If BlackBerry's design theme was for one handed use...

Back when BlackBerry 10 was launched we all saw the big deal they made out of the fact BB10 was designed for one handed use. You know, the busy mobile professional with bags in one hand rushing through the airport and using the phone with their other hand.

The concept really is great. Most actions are within reach at the bottom of the screen, the keyboard has the flick predictions and almost all the gestures start at the bottom of the screen.

Now that I've moved from the Z10 to the Z30, I'm seeing just how badly they've progressed with this one-handed use paradigm.

I don't have small hands, but when I hold it comfortably in my right hand, the top row is out of reach, and the left icon on the second row is just within what I'd consider a comfortable reach.

So what has BlackBerry left out of reach?

Quick Settings Menu
Any list of settings (email accounts, phone settings) leaves the top row out of reach
Cancel and Submit buttons at the top of the screen
The button for multi-selection and delete in the hub
Getting to the "Now Playing" screen in the music player is now done by tapping on the album at the very top of the screen
BBM panels such as "Featured" and "My channels" buttons at the top

Suggestion: Move stuff to the bottom of the screen, within reach and in keeping with your design paradigm. Stop copying Android and putting things up in the top-left corner.

I'm afraid I have to disagree, I have a Z30 which replaced my Galaxy S3, my hands are also far from being big and I have absolutely no trouble accessing all areas and all the settings on the device, unlike the S3 which was just impossible to use one handed.

Why Blackberry? Because I can!

Did you know during Steve's time Apple had the same policy of one handed use - I remeber an iPhone 4S ad that spoke about that; how your thumb could reach the top of the phone.

Using a BB10 phone starts (except you get a call) with swiping up the entire screen to unlock the home screen. Try this with the thumb of one hand.

And even if you switch off this gesture you have to press the power button on top. Allowing one of the volume keys to be pressed with the thumb was too absurd, you must use the power button which is on a really stupid position, you must use the trigger finger for this button while the thumb is needed to hold the device, and then you must change the grip to get the thumb free for use on the screen.

My old Curve was a one-handed device. The track-ball was a great thing, also the convenience keys, these were keys for one-handed use. The new BB10 devices (perhaps except the Classic) are far away from this.

I don't know how you hold your phone, but here's the problem I have...

You can see how I can't reach the top. This will be a bigger problem the more we rely on Android apps to fill the app gap as those have a tendency to out all of the important stuff at the top.




Attachment 355949

Posted via CB10

Originally Posted by muellerto

Using a BB10 phone starts (except you get a call) with swiping up the entire screen to unlock the home screen. Try this with the thumb of one hand.
.

I only have to swipe just over half way on my Z30 to unlock the phone.

Posted via CB10

The Z30 isnt meant for a one handed use though...

Originally Posted by Aljean Thein

The Z30 isnt meant for a one handed use though...

But that was a big part of the design of BB10.

All they have to do is move stuff within reach. Instead (with 10.3) we get broken up action bars at the bottom of the screen with useful functions out of reach (the music app is terrible for this - a broken up bar at the bottom (hamburger, shuffle, overflow) that cover up parts of the song names in a list, and the only access to the "now playing" screen is at the very top edge of the screen.

Originally Posted by Aljean Thein

The Z30 isnt meant for a one handed use though...

Yes, when you use it in peace and quite, not when you must hurry in the hustle of an airport terminal with an attache case and a coat in the other hand. But we talk about mobile devices.

When you use the thumb to unlock the lock screen this means the device lays in the hand (and probably only on the stretched fingers) just by gravitation. It's not safe at all in that moment, you risk to drop it. I would never do that.

Originally Posted by kenzo_44

Did you know during Steve's time Apple had the same policy of one handed use - I remeber an iPhone 4S ad that spoke about that; how your thumb could reach the top of the phone.

It was for iPhone 5

Passport

Originally Posted by klobb

It was for iPhone 5

Passport

Whats the difference - I remember now iPhone 5 thumb commercial...Its made an impression - I can never forget the commercial.

Originally Posted by muellerto

Using a BB10 phone starts (except you get a call) with swiping up the entire screen to unlock the home screen. Try this with the thumb of one hand.

