What's the touchpad/trackpad like?

[deadlinguo]

Those of you who've had a chance to play with the Incredible, how do you like the trackpad it's got?

One thing I loved about the Nexus One was the fact that it had a trackball. What this means is that when you're browsing and using the trackball to select a tiny link, you can just keep rolling the ball and the selection will keep moving as you roll it. I don't have to take my finger off the ball.

On my Winmo phone with a trackpad, every time I slide my finger over the selected link moves over once, which is annoying because that means I need to slide over the trackpad several times in order to get to a link in the middle of the page.

If this doesn't make sense, what I mean is:
Let's say there are five hyperlinks on a webpage, left to right.
To get from the first to the second, on the N1 you just put your finger on the trackball and roll it to the right a little bit. To get from the first to fifth, you roll it to the right farther. You never have to pick up your finger and place it back on the left side of the trackball.
With the crappy trackpad I hate, to get from first to second, I slide my finger over the trackpad once. To get from first to fifth, I have to slide my finger over the trackpad four times, from left to right, and I need to pick my finger up and place it back at the beginning each time. Annoying.

On the Incredible, is it more like the Nexus One's trackball or is it more the style I don't like? Believe it or not my decision to switch from my Droid to the Incredible is almost completely dependent on this.

 

[w0rdie]

I much prefer the trackball to the optical sensor.

 

[deadlinguo]

I much prefer the trackball to the optical sensor.

Ah that's too bad. I think I'll feel the same way.

 

[mikeydingo]

I would think that there would be a sensitivity level setting

 

[Tumaz04]

Just like everything else new you encounter. It will probably take you some time adapting to it.

 

[appleaj]

I would do fine without either. The only use I see for it is editing text, it's not always easy to press exactly where you want.

 

[Mahalo]

I am very happy with it. When I need to jump up a line or two or backspace to fix a typo it is exactly what I need to replace having fingers the size of a stylus! If I need to jump more, I just tap.

 

[Dorito]

The trackpad on the Incredible is superior to the ball.

Dont post if you have never used it yet.

The trackpad moves the same way but is more accurate and does not wear out like the ball, plus it lays flush and does not stick out like a sour thumb like the ball.

Most people who think either a trackball or trackpad is useless are not real smartphone users. They are people who buy these new phones to help themselves feel "cool" and in reality never use any of the features.

The trackpad or trackball is INVALUABLE when surfing the web to select tiny links instead of using your finger. Even some phone review websites cant understand this because they too are not real smartphone users. This phone is not for wannabes.

 

[deadlinguo]

The trackpad on the Incredible is superior to the ball.

Dont post if you have never used it yet.

The trackpad moves the same way but is more accurate and does not wear out like the ball, plus it lays flush and does not stick out like a sour thumb like the ball.

Most people who think either a trackball or trackpad is useless are not real smartphone users. They are people who buy these new phones to help themselves feel "cool" and in reality never use any of the features.

The trackpad or trackball is INVALUABLE when surfing the web to select tiny links instead of using your finger. Even some phone review websites cant understand this because they too are not real smartphone users. This phone is not for wannabes.

Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? Don't take it so personally. I'm not bashing you or your toy. I'm just trying to get a simple understanding of how the Incredible trackpad functions versus the trackball of a Nexus One. Whether I can scroll from one end of a webpage to the other as quickly on the Incredible as I can on the Nexus One.

And I'll post about it even if I haven't used it, because the point of my post is to find out how it is because it's an important feature to me. It's the only thing I have left to consider before pre ordering it

 

[w0rdie]

The trackpad on the Incredible is superior to the ball.

Dont post if you have never used it yet.

The trackpad moves the same way but is more accurate and does not wear out like the ball, plus it lays flush and does not stick out like a sour thumb like the ball.

Most people who think either a trackball or trackpad is useless are not real smartphone users. They are people who buy these new phones to help themselves feel "cool" and in reality never use any of the features.

The trackpad or trackball is INVALUABLE when surfing the web to select tiny links instead of using your finger. Even some phone review websites cant understand this because they too are not real smartphone users. This phone is not for wannabes.

I was one of the first people here to use the Incredible.

But that aside, your statement that "the optical pad is superior to the N1 trackball" is inherently erroneous.

It's personal preference. I much prefer using the N1's trackball to any optical sensor including but not limited to the one positioned at the bottom of the Incredible.

The OP states that he'll likely feel the same way and being honest I think most anyone who isn't drowning in Fanboy koolaid will too.

 

[radiorich]

I have been using my Incredible since Wednesday AM.
The trackball works very well, allowing you to scroll one-item at a time.
Since this is my first Smart-Device, I can't comment on comparisons, but I can say that the combination of the gesture-scrolls on the screen, and the incremental-scrolls on the trackball is EXCELLENT
-RadioRich

 

[rushmore]

Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? Don't take it so personally. I'm not bashing you or your toy. I'm just trying to get a simple understanding of how the Incredible trackpad functions versus the trackball of a Nexus One. Whether I can scroll from one end of a webpage to the other as quickly on the Incredible as I can on the Nexus One.

And I'll post about it even if I haven't used it, because the point of my post is to find out how it is because it's an important feature to me. It's the only thing I have left to consider before pre ordering it

Yep, there was conjecture in that post, but point is, track balls suck I have not found a device yet where they were better than a d-pad design. Conjecture aside, it is VERY rare to find a track ball get decent, yet alone high praise in a review.

