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Does anyone think that there could be great potential in the Galaxy Nexus' soft key area at the bottom of the screen? As soon as they announced that the GN would have on-screen buttons, customization came to mind right away.
We've already seen Paul O'Brien's begin with his UI patches here, but I feel like we are only scratching the surface of what can be done.
For example, with my limited pondering, I was hoping that a dev or maybe CM could soon allow us to put shortcuts on that bottom bar for quick access to the certain apps that you always use. For me, I would love for Google Talk to have a permanent shortcut on that bar that I can access from anywhere as I use it almost religiously. Also, a shortcut that emulates the power button would be highly convenient as well so that I don't have to reach up to the side button as often. I can also foresee some themeing or button rearrangement and so forth.
Do you guys have any other ideas? As I'm not a dev of any sort, maybe I'm out of line in thinking that the bottom bar is flexible enough to customize. However, if it could be done (and Paul O'Brien already has demonstrated that maybe it could), the possibilities could be endless.
As a webOS user, I'd love some swipe gestures implemented for 'back' and a swipe up to open the app drawer
a swipe up for the drawer would really nice
Damn, I didn't even think of swipe gestures at all. Now my mind is really running wild.
bump for more ideas!
swype gestures are already available on go launcher
subxero123 said:
swype gestures are already available on go launcher
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Click to collapse
But we're not talking about the launcher. Didn't read the post huh?
I wish we could swipe down to make the thing disappear, which allows us to take advantage of the full 4.65 inch screen.
Swipe down - disappear
Swipe up - appear again
I think would be awesome if we could swipe the regular buttons to the side, showing new options (like we do with dock bar in almost every popular launcher). There, we could use app shortcuts, power widgets and other stuff, like the search and the option buttons.
I agree, I hope this is just a tip of the iceberg, it seems pointless to have all this potential and not utilize it.
how about instead of the soft keys have it scroll:
"wwwwwaaaaaasssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!" w/ flashing text.
seriously though, being able to make them appear/disappear anytime would be a big plus in my book.
or say if you're playing a game/watching a movie, and someone calls you... rather then having the call notification pop up & take over, have the notification just appear in the soft key area.(i guess same for texts)
I think instead of putting toggles with the notification bar, a scrolling dock with these would be even better.
Like you guys said, swipe on the dock to the left or right to reveal Wifi/BT/GPS/etc. This seems easier than swiping down on the notification bar to bring it down.
On honeycomb we could hide them and theme them. Change animations and icons.
They didn't figure out how to add more or change up the order or add functionality because honeycomb wasn't open source like gingerbread and ICS.
So yea. Expect lots of cool stuff.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer
Since Android came out, I was hoping we would switch to soft-keys. Now we can fully customize the buttons, select preferred positions, preferred icon style, and which icons you actually have...
I'd be pretty content to just Swap the Menu and task manager buttons... I dont need a permanent task manager button that takes as much time to operate as it does to just navigate to the apps icon itself.. the menu button on the other hand I use in just about every app I launch.
sodequis said:
I'd be pretty content to just Swap the Menu and task manager buttons... I dont need a permanent task manager button that takes as much time to operate as it does to just navigate to the apps icon itself.. the menu button on the other hand I use in just about every app I launch.
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I thought this too until I actually got down to using it on the GN.
I never used the task switcher on my other Android devices as it seemed too difficult and took too long for it to be worth it. However, having been using the GN for a couple of days now, I find its implementation (just a single tap) to be much more friendly and useful. I find myself using it all the time now to switch between what I am doing and can't imagine not having it.
player911 said:
On honeycomb we could hide them and theme them. Change animations and icons.
They didn't figure out how to add more or change up the order or add functionality because honeycomb wasn't open source like gingerbread and ICS.
So yea. Expect lots of cool stuff.
-Galaxy Nexus
-Asus Transformer
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I'd just like to know what devs to talk to in order to make it happen
I was hoping for some app specific keys. For instance in the browser have a Forward, Back, Stop/Reload, Home, etc.
id love to see the buttons replaced with like gif animations. so cool
Enhanced said:
I thought this too until I actually got down to using it on the GN.
