ubuntu-tablet team mailing list archive

[Henri Sundelin <henri.sundelin@xxxxxx>]

Yes, I agree on that, it is much easier to imagine such gestures with the phone. Nokia's only current Linux phone, the N9 does that silencing stuff as well. 

For tablet, for example switching virtual screen by tapping the tablet sides is kinda fun. I could also imagine if I'd but it face down on a table it could go to sleep.

Thing I'm most concerned is the rude fact that this _must be fixed in the kernel, current situation is that you have to do device detection in user space, and attach to wildly different api:s. The nice ones have human readable stuff over sysfs, others are binary..... So this has to be rationalized. 

Other fact is that "phone people" are the ones with the dough, at least for the moment. That might create some pull.

//HS



On 30 Mar 2012, at 22:34, Ian Santopietro wrote:

> Some of this would be arguably more useful on Ubuntu Phone; some
> Android phones have the option to silence the audio when they're put
> down face down (I know HTC do, and I remember having a Motorola that
> did as well).
> 
> There's a got lot of potential for these too, like muting the ringer
> while it's sounding if you nudge the phone. Activating the camera
> flash when shaken at the lock screen to act as a flashlight. That sort
> of thing. But a lot of these have more use on a phone rather than a
> tablet. I'm not saying they couldn't still function normally on a
> tablet, it's just I don't see it ringing often, if you know what I
> mean.
> 
> On Fri, Mar 30, 2012 at 11:04, Henri Sundelin <henri.sundelin@xxxxxx> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>> You might know the iPad has "shake-to-undo" gesture. I've been thinking that we should be able do at least similar, maybe lots better!
>> 
>> We could have many kinds of gestures based on movement & position:
>> - shaking
>> - pick device up
>> - putting it down
>> - putting it down face down
>> - nudging from sides
>> - and lots more..
>> 
>> I think this might have a good potential on enhancing the user experience, if it would be properly integrated to Unity etc.
>> 
>> I did some quick checking, there is some academic research on the subject, and I believe this could catch on quickly if done properly and generally enough. I thing the research activities could be a good starting point to generalize the API and have a good library, maybe someway related to uTouch stuff.
>> 
>> There is however a big technical challenge on Linux kernel side. There is none whatsoever standardized interface to accelerometers/gyros/magnetometers etc. All the drivers are all around the kernel, some in hwmon stuff, some in someplace else. It probably needs a new input device -like category. This means lots of work, but IMHO it has to be done in any case sooner or later.
>> 
>> This topic is kinda multi-disciplinary - at least tablets & other mobile devices (Ubuntu phone, anyone?). Maybe table/mobile side could be a driver for this kind of activity. But please forward to who/wherever this may concern!
>> 
>> //HS
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
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> Ian Santopietro
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