Do you like hardware buttons for your phone?

[Kage Maru]

I prefer hardware buttons, but the soft buttons on the G2 weren't horrible.

 

[icyrock1]

Yes. Either hardware or captive. I *hate* software buttons. Especially the way my Android phones handle them

This:
http://i.imgur.com/TC3iwgj.png
http://i.imgur.com/O4T77nyh.jpg

The way it just moves to the right side is *extremely* annoying, especially for left handed people like me. And I doubt Windows Phone would handle it much differently.

 

[Jan Tomsic]

Yes. Either hardware or captive. I *hate* software buttons. Especially the way my Android phones handle them

This:
http://i.imgur.com/TC3iwgj.png
http://i.imgur.com/O4T77nyh.jpg

The way it just moves to the right side is *extremely* annoying, especially for left handed people like me. And I doubt Windows Phone would handle it much differently.

I WANT it to move to the side on my tablet, but they stay on the bottom, and the home is super hard to reach. I never even thought about lefties, do they always move to the right, if you rotate it +90 or -90?
Anyhow, I suppose they wanted to simulate how the hardware buttons would stay on the side too. Still, hardware buttons are better.

 

[fatclue_98]

I could care less for the back, home and search buttons. They could put them anywhere. What I would like to see are send, end and camera physical buttons.

 

[sueha]

It is dark right now and my capacitive buttons blind me because they are so bright. I would like to use software buttons plus hardware camera buttons. I really like that the navigation bar can be set to your accent color.

 

[Flagz]

I see absolutely zero sense in on-screen buttons, unless they are configurable. Since this is WP, they probably won't be, so why waste pixels on the screen for buttons when you can leave them on the bezel? On 925 the bottom bezel is only slightly taller than the top one, and it doesn't bug me at all. I also hate it how on my Nexus 7, virtual (on-screen) buttons go into landscape when I move the tablet, wasting precious pixels (there's only 800 of those and a lot of screen is wasted for buttons and notification bar).

Hardware camera button is the best thing that happened to camera phones. I had one on Arc S, but it was positioned so awkwardly that I never used it, I almost dropped the phone if I tried to press it, on Lumias, it's perfect. I don't care much if it stays or not on cheaper models, but a PureView without a camera button is a waste of technology. I take all my photos with the hardware button on my 925.

They won't take up additional pixels as phones made for WP8 will require extra screen size and higher pixel count (54px I believe) for the buttons.

 

[Flagz]

Not a fan if capacitive buttons, would prefer physical hardware, or full software. The software buttons for 8.1 though look amazing IMO. I would def consider it!

 

[RustyU]

I never even thought about lefties, do they always move to the right, if you rotate it +90 or -90?

Yes, it's by design.

I could care less

 

[skarebrian]

Most of the time the hardware buttons are a nuisence - mostly the volume - which magically goes to zero, and the search button always gets in the way. With a skin the problems are ( can be ) even worse the camera button causes wobble - and I agree left handers must have a problem too.
My Galaxy worked fine on software.
Best idea heard here was to swipe in/ down/ sideways.

Brian

 

[jomarr]

I love hardware buttons.

Especially that very classy windows logo down there but if decide to remove it, I'd be bummed but it wouldn't be a "deal breaker" for me since I have a Nexus 7 with on screen buttons which isn't really bad but I don't know how good it is on a smaller smartphone.

 

[Jan Tomsic]

I could care less for the back, home and search buttons. They could put them anywhere. What I would like to see are send, end and camera physical buttons.

Do you mean the 'green phone' and the 'red phone'?
Camera buttons needs to stay. I'm not buying a phone without it

 

[psudotechzealot]

I don't care either way. Just make the bezel smaller.

 

[fatclue_98]

Do you mean the 'green phone' and the 'red phone'?
Camera buttons needs to stay. I'm not buying a phone without it

Yes. I believe the primary purpose of a smartphone is to make and answer phone calls. It shouldn't involve so many steps.

 

[Jan Tomsic]

They won't take up additional pixels as phones made for WP8 will require extra screen size and higher pixel count (54px I believe) for the buttons.

So instead of using additional pixels for content, they will be used for buttons. Any buttons on screen take up space for content. On iphone for example, a lot of screen is sacrificed for 'back' button (it's a whole bar), because it doesn't have a physical one. All that space could be used for content.

Yes. I believe the primary purpose of a smartphone is to make and answer phone calls. It shouldn't involve so many steps.

Well I don't primarly use it for calls, so these buttons don't add much value for me. I did have these buttons on galaxy spica, and they came in handy because the screen would usually freeze when I got a phone call, so pressing the physical 'accept' button was the only way.

 

[Squachy]

AS long as my phone has a camera button. The amount of time you save launching the camera that way....

 

[RJ Priest]

This poll needs another choice, "Yes, I like hardware buttons, but it's NOT a deal breaker if gone".

I do like the physical buttons, and it's cool that on the ATIV S, you can press the physical windows key instead of the lock button in order to turn the screen on. If those three buttons were removed, I could live with it though.

I will say though, that if the physical camera button were removed, I would be very disappointed.

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

As much as I like the hardware camera button... I don't find it to be that big an issue. If removing the buttons means more OEMs jumping on the WP ship... please remove them all.

 

[flyingsolid]

Yes, it would be a deal breaker if the hardware buttons were gone, particularly with the Windows or camera buttons.

 

[dkhmwilliams]

I have mixed feelings about on screen navigation controls. With my Nexus 5, I liked having software controls, it looks cleaner. But there were some situations when I wish that they weren't on the screen. However, I do like the physical home button on my iPhone. For Windows Phone, I would say the platform will be better without capacitive and physical buttons.


Sent from my iPad Air using Tapatalk

 

[snowmutt]

I am cheering for whatever gets WP on more shelves with more options. If dumping the hardware buttons do that, then go team.

I understand that most everyone that is a WP user right now loves the physical camera button. That would be universally missed. Even those who say they do not care would realize how handy it was if it is gone. Still, for me, not a deal breaker.

As for those arguing that on screen buttons take up real estate: Well, so does the bezel dedicated to the area for capacitive buttons. If you dump one, you can shrink the other and get more screen real estate on the same device footprint. So.... half dozen of one, six of the other. Drop the capacitive buttons, shrink the bezel, and the screen space should even out.

If this gets HTC One, GS5, and top end LG hardware with seamless WP 8.1 running on them, goodbye hardware keys. I will burn a candle for ya.