[jlzimmerman]

Entertaining read. Agree 100%.

Dear OEMs, don't close the shutters on the camera button | Pocketnow

Across the pond at MWC, Microsoft had a few things to say about its upcoming and much anticipated Windows Phone 8.1 update. In addition to nine new hardware partners all taking a bite of the Windows Phone pie, and Android dual-booting goodness, it was also announced that Microsoft would no longer be requiring hardware buttons on their phones, including the much loved camera button.

I get it. I really do. When youre attacking the low-end market, pennies count, and the fewer pennies you have to spend on a handset, the better. A lot of OEMs may take this as a real bonus, but I hope not all of them do. The camera button offers so much more than just a physical button press. Its a characteristic of Windows Phones. Its almost a signature at this point. Not to mention the fact that they do what they do very well.

Quick! A camera!
I personally love the shutter button on my Lumia 920, for a number of reasons. The quick launch of the camera app is one nice thing in particular. Tis true I unlock my phone with a double tap more often than not since the Lumia Black update. But for those moments I take out my phone specifically to take a picture, the camera button in the one my fingers seek out. I dont even have a tile for my camera on my home screen dont need one. Thats what the camera button is for.

Some might argue that just because the pressy-pressy button wont be there doesnt mean there wont be another button like a capacitive button for example. Quick launching the camera would still be possible with something like that. This is true. It also would almost force you to use your camera phone in landscape mode you know, like a real camera. There is something to be said for holding the camera with two hands, one finger on the button. It helps stabilize the shot and it reminds users of Windows Phones (more specifically Nokias) major benefit/contribution to the smartphone space the camera.

Holding the phone like a camera makes sense when youre using your phonewait for itlike a camera. So having the hardware button where it is makes all the sense in the world, and if you ask me, contributes to better photography on the Internet because of it or at least 3% of it. Thats my story and Im sticking to it.

No press for you!
But one thing a capacitive button cant do that I also enjoy on the Lumia is the half-press-to-focus. This talking point has been done to death, but suffice it to say, I in particular would miss the benefit this brings a camera-phone user. Its pretty ingrained into our psyche and to lose that would just be a shame. Yes, I know you can press and hold to focus and release to snap the shot. Shush.

Plus (I want to circle back to this point a bit) the camera button is almost a signature of Windows Phones. There are non-Windows Phones out there with camera buttons and indeed there has been a Windows Phone in the past with no camera button. But aside from those few exceptions, the rule has been Windows Phone = camera-button-toting hardware. I wouldnt mind seeing Microsoft set a low ceiling on getting rid of the hardware. If the projected cost would be less than XX dollars, then go ahead and skip it. Thats fine, but leave it on the high-end stuff where cost isnt as much of a factor. There may be some design students out there that curse having one button isolated by itself near the bottom of the chassis (in portrait mode) but I cant imagine there was a huge cry for this decision. I could be wrong, but it doesnt seem so glaringly out of place so as to be a deal breaker for designing something with it.

Dwindling supply
Finally, I just want to point out that I think we in the smartphone space have been pretty cool about all the button-hate going on in there. First you killed the Dell Venue Pro phone with the portrait keyboard. Then you killed Palm and Blackberry and all their buttony goodness. Now youre coming after our camera shutter button. Well enoughs enough. You can take our lives, but youll never take our buttons!

Thats right OEMs, youre the English nobility, and Im blue-faced Mel Gibson minus the racism. I know youre eventually going to cut my head off while I hallucinate about my dead wife, but in the meantime well put up a heckuva fight, maybe burn a castle or two.

Or maybe Im the only one who cares. So now I have to ask, commeters. Are ye with me? Its better to live one day as a lion with a camera button, than 1,000 years as a lamb. Are you a lion with me?

[Alex Dean]

Pocketnow are a great tech site; you should read/watch their review of the Lumia Icon as well; from a guy who is heavily pro-Android the review is stellar.

But yes, I agree; having a physical camera button is definitely something I would miss and I feel it is a mistake to remove it. having said that, I feel the high-end Lumia devices will still have it, this is just something that makes it easier for OEMs to port their Android hardware to Windows Phone.