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RE: NTG Very difficult to use on High-Res devices

markpud — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:46:49 GMT

This is frustrating, as a new NG Go user and a new HTC Touch HD owner!!

I've read the "Known issues" topic so I can see this is a known prob.. but on my device I actually can't click into the feed items, I just get to the screen showing the list of headlines and no further :(

But for now I'm using the online version of NG via Opera on my device... hope these issues can be resolved soon??

Thanks, Mark

EDIT: The test build 2.1.2.1 fixed it so I can get into the items via the WM version!! Cool :)

RE: NTG Very difficult to use on High-Res devices

eldad — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:38:51 GMT

Alan,

Thanks for the reply. Oddly, the scrollbars are correct in every place apart from where you have the screenshot. Particularly, they're fine when viewing posts.

And yes, titles only get truncated properly if there's a vertical scrollbar. That's an odd one, but I presume that the scrollbar forces a recalculation of the screen width. Another error linked with this is that if the titles are truncated (at say 40 characters), then I alter the orientation from portrait to landscape, the titles stay truncated at 40 characters, instead of redrawing to the new correct width.

RE: NTG Very difficult to use on High-Res devices

Howshall — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:21:56 GMT

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for taking those screen shots should definitely show the NewsGator Devs what the problems are.

Two side points I can see from your screenshots are:

1) Oddly the horizontal scrollbar shown on the top feeds tree view screen is correct size, whereas the scrollbar when looking at the feed items list definitely isn't! Can you confirm if scrollbars are okay or bad when actually viewing an item (both with and without an active data connection?)

2) You've also managed to screenshot on your 4th image an example of a list where the longer titles aren't getting truncated properly. Most of those titles should end '...' instead of just dropping off the right side of the screen. (Which you can see correctly done on your 3rd screenshot, I think it may be because there's not enough items to create the vertical scrollbar)

It's definitely a minor bug though as if you highlight then move off an item you'll see it then does get '...' added and when you toggle back will the 2nd time will then scroll after a short pause so you can see the whole title without clicking into the article detail.

While I'm just another Go! user I will make sure I let the NewsGator Devs see this and hopefully they'll be able to work on this issue it's obviously causing you (and the increasing numbers of higher res WM users problems)

Alan.

RE: NTG Very difficult to use on High-Res devices

eldad — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:51:59 GMT

Here are some screenshots. Click through for a larger version:

The biggest problem is the settings and scrollbar. Scrolling is almost impossible, especially as the Touch HD doesn't have a DPad.

RE: NTG Very difficult to use on High-Res devices

Howshall — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:07:02 GMT

Hi Mark,

Many thanks for posting. I think screenshots would be really useful in helping promote these issues if you are able to produce some in due course. You've described the main issues very clearly but a picture is definitely worth a thousand words and may well highlight lesser issues you haven't described.

If you could take screenshots of the follow screen types that would be really good:

= NewsGator Feeds Tree View (with some folders expanded and some not?)
= Sample Feed item list view
= Sample Item detail view
= At least 1 settings screen (but if you were able to screenshot all the different settings screens that would be great)
= Any other different screens (Are Media list or Search screens okay?)

Unfortunately at the moment I'm still on a 2 year old T-Mobile UK branded MDA Vario II (aka HTC Hermes) as they're delaying the launch of their re-branded Touch Pro (MDA Vario IV) until sometime before easter. I have upgraded the OS from WM5 to WM6.1 but the hardware keys are starting to fail so may be forced to jump ship to get either a Touch Pro or Sony Experia (got to have QWERTY keyboard) before too long.

Agree with you that while you can use a stylus on the PPC version of NewsGator Go it's definitely not finger friendly unless you've got accurate nails, so I tend you use the D-Pad for almost all navigation and obviously D-Pads are changing into Touch Pads and there's even now some PPC's starting to come without D-Pads to make them look smoother and more iPhone like, so this is going to be an increasing urgent issue.

If you can get screenshots up in due course I'll link to this thread from the central v2+ bugs list I'm maintaining.

Alan.

NTG Very difficult to use on High-Res devices

eldad — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:56:39 GMT

Unfortunately, NTG is very difficult to use on HiRes screens (like the Touch HD - 800x480).

* Internal icons are tiny (they don't upscale)
* Settings page is almost impossible to use (the font-size upscales, but the line-height doesn't!)
* The vertical scrollbar is impossible to use (the width of the scrollbar doesn't upscale, so is about 3mm wide)

I can post screenshots if necessary.

And, as someone mentioned on another thread, users of modern devices are getting used to finger-friendliness throughout applications.