I never used the task switcher on my other Android devices as it seemed too difficult and took too long for it to be worth it. However, having been using the GN for a couple of days now, I find its implementation (just a single tap) to be much more friendly and useful. I find myself using it all the time now to switch between what I am doing and can't imagine not having it.
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Click to collapse
But, why not just allow the "Home" button to be the task-switching button via long-press like before? Is that extra pause for the long-press what you're referring to when you say it took too long?
Anyway, I, too, would like the Menu button back, but more importantly I want the Search button back. I can't wait for the ability to get rid of the G Search widget, put a dedicated Search button back in the soft touch area, and have the Home button as the task-switcher.
Brandon
Is there a way to make the navigation bar stay on the right side of the screen when in landscape mode like the Nexus phones (see attachments)? The screen is already quite narrow to begin with; it seems like such a waste of space for the software buttons to be on the bottom. I already searched around but the best I've found so far is GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys. It helps but I'd rather move the navigation bar to the side instead of hiding it. Stock ROM, rooted.
Yeah I want this as well.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Aokp had this feature although it got messed up in later nightlies.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Gonna have to wait for custom Roms but I don't think any of the developers have this thing yet? I'm probably wrong though
Sent from my Nexus 7 2013
Its not only a waste of valuable screen space in landscape, it puts the home key in the least convenient place possible: in the middle as far as possible from both thumbs. What a horrible design decision.
Only reason I'm getting custom rom is this.
Apex launcher will do this. Not sure why you would want to tho.
tweaked said:
Apex launcher will do this. Not sure why you would want to tho.
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Click to collapse
where in APEX?
If you have root GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys allows to hide stock navigation bar and adds Quick Bar (autohide navigation bar) instead. Latest beta added option to move Quick Bar to side in landscape.
I had it on PA3.93, by default. But then I played around with UIs & updating PA... then I couldn't see it anymore.
I think it's pretty neat. I'm on a different ROM (Slim) now.
StupidIdea said:
If you have root GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys allows to hide stock navigation bar and adds Quick Bar (autohide navigation bar) instead. Latest beta added option to move Quick Bar to side in landscape.
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Ohhhhh good to know about the option to move to the side. Thanks.
What I didn't love about autohide was that there was stuff under the bar when it wasn't hidden. That means you don't just hide it when you want more real estate, but also when its blocking things. Just leaving it on the side would have been better.
rumatt said:
Its not only a waste of valuable screen space in landscape, it puts the home key in the least convenient place possible: in the middle as far as possible from both thumbs. What a horrible design decision.
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The whole in screen nav bar in general was a horrible design decision. Google should fire whoever came up with that idea. My biggest gripe with Android is that stupid nav bar. All Android devices should have 3 capacitive buttons.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using xda premium
_MetalHead_ said:
The whole in screen nav bar in general was a horrible design decision. Google should fire whoever came up with that idea. My biggest gripe with Android is that stupid nav bar. All Android devices should have 3 capacitive buttons.
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I agree with you 100 percent. But surprisingly a lot of folks seem to love them. It baffles me to waste some of the most valuable screen real estate (near your thumbs) but to each his own.
My solution is to return the nexus 7 and buyb Samsung devices. I have an s3 phone, Note 8, and Tab 3 8. One of the two tablets will go but I cant ddecide which. Both are quite nice.
Dimethyl said:
Is there a way to make the navigation bar stay on the right side of the screen when in landscape mode like the Nexus phones (see attachments)? The screen is already quite narrow to begin with; it seems like such a waste of space for the software buttons to be on the bottom. I already searched around but the best I've found so far is GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys. It helps but I'd rather move the navigation bar to the side instead of hiding it. Stock ROM, rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not what you are looking for but checkout my thread on how to reduce the size of the navigation bar. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2412699
+1 would also like to see it on the side like on my galaxy nexus. if anyone could make a flashable zip would be great. don´t want to use a thirdapplication for something "simple" like that. but gonna give the app a try.
GMD Auto Hide Softkeys + GMD Gesture Control (to replace the Back, Home and Recent buttons with gestures - use 1-step gestures with 3 fingers to make it fastest and most convenient).
In GMD Auto Hide, set it so that the navigation bar comes up by swiping, not by tapping. And set "Trigger sensitivity" to 1 so that taps in the lowest area are not interpreted as trigger attempts (important when using keyboard).
