from a usability standpoint. I'm even thinking of simple games like Kevtris etc...I know for some games when you have an option to popup the onscreen keyboard that may alleviate some issues, but I know there are other games that go full screen and don't even remotely give that option...thoughts? Am I overlooking something here?

Thanks!

Don't know anything about Kevtris, but a lot of (if not most) games are unusable on Touch HD.

Apart from games, there are some situations when I miss a d-pad, usually in situations of scrolling through lists. Drop-down lists on web pages in Opera is an especially annoying example. In most other cases though there are arrow keys on the HTC keyboard, which do the job, but you only see half of the screen (the other one is occupied by the keyboard).

So, to summarize, lack of a d-pad is a problem sometimes, but on the other hand not a huge one really, and I wouldn't change my HD for anything but HD2, which also lacks one.

Originally Posted by vangrieg

So, to summarize, lack of a d-pad is a problem sometimes, but on the other hand not a huge one really, and I wouldn't change my HD for anything but HD2, which also lacks one.

quoted for truth ...

When I first began using smartphones, my first one, the HTC Hermes, had a D-Pad. I have to admit, I was addicted to it instantly.

It made everything so simple. Controlling music, scrolling, and notably J2ME apps/games all worked better with it. When I had upgraded to a Fuze, I lost the D-Pad, and did miss it really badly at first. However, over time, I eventually stopped caring so much for it.

The way I used my device had to be adjusted, but it was nothing so major. However, if there is one thing that is annoying about lack of D-Pad, it is that many J2ME apps/games simply didn't work well without it. I got over that because many J2ME apps/games didn't work well with a VGA/WVGA screen either. Still, it was a rather significant blow.

Would I like a D-Pad on all my devices? Yes, but I no longer view it as necessary.

Thanks for the replies guys- it sounds like the consensus is that there is no good 'workaround', and that it's a legitimate issue, but in general the benefits/features of the new device outweigh those cons.

For lack of D-pad on games, someone here on xda has developed a software to use the accelerometer to send the d-pad buttons (not just for games actually).

I think's it's called gpad or something.
The software is still being developed but it allowed me to play worms on a device without d-pad.
There might be other software, anyone else found anything?

If we support developments like that, we can actually eliminate the 'worry' of not having a d-pad, and still enjoy our games, with more fun actually!

Yep, Virtual D-Pad v0.9 is the future way to go...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=466002

Originally Posted by galaxys

Yep, Virtual D-Pad v0.9 is the future way to go...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=466002

Awesome! This is why I love all the guys here!

hello, every body! (first post!)
great to see all the work done on this forum.
would be interested in HTC HD2, but lack of pad is really annoying. Lots of app need one, just for example navigate in calendar (agenda fusion for me.)
Could it be a solution to write a virtual keybord with ONLY the 4 arrows and an OK button? (and no others letters, to gain display space)
i am definitively not a developper, can't do anything about coding, sadly.
excuse me for my bad english, btw.
1otherfred

shouldnt be that hard, you have everything already, just rip out the arrows and ok button and replace them, or make new ones... unfortunatly im no coder, but maybe I can play around in photoshop/paint :P