BTW, not talking optical d-pd, either. They all inherently suck too

 

[Dorito]

Yep, there was conjecture in that post, but point is, track balls suck I have not found a device yet where they were better than a d-pad design. Conjecture aside, it is VERY rare to find a track ball get decent, yet alone high praise in a review.

BTW, not talking optical d-pd, either. They all inherently suck too

LOLz this is too funny. This guy does not even know what we are taking about. He thinks we are talking about a crappy D-pad.

D-pads are the worst and thankfully becoming obsolete. Who in thier right mind would rather use a D-pad and press the buttons on the pad 100 times in a row when a simple scroll of a trackball or opticalpad can do the same 10x faster.

D-pads are for people who are not real smartphone users IMO. Try scrolling through a menu with a D-pad. LOLz....

 

[Flaring Afro]

I prefer the D-Pad because I play games with it and it works better. Also, even on my winMo phone I always can easily zoom in in opera and select links on a 2.5" screen.

Real smartphone users calibrate the screen every once in a while so they don't have to resort to a trackball.

 

[Dorito]

I prefer the D-Pad because I play games with it and it works better. Also, even on my winMo phone I always can easily zoom in in opera and select links on a 2.5" screen.

Not really, most android games are not developed with D-pads in mind simply because most android phones dont have D-pads. This is not a windows mobile phone.

The point of using the trackball/opticalpad for selecting links is so you dont have to zoom in. Its so much easier and 10 time faster to just scroll and select the tiny link. I use my android phone to go on line all the time and coudnt dream of not having a trackball/opticalpad.

 

[jwm2]

LOL at real smartphone users. I mean honestly its a phone, get over it. Sure it can do some pretty cool things but in the end the main purpose for it, is to make phone calls. As long as it makes and recieves phone calls everything else is secondary. One of the reasons for my upgrading was the dialer lag on the eris, while it was not hard to get used to, when having several apps running it seemed to get exponentially worse. I'm hoping this phone with its firepower can relieve that problem.

 

[w0rdie]

LOL at real smartphone users. I mean honestly its a phone, get over it. Sure it can do some pretty cool things but in the end the main purpose for it, is to make phone calls. As long as it makes and recieves phone calls everything else is secondary. One of the reasons for my upgrading was the dialer lag on the eris, while it was not hard to get used to, when having several apps running it seemed to get exponentially worse. I'm hoping this phone with its firepower can relieve that problem.

Perhaps for you everything else is secondary.. but that hardly speaks for everyone... common sense much?

 

[jwm2]

LOL, crazy kids.

 

[Dorito]

LOL at real smartphone users. I mean honestly its a phone, get over it. Sure it can do some pretty cool things but in the end the main purpose for it, is to make phone calls. As long as it makes and recieves phone calls everything else is secondary.

Not true. Today the phone is SECONDARY to everything else. If your statement was true there would be little interest in the Incredible and you wouldnt be seeing so many people dumb perfectly good last-gen smartphones and spending so much money ($530 + tax unsubsidized) to upgrade to the Incredible.

TXTing, Sexting, Mobile Social Networking, online connection in your pocket, Navigation, ect is far more important to making calls.

The sheer volume of interest of next-gen smart phones is a testament to what I say.

 

[w0rdie]

I'll go two and three days without making a (non business) call but I use GIGS of data and thousands of texts.

 

[Nsane1]

I'll go two and three days without making a (non business) call but I use GIGS of data and thousands of texts.

Yes, this!! And I don't even own a smartphone. I'm still rocking an env touch. I'll be an uber leet phone whore when I get my Incredible.

 

[Nunley]

I used to have a optical sensor on an Omnia, if I remember. I have preferred the trackballs on my blackberries and Eris since then. Sometime for the small reason of having a lighted ball for the notifications. It's not a deal breaker either way and I'm fairly certain the track pad has improved since my last encounter with it. I will still miss that soft glow of the notification light.

And sorry to have to agree with Dorito boy but using the actual Phone part of the device is usually secondary to communicating via text, picture, video, email, twitter or facebook. I think this will all change when we are video talking this summer anyhow.

 

[guyheavensent]

I think the optical 'eye' is small and the button seems a bit small. It works well and wont bind like a trackball with gunk and dirt.

Acting as the camera shutter button is of ...what would you say...small and feels out of place for a camera button.

Htc could of made it a little bigger, plenty of room to do so...maybe iPhone size would of been nice.

 

[Flaring Afro]

Not really, most android games are not developed with D-pads in mind simply because most android phones dont have D-pads. This is not a windows mobile phone.

The point of using the trackball/opticalpad for selecting links is so you dont have to zoom in. Its so much easier and 10 time faster to just scroll and select the tiny link. I use my android phone to go on line all the time and coudnt dream of not having a trackball/opticalpad.

Well, I play gameboid mostly lol.

Also, it won't be much faster if at all with the incredible because it zooms in with no lag.

Optical looks the best though.

 

[rushmore]

D-pads offer more precise control than the other options mentioned. For game emulators they are best as well. Of course they are not many device now, since too many iPhone wannabes now Not to mention optical pads and TB's are cheaper to put on the device

Optical pads and track balls are oversensitive for controls IMO. Touch screen serves the function better.

Lot of none gaming individuals around here