Best Solution, hands down. Try it.
I actually wanted the opposite; nav-bar on bottom.
I finally got it on the bottom by messing around in the PA hybrid properties. Changed my interface to Phablet mode with a DPI of 320, nav-bar height set to 50% for more screen real-estate (plus, I like the smaller button icons). I know you probably want a solution other than "Flash x custom ROM and mess with these settings" but if nothing else, maybe the DPI and nav-bar settings will point you in the right direction. Plus, you might actually decide to flash PA and edit those settings.
Wished nav bar would relocate to the top when playing games since I always hit them by accident ruining the experience. Prefer hardware buttons because of this.
GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys can also completely disable navbar.
You also can use Xposed Framework with module "Gravity Box" and set to "Expanded Desktop".
Hey guys Ive never used this Nexus interface and the on-screen buttons for home, back and other apps seems to be wasting too much screen space for me.... Is there a way to customize these buttons??? that would be awesome.
I use pie controls from cm 10.2 on mine
Get a cusom ROM. Then modify it's framework-res.apk to match your requirements.
Custom ROMs have tons of flexibility over these. Change the size, icons, transparency, color, shape, location, hide, auto-hide, etc.
I'm using CM10.2 Kanged. It has the options you want.
For example you can hide the bar and setup swipe gustures. Like swipe left for Back, swipe up for recents, swipe down for home.
Or use PIE Controls.
Or some other app.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
How to enjoy Nexus 7 in Fullscreen
Karbooo said:
Hey guys Ive never used this Nexus interface and the on-screen buttons for home, back and other apps seems to be wasting too much screen space for me.... Is there a way to customize these buttons??? that would be awesome.
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Click to collapse
This can be achieved in multiple ways, my recommendations as follows:
Using Stock ROM
First, you need to have root access. Search the forums on how to root your nexus 7. (Its quite easy)
Then, install the Gesture Control app from play store - it allows you to use configurable gestures to perform back/home/menu etc actions.
Finally, using ES File Explorer or some other root explorer, you can modify the build.prop file in the system partition to hide the bottom navigation bar:
Code:
qemu.hw.mainkeys=1
Then you'd be able to enjoy your nexus 7 in fullscreen.
Using Cynaogenmod
Alternatively, you can use Cyanogenmod 10.2 ROM, which allows you to switch to fullscreen mode by holding the power button and selecting "Expanded Desktop". Cyanogenmod also includes a Pie Control app, which allows you to swipe your finger from the edge to reveal a navigation control. All this can be configured under Settings > System.
This is how I am using my nexus at the moment. Highly recommend.
pie stable?
I liked using pie on my n4, but I found it to be temperamental. Has the stability been improved now? I'm not a massive fan of the on screen nav buttons.
duvall87 said:
I liked using pie on my n4, but I found it to be temperamental. Has the stability been improved now? I'm not a massive fan of the on screen nav buttons.
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Click to collapse
Not in my experience. I'm still waiting for someone to port tablet ui to cm 10.2
The real estate you are getting with the buttons still there is 1080p. Do you need more than that? Full sreening movies will distort the image to fit your space. Like everyone said, a custom rom will do you well. My only issue is that I like having the menu button down there.
Sent from my HTCONE
Thanks for the replies everyone I went with the clean rom and a beta kernel that allows for tap-to-wake which is great and I've been using GMD gestures to navigate throughout my tablet it's very very good our also works to hide the status bar with a single swipe.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
If you have root, my app can hide/show navigation bar without reboot - GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys
hey dude thanks for this tip it did exactly what i wanted!!!...I'm running CleanROM which i didnt want to change so i modified the build.prop file and it worked like a charm.
As for replacement for the soft keys I'm using the customizable pie keys from LMT launcher by a dude from tha XDA community: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1330150 SICK app.
and Stupididea nice to meet you dude I bought your gestures app and i use it for my Galaxy S4 and the Nexus 7 it's amazing! especially with the side launchers...Is there any way to back up the custom gestures? i gotta do em everytime i flash :\.
I'm running PAC-Man ROM and am thankful for the settings that allow me to use gestures (when the S Pen's button is held) but it's a huge pain to have to hold the button for these gestures. The button on the pen is too low on the pen for my liking when I'm trying to use it as a pointing device/extension of my hand.
