Molehill time: Nokia Lumia 920 – super sensitive screen pocket activation? What’s that proximity sensor over there doing?

UPDATE:

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/10/01/nokia-super-sensitive-display-does-not-have-issue-with-unwanted-battery-drainage-920-and-820-avoids-accidental-activation-of-display/

The latest issue seems to be something making a mountain out of a non-existent molehill. Sources:

http://wmpoweruser.com/nokia-lumia-920-super-sensitive-touch-screen-a-potential-battery-drain-issue

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Nokia-Lumia-920-sensitive-screen-might-be-a-battery-hog-the-way-Windows-Phone-manages-touch_id35040

http://reach.jdbpocketware.com/topic/128305-to-nokia-ref-lumia-920/

Now this doesn’t drain battery because somehow this technology uses more battery.

The issue is that if you some how press the lock or camera button in your pocket, because of the super sensitive screen, it would some how keep the screen active and drain the battery.

At first, some users who were unaware of WP had a genuine concern with the phone screen activating itself in your pocket. N9 for example had a very intuitive double tap to wake up the screen. What if that was an issue here? Well you’ll need to press the lock screen button first and then swipe up. Now lock button first has become the next issue.

1) Firstly, you actually have to press (or even hold for camera) the buttons on the side. When in the pocket, that’s quite a difficult task to manage. I just tried with my Nokia Lumia 900, to press the buttons by pushing the side with buttons onto a table/hard surface. I tried it on a pillow for a soft surface. I tried it on my leg. On my arm. I tried slamming the side of it. Erm. No. I tried rolling it on my leg. No. The screen wasn’t activating at all.

But still, what if some how I put my hand in my pocket, activated the phone screen and left it there for my pocket to keep the screen active till battery death? (Er why? Because these are potential issues, great to sort them out now rather than when the devices are out in public :p)

2) There’s something in the phone called a proximity sensor. It would be quite an oversight if this wasn’t implemented as an added piece of mind type of thing to prevent the screen from being usable when in your pocket (just like how it turns the screen off when you’re making a call).

If it’s missing, this would be the simplest fix ever. Either way, sorry naysayers, this one is a non issue.

Some people make it their job to delight in the misery of others, to the point that, because they dislike an OS, they will even attack hardware features which would other wise be praised should it be on their favoured OS.

The next point some will make is that is it even useful? There’s already been conversations by some that being able to use something other than your finger might not even be useful at all! (I wouldn’t be surprised if they were once part of the camp hailing the resistive screen of the N97/N900).

The Nokia Lumia 920 takes both skin touch, so feather light swipes, as well as touch from a pen, glove etc etc etc – but it’s not resistive. You don’t need to push down (anyway, the screen is gorilla glass, not plastic). In the freezing cold I don’t need to take my gloves off to answer that call or find my missed call. If I’m cooking and I’ve got wet hands or food on them, I can use the back of a wooden spoon to scroll up along the recipe app. If I somehow had long false fingernails, I can tap away with them. If I was Edward scissor hands, I could fashion  you a tree in the face of Stephen Elop and then initiate a skype call with you using only my scissory hands.

p.s. I’ve asked clarification from Nokia just for confirmation on this topic. I’ve seen comments saying proximity sensor fix is mentioned by Nokia but I have not seen this in videos.

Cheers outdated os for the tip.

Category: Lumia, Nokia