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I've been using Android solely for the past 2 months and I'm going to start developing for it soon. The one thing that I genuinely hate about it is the menu but

I've been using Android solely for the past 2 months and I'm going to start developing for it soon. The one thing that I genuinely hate about it is the menu button. So many great features in so many great apps go undiscovered because the user is expected to have the idea to press the menu button in the right activity. And even when you have discovered the feature, pressing the menu button is just that bit of cognitive overhead which subtracts from a delightful experience. The most powerful features that Android's architecture(intents, etc) enables are stuck behind hidden menus. I would guess that most users use their phones just like an iPhone- with the exception of widgets on homescreens. I love this OS, but this madness has to stop. Edit: Add to this the long press of a list item, and between them, most actions are stuck behind an undiscoverable layer of UI.

daleharvey 16y ago
Sure, I actually share this annoyance, at the very least I wish the menu item would be kept consistent between activities. But the point remains, I also have a lot of annoyances with i-devices at the same time, compared to the two I prefer my HTC Desire, it would be nice to not be regarded as some type of idiot for possibly thinking that i-whatever arent the pinnacle of design that all things aspire to.
- spiffworks 16y ago
  Please don't think that I was siding with MG Siegler. I would choose my ancient G1 over an iPhone any day, but then I've been told that I'm a philistine.
NickPollard 16y ago
I've found the long press in Android one of the most instinctive and consistent pieces of the UI language; I love it. I don't know about the menu button, I certainly wouldn't cry if it went away, but the distinction between a short press (go, activate) and long press (configure, customise) is great. Long press is the right-click of smartphones.
- metageek 16y ago
  Long press is the right-click of smartphones. Yes. Maemo, for one, makes no bones about it: at the X windows level, a long press turns into an a right click.
- zacharypinter 16y ago
  Yes, going back and forth between the Nexus One and the iPad, I much prefer long-pressing a list item to remove/edit it over trying to find a button that makes the list in edit mode, or figuring out that some item can be swiped to have a remove button show up. Also, I find myself constantly wanting to use Android's back button on the iPad. It's really become quite natural for me on my phone. That said, I completely agree with the grandparent's comment about the menu button.
- spiffworks 16y ago
  Well, at least we can all agree that the menu button must die. The long press' iOS analogue is the left-to-right swipe on a list item, and you can use all apps perfectly well without ever discovering that gesture. The problem with Android's gesture is that it forces you to think about whether you should long press or press the menu button, then perhaps choose 'more', and so on. Contextual knowledge, that's the phrase. With the iPhone, what you see is what you get-for better or worse. In Android, you need to press the menu button to discover the actions you can perform.

daleharvey 16y ago

Sure, I actually share this annoyance, at the very least I wish the menu item would be kept consistent between activities. But the point remains, I also have a lot of annoyances with i-devices at the same time, compared to the two I prefer my HTC Desire, it would be nice to not be regarded as some type of idiot for possibly thinking that i-whatever arent the pinnacle of design that all things aspire to.

spiffworks 16y ago
Please don't think that I was siding with MG Siegler. I would choose my ancient G1 over an iPhone any day, but then I've been told that I'm a philistine.

NickPollard 16y ago

I've found the long press in Android one of the most instinctive and consistent pieces of the UI language; I love it. I don't know about the menu button, I certainly wouldn't cry if it went away, but the distinction between a short press (go, activate) and long press (configure, customise) is great. Long press is the right-click of smartphones.

metageek 16y ago
Long press is the right-click of smartphones. Yes. Maemo, for one, makes no bones about it: at the X windows level, a long press turns into an a right click.
zacharypinter 16y ago
Yes, going back and forth between the Nexus One and the iPad, I much prefer long-pressing a list item to remove/edit it over trying to find a button that makes the list in edit mode, or figuring out that some item can be swiped to have a remove button show up. Also, I find myself constantly wanting to use Android's back button on the iPad. It's really become quite natural for me on my phone. That said, I completely agree with the grandparent's comment about the menu button.
spiffworks 16y ago
Well, at least we can all agree that the menu button must die. The long press' iOS analogue is the left-to-right swipe on a list item, and you can use all apps perfectly well without ever discovering that gesture. The problem with Android's gesture is that it forces you to think about whether you should long press or press the menu button, then perhaps choose 'more', and so on. Contextual knowledge, that's the phrase. With the iPhone, what you see is what you get-for better or worse. In Android, you need to press the menu button to discover the actions you can perform.