Optical trackpad difficulties

[Fishyweb]

Does anyone have problems using the optical trackpad to edit text? If I'm (for example) writing a SMS and then want to navigate back though the text to correct a typo, I find it very difficult to get the cursor to the required position. Sometimes it seems too sensitive and jumps more lines / positions than I want; and sometimes it seems not sensitive enough! Is it just me, or do others have problems using the trackpad?

 

[hocturnalsoul]

Does anyone have problems using the optical trackpad to edit text? If I'm (for example) writing a SMS and then want to navigate back though the text to correct a typo, I find it very difficult to get the cursor to the required position. Sometimes it seems too sensitive and jumps more lines / positions than I want; and sometimes it seems not sensitive enough! Is it just me, or do others have problems using the trackpad?

Mine's pefectly fine. I tent to make a lot of typo's being a careless and fast typer and the optical lense is incredibly smooth and fluent and accurate for me.

 

[subzuk]

I'm with Fishyweb here. The track-pad does seem quite hard sometimes to get to the right place and jumps around a bit. Perhaps there's a special technique?

 

[weirdNumber]

Yeah I find it difficult to use, its not a slick as the blackberry optical pads. The predictive text is so awesome though that it kind of makes up for it

 

[Tye]

Yep I find the the trackpad quite difficult to use in all scenarios. Although I prefer the look of the trackpad, I much prefer the practicality of the roller ball.

 

[bonerp]

can it be calibrated?

 

[hocturnalsoul]

I'm with Fishyweb here. The track-pad does seem quite hard sometimes to get to the right place and jumps around a bit. Perhaps there's a special technique?

I would say best way to use it is to place your finger on it and wait for a split second, let it register that your finger/thumb is there, then gently slide across. Works perfectly fine for me.

 

[subzuk]

Hey hocturnalsoul, That seems to help. Cheers for the info.

 

[nx1977]

I posted up a similar issue.

After the latest update, it prefers to move right rather than left/backwards in text boxes and messages.

 

[D3TOX]

I'm using the Legend but finding similar issue, seems temperamental when moving around bodies of text (even more so when in landscape orientation?) but OK when navigating menus. Strange. If this is the case though I assume it will be rectified by HTC at some point.

My technique advice is to use the fat middle bit of your thumb rather than the tip of it!

Seems to help me a bit anyway. I was certain before I got the Legend that I was gonna love the trackpad compared to the Hero's trackball (which was still good but optical just seemed so much better) but unless I can master it soon I'm not sure that's gonna be the case!

 

[hocturnalsoul]

I'm using the Legend but finding similar issue, seems temperamental when moving around bodies of text (even more so when in landscape orientation?) but OK when navigating menus. Strange. If this is the case though I assume it will be rectified by HTC at some point.

My technique advice is to use the fat middle bit of your thumb rather than the tip of it!

Seems to help me a bit anyway. I was certain before I got the Legend that I was gonna love the trackpad compared to the Hero's trackball (which was still good but optical just seemed so much better) but unless I can master it soon I'm not sure that's gonna be the case!

I love the tracking ball! It just suprises me its taken this long to have the optical lense used instead of a tiny plastic ball. It does need getting used to though. Being one of HTC's first devices with this such technology, expect teething troubles people!

 

[rasobey]

Am I alone in wanting to disable the optical trackpad completely? I find it just gets in the way more than anything else, and I've only had to use it three times to edit an SMS.

 

[lekky]

I like it, thinks it looks cooler than a trackball too!

 

[psionguy]

I can only move it left & right, can't seem to find out how to move it up or down, very frustrating!

 

[dave_d]

I find it fiddly, so tend to click on the screen where I want the cursor to move to and that gets it pretty close if not spot on. I then fumble with the trackpad a bit to get it in exactly the right place if needs be.

 

[mrdo]

I find it fiddly, so tend to click on the screen where I want the cursor to move to and that gets it pretty close if not spot on. I then fumble with the trackpad a bit to get it in exactly the right place if needs be.

fumble describes my experiences with it too ...

 

[Deleted User]

I have the same issue with the cursor jumping about, but have found I get better results when I use my thumb when the phone is held in my hand, instead of a finger. It's still not perfect though.

I use my phone in my left hand so have to reach across the optical trackpad with my thumb to press the back button and this sometimes triggers it, even though my finger isn't pressed against the surface of the trackpad.

Now I've had my Desire for a while, I almost wish I had gone for the Nexus One instead.

 

[Antique]

I agree. For some reason it seems to be much much easier to navigate between home screens and icons than to move the cursor one step to the left/right in the text editor.

 

[bigt]

I can only move it left & right, can't seem to find out how to move it up or down, very frustrating!

Slide your finger/thumb up or down when it is over the pad

 

[SUroot]

I like it, thinks it looks cooler than a trackball too!

It does, but the trackball on the Hero makes much more sense from a useability perspective.

 

[Ghibli]

I too find it rather inaccurate for precise cursor pinpointing, but it's definitely better than not having one at all, especially on a capacitive device.
What would be good is an option to adjust its speed, like on the Nokia E72.

 

[X-QlusioN]

The "trick" with the trackpad is:
the longer it takes for the pad to be completely clear (ergo how long you take from completely covering it to being completely off it) translates to how much the pointer moves...
The slower you move (ergo more time until trackpad is clear), the more the pointer will moves
The faster you move (ergo lesser time until trackpad is clear), the lesser the pointer moves

 

[asp2010]

The "trick" with the trackpad is:
the longer it takes for the pad to be completely clear (ergo how long you take from completely covering it to being completely off it) translates to how much the pointer moves...
The slower you move (ergo more time until trackpad is clear), the more the pointer will moves
The faster you move (ergo lesser time until trackpad is clear), the lesser the pointer moves

i found out the same thing with my track pad. whenever i used to go back a single character, it jumped over 2 or 3 and when i wanted to go some more backwards, it only moved 1 space. but i seem to get it right this way.

 

[Mushhushshu]

I find the trackpad ok but Ive set the IME Mod keyboard to move cursor forward/back with the volume buttons when editing text, I tend to use this to get to exactly where I want to be in a word.

 

[Harry2]

Hi, my solution is the SmartKeyboard Pro.
It has 4 arrow keys in keyboard as option.

Harry