Latest iPhone OS 4 Beta Gains Orientation Lock and iPod Controls in Multitasking Interface

[TheCheapGeek]

I see all these people griping and moaning about the lack of landscape locking, but I can't think of a single occasion in which I've wanted landscape mode locked, while laying on my side. Usually, I'm reading something in portrait mode and I scroll vertically, using my thumb. Personally, I wouldn't miss that option one bit.

I agree completely and locking in landscape would not make sense because the home screen will remain in portrait. I am excited about this feature.

 

[paradox00]

The problem you're missing is a combination of two factors

1) Safari is currently designed to show much larger fonts in landscape mode. When you change orientation and zoom into a column of text, Safari NEVER recalculates word wrap. The same number of characters is displayed in a much wider column (when in landscape), thus providing those much larger fonts.

2)Many folks like myself need those larger fonts to be able to read a large portion of web content. I know from my conversations that there are an AWFUL lot of people in my boat.

Android, btw, allows many font zoom levels but CHANGES WORD WRAP to keep your text within the visible margins. (Thus avoiding the need for the horizontal scrolling introduced on an iphone when you pinch to zoom in) If apple did this, landscape lock would be less important.

Pete

Sounds like landscape mode is just a workaround but not the fundamental problem in your situation. I didn't say there were no situations where landscape mode lock would be desirable. Just that I haven't come across any of those situations.

If the iPhone had a button to lock to portrait and one to lock to landscape. I suspect that the portrait one would be pressed much more often. I was responding to a person that stated that portrait only lock made the feature useless, which is not the case. Landscape lock should be an option, but even portrait only would be a nice improvement. That is all.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

Basic multitasking question: am I right that a single home click quits the app (as before) while a double click brings up the multitask window keeping the app running?

Isn't that very confusing: if I accidentally single click the app is completely closed and I have to load it again?

No.

Single clicking takes you back to the home screen and leaves the app running. Bringing up the multi-tasking pane shows you all the apps that are currently running.

 

[hwhalers]

I thought it'd never come. Yay!

I would've paid $50 for this if I had to.

 

[aardwolf]

well yes, reason i mentioned them was in reply to to dugbug who fears the "pain" of "entering street fighter combo moves" to "go to the next track"

since "go to next track" is a double click, i wonder how dugbug manages to cope with the pain of opening files, apps or folders on his desktop or laptop every day.

You try double clicking the home button to "go to next track" in 4.0 and let me know how that works for you. That combination is currently assigned to bring up the multitask pane, and there's no way to turn that off.

 

[Berio]

I agree completely and locking in landscape would not make sense because the home screen will remain in portrait.

perhaps there is some confusion about my term "lying on side reading in landscape mode". here is a sketch of what i mean: my preferred way of reading while lying on my side: and now i know it is possible to lock it into this orientation i am very happy.

http://att.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=224985&stc=1&d=1273010097

 

[hssky97]

A landscape home screen (like on the ipad) would be nice

 

[Berio]

You try double clicking the home button to "go to next track" in 4.0 and let me know how that works for you. That combination is currently assigned to bring up the multitask pane, and there's no way to turn that off.

oh, for heavens sake! are you capable of any level of abstraction in your thoughts on the matter? or are you just trying to be clever by pointing out the obvious.
i am obviously not proposing double clicking home-button in order to get to next track. i am talking about the merits of single-button with multiple-combination as opposed to multiple-button with single-command. on this or any other device, this or any other OS.

 

[5855997]

I surely will miss the way you bring up the iPod controls (even just for a second to skip a song in the iPod while playing a game the way it used to be. This way it will be an action more to do..and it has to freeze the game or whatever you're doing. The double tap was pretty nice IMHO. Though I think I've read that double tap and hold will give you the same functions as double tap now. [EDIT: sorry, already been mentioned a couple of times..haven't had time to read fully through the thread until now] Still a little trade of..but absolutely worth for multitasking.

One thing I don't get: It's great that they have left swipe for these special functions and also for search on the home screen. BUT why don't they have a right swipe on the last screen which would bring you straight back to the first homescreen? Would save a LOT of page flicking.

Also in the older iPods it sucked when you scrolled the whole list down to Z and then you had to scroll upwards again (instead of flicking more down and getting automatic to the top..like it was in many other mp3 players.) Now with the alphabet on the side it's not a problem anymore.

 

[firsttube]

perhaps there is some confusion about my term "lying on side reading in landscape mode". here is a sketch of what i mean: my preferred way of reading while lying on my side: and now i know it is possible to lock it into this orientation i am very happy.

Put it in landscape manually, and then rotate the phone another 90º so the phone is completely upside down. There's your laying down landscape. No it's not locked, but this was doable on iPhone OS 1.x.

