Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 waves goodbye to on-screen Android buttons: good idea or not?
0. phoneArena posted on 25 Jan 2013, 09:36
Just recently we saw more images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and while there is nothing that striking about the upcoming tablet at first glance…
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40. Shubham412302 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 11:38 1 1
i hate them while playing games...
sometime google now comes out as they are accidently pressed on gnex
42. networkdood posted on 25 Jan 2013, 11:47 0 0
ok, make two variations, one with much bezel and once with very little bezel.
44. AFnerdTP posted on 25 Jan 2013, 11:51 1 1
i was hoping this will replace my 7.7.... sigh...
i'm not crazy about the physical buttons. when it comes to tablets, i'd much prefer to have comfortable grip on each side, without having to worry about pressing the touch buttons or the home button. (which happens with my note2)
and this design.... not very good for me.. and i'm a big Samsung fan
45. AfterShock posted on 25 Jan 2013, 11:52 0 0
Hit an miss with on screen on phones, tablets would be expected for my usage.
About this tablet, pass on looks alone.
47. Klamba92 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 12:20 0 1
I prefer on screen buttons because they rotate with the screen its quicker and its always uniform. However what I don't know why Google don't have a hide gesture to get rid of them when you want. I really like what Huaiwai did with there ui to hide the soft keys when you want.
48. matt212308 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 12:22 0 1
I have a Galaxy Nexus and a Nexus 10. With custom software installed I always have the option hide the on-screen buttons at any time or have them on. I really like having the option depending on the usage situation and much prefer this to the physical buttons on my previous devices.
49. lft4ded posted on 25 Jan 2013, 12:49 1 0
I prefer physical buttons. There are somethings I can do without looking at the phone directly that I would have to divert my eyes for with onscreen buttons.
50. taz89 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 13:05 2 0
100% agree always hated on screen buttons on my screen and taking up valuable real estate on my nexus 7.
51. semipro1337 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 13:09 1 0
whats the purpose of the speaker up at the top as if it were a phone? Somethings not right here....
56. taz89 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 13:19 0 0
It has phone capabilities...nothing new the original tab and the tab 7.7 had phone features in some regions..if you going to have a sim in a tablet you might aswel have the ability to make calls
60. semipro1337 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 13:40 0 0
I agree with that, but just the fact that they made a tablet look like a phone is kinda stupid. I can see if it had only BT and speakerphone for making calls, who in their right mind is going to hold this thing up to theyre ear? I can get my N7 to fit in my palm and hold it that way, but this thing is even bigger.
63. lauremar posted on 25 Jan 2013, 14:29 0 0
I am sure Google will find a way to auto-hide the on-screen buttons and pull it up whenever you need it with a swipe gesture if Android users are concerned about loosing screen real estate all that much... I'd be up for that...maybe it's already in the works and may come out on the next Android version 5.0 Key Lime Pie?
64. phonemonkey posted on 25 Jan 2013, 14:51 0 0
if you think they don't know there is a loss of screen size you are smoking crack.
the companies spending millions and millions of dollars about these devices know 100x more about its design than you do,
read a few columns, write a few,
and all of a sudden you know more than those spending millions of dollars designing these tablets
65. saiki4116 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 15:00 0 0
On screen Buttons gives you clean look and are flexible,uniform.I don't mind some space is wasted for the uniform look.
67. protozeloz posted on 25 Jan 2013, 15:08 0 0
If they really want to screen space the solution could be a toogle option like the one found on paranoid rom and TMT launcher where you get this beautiful stuff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4kVWi5_7fw&feature=youtube_ gdata_player
70. ashb22 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 16:00 0 0
I have a Galaxy S3, and it's always bugged me a little that it has the physical home button and the two capacitive buttons. I just don't like the inconsistency from a design standpoint. I'd be fine with either all capicitive buttons beneath the screen or having all of the buttons onscreen.
74. Phaze0085 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 18:10 0 0
Great idea. I love the physical buttons cause everytime i see onscreen keys I just always thing how more of the screen can go where the buttons are. I think its imoportant separate your screen from where your buttons are.
