The Android API supports multi-touch and multi-touch is obviously capable on the phone through the Dolphin Browser. The problem is that none of the onboard, OEM apps are supported with multi-touch. Motorola and Google for that matter has avoided implementing multi-touch on their phones due to a 380+ page patent owned by Apple for multi-touch (particularly, pinch zoom). It's likely that multi-touch was nixed completely from anything OEM and that 3rd party apps would be required to unlock it. HTC phones include multi-touch in their Sense UI overlay of Android. So, if Apple goes after anyone, they go after HTC, not Google or Motorola (in the DROID's case).

 

It most certainly does not have multi-touch. Anyone who says it does is either blatantly lying, tested it wrong, or is trusting information that they haven't verified. There is absolutely no multi-touch in the soft keyboard.

Try holding down one key and then holding down another key before the special character box pops up. Then release the first key, then release the second key. Does it type properly? No. Is it multi-touch? Definitely not.

That being said, I don't think they formally slated it for anything, but hopefully they'll fix it in the December update.

 

I have heard this before and I don't know how true it is. However, if Apple really does have a patent on multi-touch, then that makes no sense at all. Multi-touch development started at University of Toronto and continued at Bell Labs over 20 years before the iPhone, when Apple was still making decent products.

 

The term "multi-touch" itself is trademarked BY Apple, speaking of the evil empire, that specifically describes touchscreen interface.

 

Apple does not have a patent on multitouch, one of the tech sites (Engadget or Gizmodo I think) researched this and found that they don't actually have any legal claim over it. Many devices have been released since the iPhone that have multitouch and there's been no claims filed by Apple over it.

 

Excuse me... patent PENDING. Apple has submitted over 200 patents related to the iPhone's technology and it is highly probable that their patents may be granted. While multi-touch itself can't be patented, the use of it in particular actions or processes can be. That being said, some companies continue to venture into that realm since at the moment, Apple can't do much. Even if the patents are granted, HTC and Palm (who've used the technology the most widely) haven't sold a tremendous amount of units. And why would Apple sue Palm when Apple's iPhone uses a number of Palm's IP in its implementation? They wouldn't dare. But you can imagine how lucrative it would be for Apple to go after Motorola if they've sold 1 million units by the end of the quarter and the device employs multi-touch. Nokia did precisely that... waited for Apple to have sold millions of units before litigating.

 

Either way you slice it, Google has made a conscious decision to disable multi-touch from OEM applications, allowing third-party developers to make use of the functionality (including, HTC).

 

If the keys are far enough apart, this method will type correctly. I think I figured that if there are two keys in between the two letters you're trying to type like this with, it will work.

 

Yeah, but the fact that it doesn't work sometimes means it's not multi-touch. It sounds like how an old touchpad from before Synaptics made all of their touchpads multi-touch a few years ago would act. The mouse will jump from point A to B if you lift your finger off while placing another finger on a different spot.

 

ok lets just squash this

multitouch support = the ablity to have multitouch. this not need to mean that it was implemented

does it support it YES, does it do it NO.


What does this mean third party stuff can use the multitouch to there will because it does support it.

 

Just for your info.

I got my german Milestone fro Amazon and it is not carrier-branded or simlocked. Just pure Motorola.

I does multitouch in the Browser (google) and the mediagalery! And I am no liar...

 

Yes, it has been made clear that the Milestone has multitouch. Engadget has reported that it is a Motorola addition to that phone. The Droid is pure "Google Experience" so it doesn't have it.

 

for anyone doubting that the american droid has multitouch download picsay from the market, and experience the wonderfulness of pinch zooming...

 

Yah, get back to us when the default keyboard, browser, and gallery viewer have it. Until then, I couldn't care less what third party apps have MT. I think we all know by now that the Droid has MT abilities, but it just doesn't for native apps.

Although I wouldn't mind a third party keyboard that supports MT.

 

swype looks like it may be fun once it is out.

 

Yeah, but this is different than it "having" multitouch. It is common knowledge that Android 2.0 has multitouch APIs. So apps can be made to take advantage of the tech, but the stock apps don't do that. They could in the future, but not right now.

 

What is the benefit of multitouch to most of the standard core apps? The only one I see really truly benefiting from it more than just the "double tap to zoom" is the browser. I'd really like the added functionality of zooming. Other than that... I don't see any real benefit. Does multitouch provide more features beside "pinch to zoom" for other core apps?

 

I can type very quickly on the virtual keyboard, but b/c of that and the lack of the multi touch functionality alot of the letters that I press do not show up as text. This must be fixed. It makes using the virtual keyboards almost impossible for me. If I'm typing anything more than a few words I have no choice but to pull out the physical keyboard or type very slowly so all of the letters register. I hope they fix this or a developer comes out with a virtual keyboard to replace the android keyboard so pulling out the physical keyboard isn't as necessary as it is now.

 

Biggest thing for me is on the keyboard. I type with two fingers on the landscape mode, and if you type too fast, your key presses won't get recognized because you are hitting two buttons at once. As it stands now, you have to make sure your finger is completely off the screen before you press another one.

Some people won't notice this, others will. Would be nice to have.

 

swype to me is going to be the virtual keyboard I will want.
Swype | Text Input for Screens

 

@ahammer: Use Shape Writer, which seems to be the same thing.

 

will give that a try.. not a lot of good reviews for android 2.0 thou

 

@ahammer: I'd say try it, it's free for a week (or something like that). It's been 100% stable for me, so not sure what issues the comments are reflecting.