(This might travel into Off Topic territory. read: Power Button Alternatives?)
Saves having to constantly press the power button. The article says that the new screen off button saves reaching for the power button for people with small hands. The power button is at the midpoint of the chassis lol.
I don't understand it even one little bit. The power button was perfect on the Harman Kardon M8 in my opinion. Good placement with great tactile feel. I get that some people don't like it there but why oh why HTC must you continue the power button "musical chairs"! Almost every major release over the past 3 or 4 years they have moved the power button or changed something about it. A little consistency would go a long ways. Over reacting every year is not ok.
If you opt to have a 'screen on gesture' and a 'screen off' software button, and you didn't substantially increase the screen size or the height of the device, then why move the hardware key at all!? 2 wrongs don't make a right.
I'm one that will not participate in using their 'screen on gesture'.
Besides the 'screen on' gesture, does anyone have any good suggestions for screen on alternatives (that won't drain the battery, and even one better don't require a Google Play application download)?
I'd like to avoid using that wretched side button as much as possible. I'm content with using the new built in 'screen off' software button option. Too bad you can't utilize that
small area of the navbar behind the blacked out screen as an always awake boundary to turn on the phone as well...
Am I going to have to carry a small soft sided magnet and use the magnet sensor to wake my phone?
Yeah, adding a screen off button doesn't seem important on the M9 - maybe when Sense 7 hits the M8 it will be more useful.
They should have added the software functionality OR moved the location of the power hard key. NOT do both.
I actually think the power off softkey will be very useful and popular for many folks that will be using the M9. If they added the option specifically for M7 or M8 users that won't opt for the M9 upgrade then they added the option for the completely wrong reasons.