My hate of the search button in games

[Gmotagi]

I think I can honestly say the only thing I hate about the WP7 is the way the search button works.

In particular that you cannot programatically override its launching of Bing in games (you can with back buttion btw).

Microsofts argument for this is that it breaks the way the UI works, however as every game has a unique UI this argument doesnt really hold water.

Just picture this....

You are deep in the dungeon, the Orc boss jumps out in front of you. You go to equip your flaming sword, tap the search button and.....

a) It opens your inventory screen showing you the items you have available.

b) I opens Bing with a pretty picture of some ducks on an icy pond.

or

You're flying through the asteroid field of Taurus 9 when you start taking damage. You need to raise your sheilds, quick bring up the engineering screen...Oh what a pretty little duck that is, I do hope its feet dont get stuck to that ice.

You get the picture. The search button is useless in games but has a No.1 prominant position in the UI and is also a major immersion killer when aciddently pressed.

<rant mode off>

 

[Pronk]

I have to agree. I don't see why it can't be disabled in certain scenarios. But then again I don't see why a dedicated search key is needed anyway. I get that Google want it because, well - they're Google. They *are* search. But I never use Bing so often that I think "hey, I really need a separate key for this so I can get to it anywhere, all the time". Home and back are really all you need.

Too late now, as the UI/hardware is fixed, but a little search icon you could tap on e.g. up by the battery would make more sense to me. There on the menu screens when you need it, gone when you're in a game/app that you're unlikely to make a sudden jump out of.

 

[Eirenarch]

I have to agree. I don't see why it can't be disabled in certain scenarios. But then again I don't see why a dedicated search key is needed anyway. I get that Google want it because, well - they're Google. They *are* search. But I never use Bing so often that I think "hey, I really need a separate key for this so I can get to it anywhere, all the time". Home and back are really all you need.

Too late now, as the UI/hardware is fixed, but a little search icon you could tap on e.g. up by the battery would make more sense to me. There on the menu screens when you need it, gone when you're in a game/app that you're unlikely to make a sudden jump out of.

This is the biggest problem I have with WP (together with the lack of Bulgarian keyboard but this is kind of different). Especially since the search button on my phone is soft and I constantly press it by accident when playing. This is ridiculous. As if I suddenly want to search the web while playing games.

BTW can normal applications override this button? I noticed that the marketplace has a search icon inside the app. Why the **** won't hitting the search button in the marketplace app do a marketplace search? If the search button is just a Bing button it is pretty much useless.

Just tell me where and I will write my congressmen about it! Oh... I mean complain to Microsoft.

Edit: Is "****" (the opposite of heaven) a bad word in English?

 

[germcevoy]

I despise the search button. I have never intentionally used it but always accidentally launch it. It seems word on the Lumia 800 as the search button is practically on the screen. I wished they had put the buttons slightly lower to make use of the (unsightly) bezel at the bottom of the device.

+1 about search needing to work as a Marketplace search when you are actually in the Marketplace. Poor design.

 

[Pronk]

I noticed that the marketplace has a search icon inside the app. Why the **** won't hitting the search button in the marketplace app do a marketplace search? If the search button is just a Bing button it is pretty much useless.

It used to do just that, then in Mango Microsoft decided to standardise so that the search button ALWAYS launches Bing. Which for consistency is good, but it'd have been better to allow flexibility IMHO - maybe even have it as a user-definable hot key with search as a default but other options allowable.

As for the swears, well it's a very, very, very mild swearword. Apparently the moderators think we're all sensitive types!

 

[Eirenarch]

Well, if MS decided they needed hardware Bing (not search but specifically Bing) button I think we will easily agree that this is by far the worst failure thing in the OS design.

Forbidding synonyms of inferno in a tech forum is a failure as well but it doesn't even come close.

 

[mhans311]

I actually use the search button fairly often. I'm glad it's there. Now having said that, I agree that it's annoying that it can't be disabled during a game. I think that's a good idea gmotagi, having Te search button perform a useful function during a game. That would both avoid the frustrating interruptions, AND add to the overall gameplay experience.

Sent from my Trophy using Board Express

 

[Eirenarch]

I actually use the search button fairly often. I'm glad it's there. Now having said that, I agree that it's annoying that it can't be disabled during a game. I think that's a good idea gmotagi, having Te search button perform a useful function during a game. That would both avoid the frustrating interruptions, AND add to the overall gameplay experience.

Sent from my Trophy using Board Express

If the apps were allowed to override it would be useful. Many apps can have contextual search including many parts of the OS like the marketplace and the people hub.

I just relocated 3 of my uservoice points to this issue:
Bring back contextual hardware search button

Also I am considering a blackout of my website to protest Bing Button.

 

[Winterfang]

I disagree. I hate how Search was integrated in Nodo, Search is my Bing button, I don't want to have that button to work sometimes and sometimes don't. It's more coherent this way.

What if pressing the Home button had a different use in every app? It would be a catastrophic.

 

[Eirenarch]

I disagree. I hate how Search was integrated in Nodo, Search is my Bing button

From now on we're enemies!

 

[Winterfang]

From now on we're enemies!

Bring it on!

or should I say, Bing it on? he he puns are fun.

 

[Eirenarch]

Come on, start Armed! I already put a sticker over my Bing button so I do not press it unintentionally and leave the game.

 

[xmind]

Come on, start Armed! I already put a sticker over my Bing button so I do not press it unintentionally and leave the game.

Such a simple yet ingenious idea!

Just throwing my support or "non-support" for the dedicated search button. I understand you want something there for quick access, but how hard is it to hit the home button and tap a search tile. Seems like a waste of a button that doesn't integrate with apps. A menu button would be sooo much more beneficial IMO.

 

[Winterfang]

Why is that a problem? If you want to search an app you tap the search button inside the app. If you want to go to Bing you press the Search button. Bing is more than search remember.

 

[Eirenarch]

Why is that a problem? If you want to search an app you tap the search button inside the app. If you want to go to Bing you press the Search button. Bing is more than search remember.

As pointed out several times already - because we are CONSTANTLY pressing it unintentionally. Also because some of us use bing relatively rarely and our phones still have this button we don't use.

The user voice issue in my signature has some pretty good ideas on a compromise. They could make holding the button open Bing always and make the normal use contextual.

 

[Winterfang]

Maybe is a capacity button problem. I never had this problem =/.

 

[Speebs]

I disagree. I hate how Search was integrated in Nodo, Search is my Bing button, I don't want to have that button to work sometimes and sometimes don't. It's more coherent this way.

What if pressing the Home button had a different use in every app? It would be a catastrophic.

catastrophic, really?

This is what I would like to see:

Start button: Short press activates app-specific menu (like on Blackberry); long press beings you to the Start screen
Search button: Short press activates app-specific search or other function, long press brings up Bing (or better, universal search like webOS), double-tap activates TellMe

Ideally you could customize the functions for each button/action (for example, you might prefer that TellMe is activated by a double-tap on the Start button or a long press of the search button).

 

[Speebs]

Why is that a problem? If you want to search an app you tap the search button inside the app. If you want to go to Bing you press the Search button. Bing is more than search remember.

It's a waste of screen real estate when there is already a button dedicated to searching.

 

[Eirenarch]

Maybe is a capacity button problem. I never had this problem =/.

It is. So Windows Phone 7 should continue to be a bad OS for soft buttons? What is more even if I did not press it all the time I would still hate to have a hardware button dedicated to Bing and only Bing.

 

[Winterfang]

You hate it but I love it. I use Bing a lot.