Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

For the life of me I cannot figure out how to zoom in (and hence out, and pan) on photos and other images in the "Photos" application. This is in stark contrast to the .pdf viewer application which has big obvious + and - buttons. the manual has this to say:

It goes on to explain most of the other things it mentioned such as grid view and slide shows, but there is nothing more about zooming. I have also searched the forums and not found anything relating to this specific issue.

If I am just missing something obvious please let me know.

Photo:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/...b02db73f1e.jpg

.PDF Viewer:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2670/...962624aacb.jpg
note the + and - buttons

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Its simply the volume rocker button mate. You're right though, it's not in the manual or any other documentation as far as I can tell.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Aha! Controlling software functions with hardware buttons; what will they think of next?

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Can't you also do it with spiral motion on the screen?

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Thought that was only in the browser? Would be nice and consistent if it worked on photos too though!

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

I don't like using the volume for zooming by default. It kills media when in the browser. Why not use the circular gesture from the browser for zooming??

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Nope, I tried that first! it would be nice if zooming was a standard action OS-wide.

I know it's practically a sin to mention iPhone around here, but if it's one thing apple does well, it's UI continuity.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

iphone/apple are clever, they know what the public gets brainwashed with ;)

Nokia fail at marketing & producing "cool" devices.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Nokia also fails at realizing simple things. Like including the same zoom functionality throughout an os. so stupid.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

I am guessing that due to time constrains they didn't bother with even a single touch based zoom +/-. Hope this comes as an update soon.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Uh, N95 was the best selling smartphone of the decade, and the first to be called a superphone. Not exactly a failure in my opinion, but I see your point.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Perfectly stated I think: triumph of marketing over engineering. Apple are very good at combining existing technology and selling it for a high price.

Personally I'm glad Nokia don't go for fluffy in preference; nice to see a device out for the engineers and techies for a change rather than a fashion accessory for teens.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

This is iritating indeed. I don't know about you guys here, but i really rarely even use zoom in the N900 browser and when i do it's always circular zoom or double tap. I want to keep the volume rocker for the media.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

@ Fargus;

I guess it's alright having a device that isn't just flashy & fancy, but still, I wish I could once and for all find a device that doesn't go extreme on either side, something that fulfills everyone's needs!... i just personally think, in 2009, it's normal to ask for this sort of gadget.

@ christexaport

Yes, Nokia have made some pretty cool devices, but when it comes to their "super cool tablet-pc-(wannabe)smartphone", they tend to get a tad little confused. I mean, the world may have a lot of geeks, but the REAL customers are the superficial, normal people, who expect a device that can be "compared" to the iphone.

At the end of the day, the N900 is a great phone for those techies who long for a device to play with.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

I thought that was the whole point of the N97 and the N900 at same ttime? Fromrecollection I always understood the N900 was for early adopters, ie Geeks. The N97 was people that want an appliance. It mght not be an iPhone beater but I don't honestly think Nokia are looking to play that game.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

I agree whole heartedly.

My eyesight is pretty good, but still, i love the spiral, double tap is a bit intermittent, but the rocker really bugs me! - leave it for the volume please! :)

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

I dont see the point to it though :S

Why would you create a product that maybe 2% of the population are happy with? If they want to waste money and time, go ahead. I'm just implying that Nokia should look in a different horizont. You can still make it geeky but at the same time usable and fun for other people. Its like making a car with 3 wheels, for people who can "adapt" to those circumstances. But the people who could control a car with 3 wheels aren't enough, for Nokia to make a future out of it.

So make a car with 5 wheels!

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Oi there are alot of geeks in the world, if they all bought one i'm pretty sure Nokia would not have any problems at all :) (a polite Oi, not a rude one lol!)

