11 ms·

One thing I like about the Bolt over the Tesla 3 is the fact that it has buttons for climate control and basic music functions. I'm really not a fan of where yo

by itg 11y ago

One thing I like about the Bolt over the Tesla 3 is the fact that it has buttons for climate control and basic music functions. I'm really not a fan of where your are forced to do everything on a giant touchscreen stuck to the middle of the dash.

toddmorey 11y ago
I thought I'd miss physical buttons, too, but I don't. I really don't. It's very easy to use the touchscreen in a Tesla. Plus, you do have physical buttons available for climate: they are on the steering wheel (if you decide to chose that option).
- awestley 11y ago
  Agreed. I had the same hesitation. Like most things with the Tesla, you need to experience it to truly appreciate it.
- marcoperaza 11y ago
  Can you safely operate the entertainment system while driving? With physical buttons, I can turn the volume knob or cycle through radio station presets without taking my attention off the road. With a touch screen, you don't get tactile feedback and modal dialogs or different screens can block controls, so you have to divert your gaze and attention to the screen. I haven't driven in a Tesla, so maybe they've figured it out.
  - mdorazio 11y ago
    Only if you use the steering wheel controls. Despite what others may believe, anything you need to do on the giant touch screen absolutely cannot be done safely while driving.
    - mikeash 11y ago
      I wonder, is there actual evidence that physical buttons are better? I don't doubt that screwing with a touchscreen while driving is dangerous, but I have to wonder about the common wisdom that screwing with physical buttons while driving isn't.
      - skj 11y ago
        This is not evidence per se, but with physical buttons you don't have to take your eyes off the road.
        mikeash 11y ago
        I wonder how many drivers actually learn their controls that well. Anecdotally (which I realize is worthless, I just don't have anything better to go on) I see a lot of drivers taking their eyes off the road to look at physical buttons, and I was even in a crash where the driver just drove off the road while fiddling with the radio.
        tzs 11y ago
        It probably depends on the design of the physical buttons. I've had cars where the physical buttons were sliders and I usually had to glance at them, especially when there were multiple slides parallel to each other (say for fan speed and hot/cold mix). That's because the part that I had to interact with would be in different places, depending on the current setting. It would require enough feeling around to make sure I had the right control that it would probably be more distracting than a quick glance. My current car (2006 Honda CR-V) uses round buttons for many things. I do not need to glance at them. The fan speed control is always in the same place. The hot/cold mix control is always in the same place. The air routing control is always in the same place. So, if I want to change fan speed, for instance, I reach to the same fixed location every time, and then rotate the knob clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on whether I want to increase or decrease the fan speed. Unlike with sliders, the current setting does not affect what I have to do to find the control or interact with it.
        marcoperaza 11y ago
    - robmcm 11y ago
      What if you are not driving, but using auto pilot?
  - cynix 11y ago
    I usually engage Autopilot before operating the touchscreen, so that I can take my eyes off the road briefly.
  - cstejerean 11y ago
    My Dodge Charger has touch screen control for most functions (but not all). I have not found any trouble operating it while driving, but I'm sure there is a big difference between finding buttons on an 8.4" touchscreen vs 15" or larger.
    - bradlys 11y ago
      I have a 2014 dodge charger. I absolutely abhor the touch screen for just about any function. It's painfully difficult to use without looking as too many buttons are close together and you have to really lean over to operate most of them. I feel it was poorly designed. (Just like having the cupholders behind the shifter) I cannot operate the touch screen reliably without looking at it and even while looking it's still difficult. I'm glad it still has physical controls for most functions although even those aren't very good (it's hard to feel the difference on some of the buttons).