 

[miamialley]

that is very ... weird,
thanks for the screenshots though (thank god they fixed that bug, right!)

i call "temporary" on it only being portrait

I hope so, because only allowing portrait lock is really really stupid. It's only taken the Apple gods 3 years to come around to locking the orientation in any manner.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

One thing I don't get: It's great that they have left swipe for these special functions and also for search on the home screen. BUT why don't they have a right swipe on the last screen which would bring you straight back to the first homescreen? Would save a LOT of page flicking.

Hit the home button. It will take you back to the first page no matter what page you're on.

 

[Berio]

Put it in landscape manually, and then rotate the phone another 90º so the phone is completely upside down. There's your laying down landscape. No it's not locked, but this was doable on iPhone OS 1.x.

yes, thank you. i had not been aware of this till it was mentioned on this thread tonight. it's actually nice to discover that there are things i had not known about yet, despite using the iphone for over 2 years.

 

[firsttube]

yes, thank you. i had not been aware of this till it was mentioned on this thread tonight. it's actually nice to discover that there are things i had not known about yet, despite using the iphone for over 2 years.

The nice thing is that you have ~120º of rotation before it goes to portrait in one direction or flips to the other landscape in the other direction. It gives you quite a bit of wiggle room to get comfortable.

 

[5855997]

Hit the home button. It will take you back to the first page no matter what page you're on.

Oh thank you very much for reminding me!!

I already did that a few times without really realizing it. I will use use this from now on. Problem solved

as a sidenote:

you find it really painful to "click twice -> next track" or "click thrice -> go to start of present track"???
this is too complicated for you?
so you also do not use the controls on your earbuds?
no problem, each to his own

As great as the controls on the earbuds are..not everyone likes the standard earbuds (because of the quality or they don't fit as good as others in my case)

 

[toastr]

Hmmm nice. Time to upgrade my first gen iPod Touch then

 

[Berio]

It gives you quite a bit of wiggle room to get comfortable.

 

[skwoytek]

Landscape lock has never been needed. Just put the home button towards the top. The iPhone won't rotate to portrait if the home button is on top. In other words, hold the phone upside down and it will stay in landscape.

 

[bowler357]

Removal confirmed

It has indeed been pulled from the site. I hope it doesn't do something horrible to the phone since I already installed it.

 

[Berio]

as a sidenote:
As great as the controls on the earbuds are..not everyone likes the standard earbuds (because of the quality or they don't fit as good as others in my case)

agreed!
i was merely referring to the various squeeze permutations.

 

[Knowlege Bomb]

As great as the controls on the earbuds are..not everyone likes the standard earbuds (because of the quality or they don't fit as good as others in my case)

This seems to be pretty common. As soon as they get a little wet (sweat while jogging), the become useless.

I think Apple should think about releasing over-the-ear-hooking headphones. They'd sell like hotcakes.

 

[Marvin1379]

aardoff is DAMN right. It's a must have feature, but we MUST have the ability to lock in landscape mode as well. Landscape mode is far more important to me than Portrait, given how many web pages are simply not readable to me (with my sorry eyes) until I go landscape.


I'm really hoping that it does exactly that, and that the article is just misstating the behavior of the feature.

Pete

Does the Home screens change from portrait to landscape finally???? The did it on the iPad, why not the iPhone.

 

[5855997]

agreed!
i was merely referring to the various squeeze permutations.

Alright! I like the functions from the headset, but I really rarely use it. Only to make calls when I need my hands free and that's rare.

This seems to be pretty common. As soon as they get a little wet (sweat while jogging), the become useless.

I think Apple should think about releasing over-the-ear-hooking headphones. They'd sell like hotcakes.

I myself prefer in-ear buds for various reasons..I don't think Apple will ever release "over-the-ear-hooking"..there are already enough good ones from other brands.

A friend of mine just told me today that she really likes the Apple standard ones because they fit her small ears a lot better than other headphones..so she will get my spare ones when she needs them

 

[Eso]

i am talking about the merits of single-button with multiple-combination as opposed to multiple-button with single-command. on this or any other device, this or any other OS.

I'm with aardwolf.

The home button used to do nothing more than take you to the home screen. They have loaded it up with so many functions that currently it does:

One click (in app)- home screen
One click (on another home screen) - main home screen
One click (on main home screen) - spotlight
One click (in spotlight) - back to main home screen
One click + hold - voice control

Double-click - bring up app bar
Double-click + hold - phone favorites/camera/iPod controls, etc.

Triple-click - accessibility

How far are they going to take this?

 

[Krafty]

A landscape home screen (like on the ipad) would be nice

I agree. I tried install SBRotator on my 2G iPhone and it completely messed it up. It kept rebooting until it finally got low on battery, and kicked into Safe Mode.