Posted 21 August 2008 - 01:40 PM
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.
Like a monkey ready to be shot off into space. Spacemonkey. Ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
owned: SPV, E200, C500, C600, Wizard, Hermes
smartphone software by me :
http://www.surrealservices.co.uk