I know N900 will never support real multi-touch functionality because of resistive screen. But I would like to add some ideas how to implement it with almost same comfort by one touch at the time.

Multi-touch functionality, like zoom and turn, is the one major reason why iPhone is still better than N900. Why not mimic these actions where it is possible and make N900 more attractive for iPhone users? Let say that one finger touches the screen always before the other. You can perform same actions if the first touch position is fixed. It does not make any difference if you hold your finger on this position or you rise it. So you can raise it before making the other touch. The only trick is how to recognize the first touch.

One possibility is to recognize quick jump. There is a limit how quickly you can move you finger from one position to other. This depends of distance of course. If you use two fingers, both thumbs for example, you could cover this distance much quicker by rising one and touching again with other. So the device or software should detect if this happens. It remembers where the first touch position was and marks it with red dot or something, so you could see that you are in multi-touch mode now. This mode will be ended when you raise the finger again. Of course the time per pixel should be customizable. You can decrease it dependent how trained you are or you can set it zero if you don’t want to use this function at all.

Maemo-browser has a nice feature how to get screen cursor - just drag it from the left outside area of the screen. It disappears if you don’t act quickly by fixing it into manipulation mode. Instead of disappearing it should stay where you leave it as point of the fist touch. It should appear as cross, red dot or as fingerprint or something. It should take arrow appearance only if you do the normal fixing action. Now you can do the second touch actions, like zoom and turn, around it. To remove the point of first touch you have to drag it outside of screen or simply tap it.

There is a red dot in Ovi Map application that shows your location. You can fix it into middle of screen. The red dot will be detached from the middle if you drag the screen. Instead of this it should zoom or turn the map. Heading should be restored after moving significantly. If you need to zoom in or zoom out while moving you simply have to drag horizontally on the same level with red dot. To surf around the map you should detach the red dot manually by taping it or by taping the button second time that attached it.

The point of fist touch should appear in the middle of screen while you press some button on top-side of device. I would prefer the switch-off button because it is just in reach of left forefinger and it is in the middle that is logical for this action. You should immediately operate with the second touch on screen to avoid switch-off or menu appearance after releasing the button. It would be safer to use the camera button but you have to use right forefinger for that and it is in use for some widget (camkeyd)

Brainstorm: http://maemo.org/community/brainstor...functionality/

Hi lenruhenry

This is your opinion, I think that multitouch could be useful nevertheless iPhone is not better than the N900.


Your ideas can be helpful, but we'll never be able to make the N900 more attractive for iPhone users, they'll never like it.

Multitouch is not the reason for iPhone's success.

At least they claim it is (beside lightness and style). They say – so what that you got more pixels, we can zoom in instantly.
We might never make them like it but we can take all sensible arguments for them.

I didn’t want to say that it should be done because of iPhone users. I think these features would be useful for me.

In your first post you seem to suggest these features just to attract iPhone users. Never mind

I mentioned iPhone only because it is good example of multi-touch implementation. We can't ignore it.
(Sorry about my edits)

I think I got lost somewhere, but as far as I remember N97 and N900 bouth have resistive screen and if I`m not wrong there are multitouch games for N97 (video)

From the comments that is also not real multi-touch but is "simulating" it. My understanding is the way resistive works, if you touch two points on the screen then it will click in the middle. So what they have done is tied a click signal to that point in between a combination of two points that triggers as if it was multi-touch.

You could, theoretically (and some comments confirm), simply single touch in that middle spot and also get both green lights.

Take the Sketch program in your N900 and try what happens if you touch the screen by other finger without rising the first one. You will understand how this game is made of. This is illusion because these four points are fixed points and if you touch area between two of them, both will be activated.

They say that, but it's just bs to cover the iPhone's deficiencies. The real reason they like it is that it's so simple to use. They'll never like anything more advanced unless Apple first tells them it's easy, and then they'll actually spend some time trying to learn new concepts. With anything else, they'll approach it with a negative attitude and bash it when everything isn't immediately obvious.

To be fair, s60 actually is a bit difficult sometimes, but Maemo sure isn't. That's what's so great about it. Almost as easy to learn as iPhone OS, faster to use/customize, and the advanced stuff is hidden so lightly that power users feel right at home.

liqbase had something similar to this in a demo. Not sure if it runs on the n900, but this pseudo multitouch worked on the n810. Never went anywhere though!