I personally can't see the reason to make a £2billion yaught, but there are companies that make them, as amazingly there are people that can afford them :) (I also can't see the reason why they make Caravans.... nut thats a whole different story)

I'm not sure there is a problem with creating an object that geeks like - its the step up for those so called normal people to try and learn something new :)

The iPhone provides no challenge, it's given on a plate with no lee-way. Some people like that, some don't - the N900 is still an alternative but not a comparison in my opinion :)

I feel it is very rare that one device will be better then all the rest, it's a bit like comparing a Range Rover to a ferrari....
One will slaughter the other at speed, whilst the other can climb mountains (In a manner of speaking).... different needs, different people, different uses.
The bigger question is.... Is the market big enough for the N900 to make a splash, and more importantly for Nokia, i assume make some cash :)

I think Nokia have gone the right way by doing their own thing, and embracing(or almost) the Maemo/open source ethos. By creating a device that makes people collaborate to make it better :)

My 2 cents :) or Pennies etc :)

Edit : Woah sorry for the serious off topic'ness'ness'ness!

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

I'm with you there and to me Maemo 6 looks to be about that.
Yes to me N900 is just that. I'm no developer, but buy lots of gadgets and like to play with the device and make it my own. Plus use all the features.
There are alot of these gadget freaks like me with iphone and N900 have seemed to grasp attention(no doubt many of them old S60 users). N900 is just kind of product that needs developers and heavy users to make this OS better.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Nokia works on scale. The numbers don't lie. Apple sells 1% of the globe's phones. Nokia sells 42%. The mind share and publicity numbers are paper stats that mean little to Nokia. They sell most of the phones, and most of the smartphones as well, at a 37% clip.

Despite the conjecture, Nokia seems more in touch with what people want than anyone else. They serve every market and every price point and a broad reach. If US carriers didn't interfere, they'd run the US as well.

The main issue had been hackers like me breaking their DRM on Symbian. They saw the market needed something more open, accessible and with more power. The iPhone sits in the middle in mind share, but beneath both Symbian and Maemo technology wise. Nokia tries to lead in technology, and knows as the US market matures, so will its mobile requirements. They don't need to dumb anything down. Most of the world is satisfied with more power and control over looks and simplicity, and the US is slowly joining them. In the meantime, Nokia will greatly improve usability while maintaining power and control to negate the iPhone's relevance, which is where it rules.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Jeesh, not being able to zoom images through tapping the screen is kind of stupid, but when I use the volume button, it sometimes scrolls to the index of pics and does not zoom at all. Seems real problematic.

I hope touch zoom is added soon. Then again, I hope we get Pic Say. Great image viewer and edit tool on Android.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Open /usr/lib/hildon-desktop/volume_status_menu_item.so in a hex-editor, find "_HILDON_ZOOM_KEY_ATOM" and replace it with "_HILDON_ZOOM_KEY_AT0M" (or anything that fits). After that, applications' requests to use the volume keys will be "ignored" and the volume keys can always be used to manipulate the volume.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Any registry commands to activate zoom by using screen gestures for the photo app? ;)

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

So I'd lose the volume key zooming in Web, but also the Photo app, which would be bad. How would you then zoom in on images?

BTW, qwerty12, how old are you? You are one wise cat, I have to say. You deserve a massive check from Nokia.

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Then you hex-edit /usr/bin/image-viewer.launch (/usr/bin/browser.launch for the browser) and replace _HILDON_ZOOM_KEY_ATOM with whatever string you used to replace it in /usr/lib/hildon-desktop/volume_status_menu_item.so...

Rather anal - true - but you do gain the ability to have the volume keys used for manipulating volume all the time, with also being able to selectively enable applications to use the buttons in whatever manner they may choose to do so.

17. :)

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

QWERT12, that is exactly the type of info I like to learn. I'd really like to do a Q&A with you for MF once I can get time. You bring back the old Symbian hacking days for me. Feel free to stop by and school us Freaks anytime.

Youngster's the truth...

Re: Photos Maemo5 default photo/image viewing application
 

Product Development? You have to try stuff out along the way and if you can make some money selling it to end users (of whatever type) then it has to make business sense: remember this about Nokia's gameplan, not a specific user.