Linus got a Nexus One • Hacker News Board

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#11

Post by potatolicious » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 2:34 AM UTC

amichail wrote: post #4

I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a phone on the internet sight unseen, but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge. Is pinch-to-zoom really that important?

Having handled both the Android Maps app (sans pinch) and the iPhone Maps app... yes, yes it is. Hitting the "plus" and "minus" buttons work, but so does clicking on the arrows at the end of your scroll bars. To me it qualifies as barely functional, not the right solution at all.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#12

Post by cowmix » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 3:05 AM UTC

Jach wrote: post #6

herval wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

isn't pinch-to-zoom already available on the iphone for, like, 3 years...?

Except the iPhone doesn't run Linux, which is what Linus actually wanted.

While the N900 is a nice phone it still requires too much screwing around for someone that wants an easy device to use. The Nexus One is that sweet spot of usability between the iPhone and the N900 and still runs the Linux kernel.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#13

Post by lg » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 3:11 AM UTC

amichail wrote: post #4

I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a phone on the internet sight unseen, but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge. Is pinch-to-zoom really that important?

It is to me. I've gotten so used to all the iphone gestures that when I have to go back to pushing buttons I get really frustrated. I can't even use a Kindle now.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#14

Post by jodrellblank » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 3:16 AM UTC

amichail wrote: post #4

I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a phone on the internet sight unseen, but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge. Is pinch-to-zoom really that important?

Yes, or he's lying...

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#15

Post by scottjackson » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 4:29 AM UTC

thwarted wrote: post #7

amichail wrote: post #4

I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a phone on the internet sight unseen, but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge. Is pinch-to-zoom really that important?

Not as far as I'm concerned. Thankfully it's not the only way to zoom on the nexus, because it pretty much requires two hands to use, one to hold the phone and the other to pinch. I don't think any other function requires two hands on the nexus, although it is sometimes faster to type with two hands. (This messages was typed on my nexus).

On the Nexus, can you double-tap an area on a web page to zoom in to that area? That's one way of zooming in with one hand that I like on the iPhone. I'm just curious to see if Google brought that gesture to Android with the recent update.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#16

Post by riahi » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 4:38 AM UTC

scottjackson wrote: post #15

thwarted wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not as far as I'm concerned. Thankfully it's not the only way to zoom on the nexus, because it pretty much requires two hands to use, one to hold the phone and the other to pinch. I don't think any other function requires two hands on the nexus, although it is sometimes faster to type with two hands. (This messages was typed on my nexus).

On the Nexus, can you double-tap an area on a web page to zoom in to that area? That's one way of zooming in with one hand that I like on the iPhone. I'm just curious to see if Google brought that gesture to Android with the recent update.

The default zooming actions prior to the addition of multitouch zoom exactly like you describe.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#17

Post by tumult » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 5:01 AM UTC

randallsquared wrote: post #10

As someone said on the comments to the blog, it seems surprising that he didn't buy a N900 instead. It's far closer to being a full Linux machine than the Nexus One.

Sometimes you want a phone and not a really bad small PC.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#18

Post by holygoat » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 5:13 AM UTC

tumult wrote: post #17

randallsquared wrote: post #10

As someone said on the comments to the blog, it seems surprising that he didn't buy a N900 instead. It's far closer to being a full Linux machine than the Nexus One.

Sometimes you want a phone and not a really bad small PC.

Apparently he didn't really want a phone: more a GPS!

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#19

Post by Locke1689 » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 6:41 AM UTC

herval wrote: post #5

amichail wrote: post #4

I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a phone on the internet sight unseen, but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge. Is pinch-to-zoom really that important?

isn't pinch-to-zoom already available on the iphone for, like, 3 years...?

No need to downvote this guy into oblivion for asking a question guys.

Re: Linus got a Nexus One

#20

Post by michaelneale » Sun, Feb 07, 2010, 9:13 AM UTC

randallsquared wrote: post #10

As someone said on the comments to the blog, it seems surprising that he didn't buy a N900 instead. It's far closer to being a full Linux machine than the Nexus One.

I understand what you mean by a "full linux" machine - but Linus, of all people, would see GNU/Linux as being what it really is: the kernel, and nothing more. The community has wrapped lots of things around it, but really, they aren't linux. I think it is good that him and people like him still realise that. Android makes a linux phone. Period.