Stylus vs. finger thoughts

12-09-08, 03:19 PM

The iPhone seems to be shaping the way many, perhaps most, new software features are designed. So many new software versions are "finger-friendly" or designed for "gestures."

I have tried a friend's iPhone as was impressed by it and what it could do. That said, I still prefer my Dell Axim and the Windows Mobile software that I have bought for it. It is a matter of preference: I like using the stylus and the precision it affords for selecting icons on the screen, for writing, and for drawing. It allows more items and words to be shown on the compact screen, and I find that efficient and useful.

I'm finding that the upgrades for the software I own now feature more and more of the finger-oriented design, and I'm not sure I like it. If I wanted an iPhone, I'll get one. But I like the alternative, and right now I'm not inclined not to upgrade software packages as they become available because they seem to be changing my device into an iPhone.

Just curious if other people have some of these same thoughts or concerns, or if, by using the newer "finger" and "gesture" features of software programs, you changed your mind and found an improvement or new convenience. I've tried a little bit of the new style, and I ended up going back to the stylus-oriented approach.

12-10-08, 05:48 AM

Originally Posted by hstn

The iPhone seems to be shaping the way many, perhaps most, new software features are designed. So many new software versions are "finger-friendly" or designed for "gestures."

I have tried a friend's iPhone as was impressed by it and what it could do. That said, I still prefer my Dell Axim and the Windows Mobile software that I have bought for it. It is a matter of preference: I like using the stylus and the precision it affords for selecting icons on the screen, for writing, and for drawing. It allows more items and words to be shown on the compact screen, and I find that efficient and useful.

I'm finding that the upgrades for the software I own now feature more and more of the finger-oriented design, and I'm not sure I like it. If I wanted an iPhone, I'll get one. But I like the alternative, and right now I'm not inclined not to upgrade software packages as they become available because they seem to be changing my device into an iPhone.

Just curious if other people have some of these same thoughts or concerns, or if, by using the newer "finger" and "gesture" features of software programs, you changed your mind and found an improvement or new convenience. I've tried a little bit of the new style, and I ended up going back to the stylus-oriented approach.

HSTN, I really appreciate your software thoughts :approve: so the iphone and the ax Are not anywhere in the same game, and one would point out the Ax has a big processor, and no ram, even compared to some other next big thing devices like the TytnII, which has now been superseded. All of the latset WinMo devices are sporting over 256 Mb of Ram, and developers are responding to that difference.
Having said that, I recently looked at the new SPB keyboard and it is the closest thing to the iPhone keyboard that I have found for WinMo, and it works completely finger friendly. Works with older devices with less memory. One of the things we don't see in development of a lot of the latest finger friendly programs is a consideration for older hardware, let's face it, the axim was built for a stylus, from a dev point of view, it;s like retro developing to make finger friendly stuff work with our old devices.
Although i do find that the better software companies offer all of the bells and whistles, and give you the option to disable those bells and whistles, for older devices.
All of the gestures and stuff will work with a stylus though.
I don't really find the trend disturbing, but I do feel your frustration, we both have a beloved faithful device, and we have spent lot's of time getting it just right, Why stuff around with that?
Well you know why, I think it's called planned Obsolescence

Nothing lasts forever any more !

kcallahan · 12-10-08, 06:25 AM

My preferrence is a stylus with the ability of using a touch screen. :)

Of course, I don't want an all-in-one device either. The iPhone is nice for what it does. But, it's not WM either. That means limited/expensive programs. :(

**Frenchy** · 12-10-08, 08:34 AM

I have had both device for extended period of time now. I really liked the stylus when I was using it and at time miss it. The iphone is not perfect and with every new release of the OS they took the time to listen to the requests of the users and bring new or change old options. What I miss themost on the iPhone so far is.

Copy/Cut - Paste feature
Stylus to type long messages
Zoom for the camera
Many software utilities
Some games
Ease to get Phone rings and to load them

So far this is all I can think of

Tankman · 12-10-08, 08:02 PM

Phone is phone. PDA is my PDA and recognizes my handwriting too!

I am not playin' convergence. I use programs on the Ax, call phone numbers on my cell phone.

Guess I'm too old for new tricks.

PS. Enjoy my Thinkpad™ more than the PDA but it doesn't travel as well!

KimChee · 12-14-08, 07:27 PM

I like using the touch screen, but I also like to have plenty of hardware buttons at my disposal too which the Axim has a lot of. I think more and more I would prefer to use my finger, and appreciate the finger friendly programs as opposed to using the sylus. Having said that though I am much faster and accurate with the stylus than using the gestures on my ax.

It's just my opinion, but I think the general public would rather use finger gestures as opposed to a stylus, and that is the way programs will continue to develop. Talking to people that don't own a pocket pc, I get the impression that they consider it as more of a business tool, rather than multi-media device and that the stylus also contributes to that line of thinking.

I guess it boils down to a convenience Id rather not pull out the stylus and use it to navigate or type if I dont have to, even though if I must use it, its not that big of a deal, but I do hope the trend toward finger friendly apps continues.

**breley** · 12-14-08, 11:33 PM

I would tend to agree with many of the comments here regarding the convenience of finger/gesture navigation and stylus precision. I started out in the mobile world with a Palm m100 then an X51v, so I became much more familiar with the stylus as a means of device interaction. As hstn said, the stylus does offer at present better precision for smaller screen. When I received an iPod Touch as a present a few months back, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about finger/gesture usage, but actually found it to be relatively intuitive and navigating second nature. However, I still feel I can be more precise with a stylus, sort of like comparing writing with a pen to fingerpainting. :)

12-15-08, 05:24 AM

one thought here is why compare the devices, the Apples and oranges here are obvious. Most WinMo devices don't have the hardware to emulate the iPhone, although they are getting there, but until they start using a capacative touch screen, which I don't think they can doe to patent law, the finger friendly approach, pardon the pun, is well out of reach!

**breley** · 12-15-08, 08:32 AM

I don't think the capacitive touchscreen is patented by Apple, if that's what you were suggesting Pedah. Likely the software to use the gesturing capability is. However, Pedah brings up a good point—a capacitive touchscreen cannot use a standard stylus; bare skin is required to complete the circuit. A "converged" touchscreen that works with the ease of the iPhone/iPod Touch (i.e., truly emulates a capacitive screen) and has stylus-interactive capability for more precise interaction might be more tricky to incorporate.

CodeBubba · 12-15-08, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Tankman

Phone is phone. PDA is my PDA and recognizes my handwriting too!

I am not playin' convergence. I use programs on the Ax, call phone numbers on my cell phone.

Guess I'm too old for new tricks.

PS. Enjoy my Thinkpad™ more than the PDA but it doesn't travel as well!

Tank,

I don't think that makes you old - I think it's a fact: converged devices simply don't have the power that a standalone PDA has, at least not in the same form-factor and not yet.

I recently got a Moto-Q 9c. I thought that just maybe it could become my primary device in place of my hx2495b. Nope. Doesn't even come close. As a phone the Moto-Q is excellent. I like the built-in "thumboard" for text-messaging and short e-mails; very quick. Great screen. Phone calls are clear and the device seems pretty reliable. However (without listing them) there are at-least a half-dozen or more things I do on my PDA that the phone could never handle. So, as it was with the RAZR, my primary device is the HP and the "Q" is my phone. Slick, powerful phone - but still a phone.

-CB :D