Originally Posted By: Alex
Originally Posted By: MostlyHarmless

During transit: No bare hands-operation
Zoom in / out
Pan
Toggle between different modes of navigation display (map - arrow showing direction to next waypoint, )
Set wp at my position (and preferably give it a name that makes sense)
show/hide my track

Thanks.

I can suggest the following:

1. Zoom in / out - 2 volume buttons, they are large enough (alternatively, shake the phone up/down/up/down to zoom in, down/up/down/up to zoom out - the first move dictates the direction, others - confirms it);

2. Pan - tilt the phone for more than 45 deg to the direction you want to pan, then back to normal for a fixed pan step;

3. Toggle between different modes of navigation display (map - arrow showing direction to next waypoint, ) - Shake your phone vigorously left-right (along the short side) to switch the mode from the looped list;

4. Set wp at my position (and preferably give it a name that makes sense) - cover the top of the screen with your hand (glove/mitten/bare/your forehead - doesn't matter) to trip the proximity sensor and cause the WP registered on the map (optionally use the voice to input the WP name, or I can think of gravity driven keyboard if you so prefer - still better than the 5 buttons input of Magellan);

5. show/hide my track - shake the phone forward/backward (along the longer side).

Also we have in the reserve "turn the screen over (screen down) and back" and "slap it with other hand at one of its 6 sides N times" but these are less practical.

Would that work for you?


I have my doubts - but I wont make my prejudices stand in the way of innovation! If you make it, I'll try it!

Operating the volume buttons works OK on my device with my mittens and my fingers. I can't feel it - but I just push where it's supposed to be, and that works.

You should also know that I'm not interested in holding my navigation device in my hand perpetually when moving about. It's tiresome, and it's just too easy to loose it. So my device will be tied to a loop over my neck and one shoulder. It is super easy to grab it with one hand, operate it and just let it dangle when I've satisfied my navigation needs. That could possibly create caos in your "turn the screen over" logic. Or perhaps one of the buttons (the volume?) will take the device out of "screen saving mode" into "operations mode"? And some flick (or dropping it 4 inches, then dangle) would turn off the screen and all operations?