    - i_laugh_at_you 11y ago
      Lots of people text and drive but I wouldn't advise it.
  - theseatoms 11y ago
    Relatedly, does anyone have a sense of how far out we are from consumer-grade haptic-feedback touchscreens? Seems like the obvious next step.
    - Grishnakh 11y ago
      >Relatedly, does anyone have a sense of how far out we are from consumer-grade haptic-feedback touchscreens? Well, they had them in Star Trek: The Next Generation. While not actually shown close-up in the show, the technical manual explained that the flat touchscreens actually provided tactile feedback, and of course were reconfigurable. How'd they do it? Simple: according to the technical manual, they used miniature force fields. We're not very close to developing any kind of force fields right now.... On a more serious note, I believe there's been some research into using ultrasonics to provide some kind of tactile feedback. And of course lots of phones now have vibrating feedback.
    - vinay427 11y ago
      The BlackBerry Storm had a haptic system, but it didn't seem to catch on, and it also did not have separate buttons so was not as easy-to-use as a menu with conventional buttons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Storm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Storm
- drakenot 11y ago
  Is there a physical button on the steering wheel to pause music playback? I often need to pause audiobooks or podcasts and I really miss it when I don't have a physical button to do this.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    Yes, play/pause, volume, and next/previous track are all accessible on the steering wheel. There's also a set of menus on the instrument panel you can navigate entirely with steering wheel buttons, which allows you to control the sunroof, climate control, and other essentials.
- swiley 11y ago
  I tried to reply to you but I'm on my phone and accidentally hit something else, to get back out I tried to hit the back button but that hit yet another link. Aren't touch screens fun!
- buro9 11y ago
  What do the passengers do to control the climate for them? Or how does the passenger change the music while you are viewing the map? I really dislike there being only a single control centre. Good for the driver without passengers perhaps, but bad otherwise.
  - _ph_ 11y ago
    The climate controls are always shown at the bottom of the screen, independant from what else is going on. Also, most of the time the UI is split into two tiles which show different "apps". So operating one tile does not remove the map from the other. Also, you can display a mini-map on the drivers dashboard screen.
IkmoIkmo 11y ago
If it doesn't exist yet in the latest car models, I'm sure it will soon: voice-automated controls. Should be pretty trivial to do basic things like climate control via voice, and seeing as a car is a private environment (my biggest gripe with talking to my phone in public), I think it'll quickly overtake physical controls as the preferred mode of use.
- semi-extrinsic 11y ago
  Voice activation in cars has existed for ten years, and it's been a running gag for ten years how poorly it works; see e.g. Top Gear: "Call Richard Hammond" - "Deleting contact info".
  - ams6110 11y ago
    To be fair, what you see on Top Gear is all scripted and staged for entertainment value.
    - lostcolony 11y ago
      To be pedantic, he did say 'gag'
  - Animats 11y ago
    In "Car Guys vs. Bean Counters", Bob Lutz describes the day he killed voice input for GM cars in the 1990s. He tried the demo, and decided that working through the voice menus was just too clunky. So he killed the project.
  - IkmoIkmo 11y ago
    Yeah but something siri like or ok google like?
- nommm-nommm 11y ago
  Voice controls are terrible for anyone without a Standard American Accent. I also feel voice automated controls are very distracting.
dj_doh 11y ago
Party true. But don't be surprised when Tesla revamp their user inputs with Siri-like interface. It's easier to go from touchscreen to voice then nobs-&-bolts to voice. The later is few layers closer to the traditional interfaces.
- greglindahl 11y ago
  ... Tesla already has a few voice controls. But, really, the most common case is using the buttons on the steering wheel.
greglindahl 11y ago
The steering wheel for Model S and X has buttons for climate control and basic music functions, not to mention phone functions and some other functions. Why do you think the Model 3 will lack steering wheel buttons?