A couple of ideas I have had:
-the input settings that I described earlier
-the Sidebar application. I would love it if I could access shortcuts through Sidebar that emulate the back and menu keys but unfortunately the only button that can be emulated is the home key!
-CM S Pen Add-on used in conjunction with Note Buddy. I like the idea here, but I'd like to know if there's a way to automatically activate the AOSP on-screen buttons when I detach the S-Pen, but Note Buddy doesn't seem to support any extensions.
Are there any other solutions you guys have come up with that allow me to use my Note in a practical way with ONLY the S-Pen? That means I don't want to have to take any fingers off of the pen or have to lift my other hand to press the menu and back buttons.
I use GMD SPen control & cant say enugh good things about it! It can do everything you are looking for (I think) I have it open lecture notes when I detach the pen, & simulate the home button when I attach it! But you can set up any user gestures you want!
Just bought the pro version...
Very nice application...
And it's running well on carbon 1.8..
Thank you....g
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium HD app
I'm not really willing to shell out $6 just yet... I'll have to do some more research!
I also found another method: use the ribbons feature built into PAC-Man ROM (not sure if it's an AOKP feature) in order to swipe out a tray from the right side of the screen that has the nav buttons in it. Still wish I could get the real navbar to display by default though!
Edit: Just remembered there's also PA Pie.
To add a navbar to ANY rom that doesnt have one..
open your buildprop (in /system)
scroll down to the bottom, and after the last line, add this line
qemu.hw.mainkeys=0
save the changes, reboot the phone, and BOOM, you have a navbar..works on AOSP and TW roms..
wase4711 said:
To add a navbar to ANY rom that doesnt have one..
open your buildprop (in /system)
scroll down to the bottom, and after the last line, add this line
qemu.hw.mainkeys=0
save the changes, reboot the phone, and BOOM, you have a navbar..works on AOSP and TW roms..
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Getting a navbar to display is not the issue. What's difficult is trying to get the navbar to display only when the pen is detached! :/
rrroach said:
Getting a navbar to display is not the issue. What's difficult is trying to get the navbar to display only when the pen is detached! :/
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Click to collapse
I have a tasker task to launch with the help of secure settings to hide the navigation bar when spen is attached and to show it when I de-attach the spen. Just take advantage of the expandable desktop function (and select it to only hide the nav bar when pen is inserted).
Works like a charm.
pemell said:
I have a tasker task to launch with the help of secure settings to hide the navigation bar when spen is attached and to show it when I de-attach the spen. Just take advantage of the expandable desktop function (and select it to only hide the nav bar when pen is inserted).
Works like a charm.
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Click to collapse
Are you referring to the "Expand desktop" option under Custom ROM Actions? That option has a red circle next to it for me, meaning that it is not supported by my ROM. :'(
Which rom are you on? Is it featured in your rom?
If so, you need to turn on expanded desktop and reboot. You might also need to make secure settings a device administrator.
For me, on SlimBean, it's a red circle at first too, but it turns green when following my steps above.
Try it out and report your progress.
Skickat från min GT-N7105 med Tapatalk
pemell said:
Which rom are you on? Is it featured in your rom?
If so, you need to turn on expanded desktop and reboot. You might also need to make secure settings a device administrator.
For me, on SlimBean, it's a red circle at first too, but it turns green when following my steps above.
Try it out and report your progress.
Skickat från min GT-N7105 med Tapatalk
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The reboot worked! Can't believe I hadn't thought of that. xP
So something that's always bugged me about how Android currently handles the navbar, on a phone, if you go into landscape mode, the navbar stays in the same position as in portrait mode. This makes sense, as you'll be holding it from the sides.
Is there a way to make a tablet do this, via kernal mod or something better? Having the navbar on the bottom, especially on a Nexus 7, doesn't make sense for a 7" tablet.
Help would be appreciated
Search for GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys in play store.
huyem83 said:
Search for GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys in play store.
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This app won't work. Plus I find it a bit of a messy solution if it were to. I don't want to hide the navbar, I simply want to move it to the right, or left, side of the screen.
Ultimate Dynamic Navbar and GMD do have the option to move the navbar to the right when in landscape mode but it also disappear .