Motorola A855 Sholes/Tao/Droid Pre-Release Thread 2 (Off topic Posts=BAN No Warnings)

[Aixelsyd]

I'm thinking (and hoping) that you will be able to use all the same applications with the new 2.0 release.

I wouldn't count on that. From what I've heard so far alot of the current apps DO NOT work with 2.0 as they have not been updated yet.

Word has also traveled there should be approx 10,000 apps workable tho in the not to distant future after things do get updated.

[xxceler8]

That's a strange keyboard layout. Does any other phone have a space bar between the V and B keys and the B/N/M keys misaligned like that? Does anyone have experience with a keyboard like this?

Thats the only thing I don't like about this phone. The keys don't line up like a real qwerty KB.

[ChocoTaco369]

That's a strange keyboard layout. Does any other phone have a space bar between the V and B keys and the B/N/M keys misaligned like that? (edit: actually the whole bottom row is misaligned) Does anyone have experience with a keyboard layout like this?

Another edit: also a blank key to the left of Z? really?

It could be a customizable key, which could be pretty awesome.

That render really means nothing. The hardware has been changed so many times since then, it really is irrelevant. There has never been a photo taken of the QWERTY keyboard on the most recent hardware, so we really don't know what the QWERTY looks like. It could be spaced very differently from that render.

[skatingrocker17]

It could be a customizable key, which could be pretty awesome.

That render really means nothing. The hardware has been changed so many times since then, it really is irrelevant. There has never been a photo taken of the QWERTY keyboard on the most recent hardware, so we really don't know what the QWERTY looks like. It could be spaced very differently from that render.

Agreed, that's a very early picture, I remember looking at it sometime during the summer.

[spiff72]

That's a strange keyboard layout. Does any other phone have a space bar between the V and B keys and the B/N/M keys misaligned like that? (edit: actually the whole bottom row is misaligned) Does anyone have experience with a keyboard layout like this?

Hmmm... Interesting point. I didn't notice that until you pointed it out. The fact that the spacebar is embedded in the bottom row of keys is a little odd. I guess they did that so there would be a dedicated row of number keys? I would have to try out that keyboard and see if it is tough to get used to...

[EyeZer0]

I'm pretty sure Bill23 has said that the hardware itself has gone through multiple revisions so I'm sure that rendering is nothing like anything the current hardware looks like.

[woshi]

that's not the current keyboard layout

[Shizlak]

I hope you guys are right about the keyboard changing. However, the old prototype has the same layout:


It's not like Moto doesn't know how to do a qwerty layout. The Morrison/CLIQ/DEXT had a normal layout back when it was called the G1v2:

and that was almost 3 months before the first STD render. So if moto knows how to do a proper qwerty layout, why crazy it up in the first place?

[skatingrocker17]

Well the Cliq could have a normal qwerty keyboard because it doesn't have the numbers at the top like the STD.

[woshi]

By that, do you mean that the devices in those pictures in my post ARE running Eclair, or the hardware is exactly the same as the ones currently running Eclair but the ones the CEO's are holding is just 1.6? I'm under the impression that that is 1.6 they are running and Eclair will look different than Google 1.x.

i have no knowledge of which flavor OS *those* devices are running... just saying that current A855's running firmware ver 'Eclair' look identical to the screenshots that were posted. that said, i also have no knowledge as to whether the current software has gone gold... there could be another revision before it hits the shelves, no idea.

one of those cases where a picture of the firmware menu would be worth 1000 words.

[random-ized]

I just wanted to point out something on the calender that i noticed..

If you look at the 22nd the words are in red just like the 30th except it says Windows 7 release date. That has already been confirmed by microsoft that windows 7 is releasing on the 22nd. So that in itself would lead me to believe that the Oct 30 date where sholes is mention could be the actual release date. Be it online or in-store or both.

But thats just me looking at color codes

[norbert]

If indeed there are 800k of these already in a warehouse somewhere, the final layout is established. Since the device is still continuously going through software/firmware upgrades, I assume these updates will have to be done OTA on the release of the device. However, wouldn't the manual enclosed in the box be out of date when it's released? Maybe the enclosed manual is more of a quick start guide and the final manual will be a download.

[Esquire0399]

I hope you guys are right about the keyboard changing. However, the old prototype has the same layout:

As has been previously stated, the prototype is OLDER than the render, thus the prototype's keyboard being the same as the render's keyboard has absolutely no bearing on what the final layout will turn out to be. And if woshi says the layout has changed, then it has changed. Period.

[Aixelsyd]

If indeed there are 800k of these already in a warehouse somewhere, the final layout is established. Since the device is still continuously going through software/firmware upgrades, I assume these updates will have to be done OTA on the release of the device. However, wouldn't the manual enclosed in the box be out of date when it's released? Maybe the enclosed manual is more of a quick start guide and the final manual will be a download.

fyi it was stated in the pre-release thread the 800K are not in boxes. they are just fabbed and sitting in a warehouse atm. Secondly if I'm not mistaken someone also mentioned in that thread all 800k are not the final hardware build and a bunch of them will be trash material because they are older H/W builds and will not work with the most recent S/W.

[skatingrocker17]

I just wanted to point out something on the calender that i noticed..

If you look at the 22nd the words are in red just like the 30th except it says Windows 7 release date. That has already been confirmed by microsoft that windows 7 is releasing on the 22nd. So that in itself would lead me to believe that the Oct 30 date where sholes is mention could be the actual release date. Be it online or in-store or both.

But thats just me looking at color codes

I noticed the same thing. Hopefully that's the case. But I've already got Windows 7 now all I need is an STD