75. InspectorGadget80 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 18:19 0 0
I prefer physical button than on screen buttons. if something happened to the on screen button the phs
77. CMonster posted on 25 Jan 2013, 18:47 0 0
How much you wanna bet Verizon slaps their logo on that button too? >:-/
78. Tele7 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 20:15 0 0
Maybe in a 7 inch tablet or smartphone its is 'waste' but in a 10 inch tablet it is absolutely good
79. ckoch125 posted on 25 Jan 2013, 21:29 0 0
They want their design language to show across all their devices. Makes sense so that people can recognize without a doubt it's a Samsung.
86. monkeytown posted on 26 Jan 2013, 03:27 0 0
people already do recognize when they see the glossy plastic
81. elsupercaico posted on 25 Jan 2013, 23:28 0 0
Im glaf someone was smart enough to think about this and bring it up for discussion because one of the reasons why I traded my nexus 4 for a galaxy s3 was because of the huge space wasted thanks to the buttons on the screen. I think that if they have to be there by necessity then at least they should dissappear when not needed or being used.
83. ChafedBanana posted on 26 Jan 2013, 00:12 1 0
I love my on screen buttons on my Galaxy Nexus. If I want an expanded desktop, I hold down the power button for a second to easily get rid of them thanks to Cyanogenmod 10.
85. monkeytown posted on 26 Jan 2013, 03:24 0 0
on screen buttons should be get rid of asap
and boy, do android tablets have a f****** huge bezel :S
88. Riven posted on 26 Jan 2013, 06:49 0 0
Geez calm down, the buttons vanish when you're doing most things were you need more screen (like watching movies, youtube etc) I cant believe this author is going bat s**t crazy over 4-8% of his screen SOMETIMES not being there. I used to hate on these On Screen buttons, but then i started liking the fact that they made navigation easier because as i tilted and moved my device the buttons moved with it and i wasnt reaching across the earth to navigate. Now i totally like them on my Nexus 4, i'm glad Google is going in this direction. Pretty soon we're gonna run out of bottom bezel anyway and this author won't have a bone to pick and lose sleep over 4.4% of his screen. My thoughts, have a nice day!
90. phonemirer posted on 27 Jan 2013, 07:29 0 0
on screen might be better if theres no bezel down
91. firestarter2 posted on 27 Jan 2013, 16:00 0 0
I think the intention was to have the screens be larger due to the lack of hardware buttons. Common were are the edge to edge screens?
92. bigstrudel posted on 28 Jan 2013, 01:17 0 0
The idea behind virtual buttons is that they go away when they arent needed. In my experience however; they are almost always present. And they are extremely hard to avoid; especially in games where they are often in landscape orientation and on the right side exactly where buttons are located. Its a great idea. But right now; they quite frankly need alot of work.
Personally, Im a big fan of capacitive buttons. They are smooth to the touch, and thus dont get in the way when holding the phone in landscape AND dont reduce the screen size. Plus they arent as fragile as physical homebuttons; which do wear out over time and are far more often faulty than capacitive ones (in my experience of course).
It still boggles my mind how god awful Samsung's button arrangement is. Having a dedicated settings button these days is straight up retarded. All of your settings are easy to change from your notification tray ESPECIALLY in Touchwiz.
93. Twisted247 posted on 28 Jan 2013, 14:41 0 0
I personally think it's a great idea. I like hardware or physical buttons myself. The three button system on the Galaxy s3 and Note 2 is perfectly ideal for me. I didn't like the 4 buttons on my Evo. For me the search button was just a nuisance, if I wanted to search I have a Google now search bar on my home screen at the top. If I want to search files Ihave the option in the menu keys lineup. So just having a menu, home, and back button is exactly what I like. I really hope they keep the same setup for the s4 and note 3.
The only place where on screen buttons may have a place is on a device in which the screen runs bezel to bezel, no black space or anything taken up by the frame etc. Then and only then would it be possible to be utilized correctly.