by itg 11y ago

toddmorey 11y ago

I thought I'd miss physical buttons, too, but I don't. I really don't. It's very easy to use the touchscreen in a Tesla. Plus, you do have physical buttons available for climate: they are on the steering wheel (if you decide to chose that option).

awestley 11y ago
Agreed. I had the same hesitation. Like most things with the Tesla, you need to experience it to truly appreciate it.
marcoperaza 11y ago
Can you safely operate the entertainment system while driving? With physical buttons, I can turn the volume knob or cycle through radio station presets without taking my attention off the road. With a touch screen, you don't get tactile feedback and modal dialogs or different screens can block controls, so you have to divert your gaze and attention to the screen. I haven't driven in a Tesla, so maybe they've figured it out.
- mdorazio 11y ago
  Only if you use the steering wheel controls. Despite what others may believe, anything you need to do on the giant touch screen absolutely cannot be done safely while driving.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    I wonder, is there actual evidence that physical buttons are better? I don't doubt that screwing with a touchscreen while driving is dangerous, but I have to wonder about the common wisdom that screwing with physical buttons while driving isn't.
    - skj 11y ago
      This is not evidence per se, but with physical buttons you don't have to take your eyes off the road.
      - mikeash 11y ago
        I wonder how many drivers actually learn their controls that well. Anecdotally (which I realize is worthless, I just don't have anything better to go on) I see a lot of drivers taking their eyes off the road to look at physical buttons, and I was even in a crash where the driver just drove off the road while fiddling with the radio.
        tzs 11y ago
        It probably depends on the design of the physical buttons. I've had cars where the physical buttons were sliders and I usually had to glance at them, especially when there were multiple slides parallel to each other (say for fan speed and hot/cold mix). That's because the part that I had to interact with would be in different places, depending on the current setting. It would require enough feeling around to make sure I had the right control that it would probably be more distracting than a quick glance. My current car (2006 Honda CR-V) uses round buttons for many things. I do not need to glance at them. The fan speed control is always in the same place. The hot/cold mix control is always in the same place. The air routing control is always in the same place. So, if I want to change fan speed, for instance, I reach to the same fixed location every time, and then rotate the knob clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on whether I want to increase or decrease the fan speed. Unlike with sliders, the current setting does not affect what I have to do to find the control or interact with it.
        marcoperaza 11y ago
  - robmcm 11y ago
    What if you are not driving, but using auto pilot?
- cynix 11y ago
  I usually engage Autopilot before operating the touchscreen, so that I can take my eyes off the road briefly.
- cstejerean 11y ago
  My Dodge Charger has touch screen control for most functions (but not all). I have not found any trouble operating it while driving, but I'm sure there is a big difference between finding buttons on an 8.4" touchscreen vs 15" or larger.
  - bradlys 11y ago
    I have a 2014 dodge charger. I absolutely abhor the touch screen for just about any function. It's painfully difficult to use without looking as too many buttons are close together and you have to really lean over to operate most of them. I feel it was poorly designed. (Just like having the cupholders behind the shifter) I cannot operate the touch screen reliably without looking at it and even while looking it's still difficult. I'm glad it still has physical controls for most functions although even those aren't very good (it's hard to feel the difference on some of the buttons).
  - i_laugh_at_you 11y ago
    Lots of people text and drive but I wouldn't advise it.
- theseatoms 11y ago
  Relatedly, does anyone have a sense of how far out we are from consumer-grade haptic-feedback touchscreens? Seems like the obvious next step.
  - Grishnakh 11y ago
    >Relatedly, does anyone have a sense of how far out we are from consumer-grade haptic-feedback touchscreens? Well, they had them in Star Trek: The Next Generation. While not actually shown close-up in the show, the technical manual explained that the flat touchscreens actually provided tactile feedback, and of course were reconfigurable. How'd they do it? Simple: according to the technical manual, they used miniature force fields. We're not very close to developing any kind of force fields right now.... On a more serious note, I believe there's been some research into using ultrasonics to provide some kind of tactile feedback. And of course lots of phones now have vibrating feedback.
  - vinay427 11y ago
    The BlackBerry Storm had a haptic system, but it didn't seem to catch on, and it also did not have separate buttons so was not as easy-to-use as a menu with conventional buttons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Storm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Storm
drakenot 11y ago
Is there a physical button on the steering wheel to pause music playback? I often need to pause audiobooks or podcasts and I really miss it when I don't have a physical button to do this.
- mikeash 11y ago
  Yes, play/pause, volume, and next/previous track are all accessible on the steering wheel. There's also a set of menus on the instrument panel you can navigate entirely with steering wheel buttons, which allows you to control the sunroof, climate control, and other essentials.
swiley 11y ago
I tried to reply to you but I'm on my phone and accidentally hit something else, to get back out I tried to hit the back button but that hit yet another link. Aren't touch screens fun!
buro9 11y ago
What do the passengers do to control the climate for them? Or how does the passenger change the music while you are viewing the map? I really dislike there being only a single control centre. Good for the driver without passengers perhaps, but bad otherwise.
- _ph_ 11y ago
  The climate controls are always shown at the bottom of the screen, independant from what else is going on. Also, most of the time the UI is split into two tiles which show different "apps". So operating one tile does not remove the map from the other. Also, you can display a mini-map on the drivers dashboard screen.

IkmoIkmo 11y ago

If it doesn't exist yet in the latest car models, I'm sure it will soon: voice-automated controls. Should be pretty trivial to do basic things like climate control via voice, and seeing as a car is a private environment (my biggest gripe with talking to my phone in public), I think it'll quickly overtake physical controls as the preferred mode of use.

semi-extrinsic 11y ago
Voice activation in cars has existed for ten years, and it's been a running gag for ten years how poorly it works; see e.g. Top Gear: "Call Richard Hammond" - "Deleting contact info".
- ams6110 11y ago
  To be fair, what you see on Top Gear is all scripted and staged for entertainment value.
  - lostcolony 11y ago
    To be pedantic, he did say 'gag'
- Animats 11y ago
  In "Car Guys vs. Bean Counters", Bob Lutz describes the day he killed voice input for GM cars in the 1990s. He tried the demo, and decided that working through the voice menus was just too clunky. So he killed the project.
- IkmoIkmo 11y ago
  Yeah but something siri like or ok google like?
nommm-nommm 11y ago
Voice controls are terrible for anyone without a Standard American Accent. I also feel voice automated controls are very distracting.

dj_doh 11y ago

Party true. But don't be surprised when Tesla revamp their user inputs with Siri-like interface. It's easier to go from touchscreen to voice then nobs-&-bolts to voice. The later is few layers closer to the traditional interfaces.

greglindahl 11y ago
... Tesla already has a few voice controls. But, really, the most common case is using the buttons on the steering wheel.

greglindahl 11y ago

The steering wheel for Model S and X has buttons for climate control and basic music functions, not to mention phone functions and some other functions. Why do you think the Model 3 will lack steering wheel buttons?