I only have to go halfway on my Z30 to do this and I do it with the thumb of one hand, I think perhaps the problem is that you might just have abnormally small hands? none of the people that I know that use a Z30 have any of these problems.


Why Blackberry? Because I can!

Originally Posted by Sir Reaper

I think perhaps the problem is that you might just have abnormally small hands? none of the people that I know that use a Z30 have any of these problems.

The maximum distance between the fingertips of my thumb and the little finger is more than 21.5cm (8.4 inches) - OK, this is not a Gorilla paw but I'm sure this is also not abnormally small.

Originally Posted by muellerto

The maximum distance between the fingertips of my thumb and the little finger is more than 21.5cm (8.4 inches) - OK, this is not a Gorilla paw but I'm sure this is also not abnormally small.

True and mines only a cm longer than yours so that's kinda weird cos I don't have the same problem. my thumb is 6 cm's long, how long is yours? Maybe where I'm from we have freakishly long thumbs?

Why Blackberry? Because I can!

Originally Posted by ssbtech

I don't know how you hold your phone, but here's the problem I have...

You can see how I can't reach the top. This will be a bigger problem the more we rely on Android apps to fill the app gap as those have a tendency to out all of the important stuff at the top.




Attachment 355949

Posted via CB10

Two ideas:
1) put apps you access less frequently on the top row
2) get the app that allows you to insert invisible app (magic icon) and insert them on the top row of each screen.

RedBerry Passport / 10.3.2.680 / Telus

I fully agree, they should look into this. Even though the passport is obviously for 2 handed use, it's better to have stuff in reach regardless

Originally Posted by pgg101

Two ideas:
1) put apps you access less frequently on the top row
2) get the app that allows you to insert invisible app (magic icon) and insert them on the top row of each screen.

It's not just the icons on the top row, it's any button or menu that an app places up at the top too.

Reason why I bought a classic. I'm tired of full screen phones. Few millimeters less wider and this phone could be perfect.

Posted via CB10

Edit : my first problem with one hand writing, is that my hand touch the "123" button. Not small hand but really annoying. Classic is really cool with that.

So you want apps like cb10 to also leave a gap half way down from the top just so you can reach certain threads? Ridiculous. Adjust or move on

Via CB10 Rockin PassportSQW100-1/10.3.2.798

People moving to larger phones and complain because they can't use them one handed. Smh. If one handed use is so important then stay with the smaller ones.

Z30 / STA 100-3 / 10.3.2.680

Originally Posted by HowardShap

People moving to larger phones and complain because they can't use them one handed. Smh. If one handed use is so important then stay with the smaller ones.

Then wake me up when BlackBerry manages to squeeze Z30+ hardware into a slightly larger (4.5") Z10. That'd be the perfect phone.

Originally Posted by ssbtech

Then wake me up when BlackBerry manages to squeeze Z30+ hardware into a slightly larger (4.5") Z10. That'd be the perfect phone.

Then sleep forever.

Suffer Now & Live The Rest Of Your Life As A Champion

Agreed with OP. Lots of people here are actually AGAINST the idea of being able to use one handed, which is unbelievably dumb. If you don't think you will use it one handed, good for you, but you cannot deny that one handed use is a big part of BlackBerry 10.

Also if you think it's bad on a Z30, try a passport. Half the settings menus don't even work for swipe back, you have to reach all the way down left on the ultra wide passport.

Most of the time, menu or icon button located on the top of the screen doesn't have to be accessed frequently, e.g. I rarely need to access Quick Settings or any app's setting. However , when I need to I can invoke it using my index finger.

Z30STA100-2/10.3.2.798

This is actually a good discussion. Having the most frequently used functions and Apps available for one-handed use is good practice, regardless of the size of the device. I'm a Z10 user, and I take for granted that I can swipe up to unlock, swipe down for quick settings, swipe left and right to switch between screens, and select my most frequently uses apps from the right side of the home scteen.

To the extent that BlackBerry can maintain that functionality across all devices with small tweaks, they should. Obviously larger phones will be more productive and secure with two hands (as is my Z10), but being able to check email, make a phone call, etc. with only one hand is still very desirable.

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