Comments on new version of "KeyguardTime+" ?

[tmt]

How close are you to a valid public beta release?

Days. I hope! A final beta is in the works.

[Alli]

Favorite feature:  shows if your phone is muted!

[tmt]

Hopefully the last Beta before release... new version has been sent to
the beta testers and we'll see how it goes!

Status:

KeyguardTime+, version 5.04. It fixes the following:

- More event handling fixes, program now accurately tracks when
it's active on-screen and therefore accurately handles events.
Also does not misbehave when powered on by a mapped hard key.
These should fix the main issues in the previous Beta.

- Keys (again) dismiss the poweron popup instead of just timeout
or screen touch.

- Split up the "Advanced Display" form into new "Display Settings"/
"Display Content" forms. The latter form will be where other tidbits
can be added later, such as memory status, appointments, etc.

- Removed the menubar entries and moved them to "?" and "i"
icons, plus a popup for the configuration. Simpler, easier.

- Added a "simple mode" which turns off everything but the
clock and date at poweron. Easy way to cut things down and
see how the program can behave. "default" still turns on most
stuff.

- Fixed the phone status detection and signal strength a little
more. Also fixed the Bluetooth presence detection.

- Navigation now wraps on all the forms.

You should be able to simply hotsync or copy the program to
your Treo, it will automatically reinitialize itself without having
to setup again. But, take a look at the new screens soon!

[MrByte]

Way to go Tom. looking even better now....

[Snerdy]

Trying out the current beta -- super impressive.  It's awesome to see the development of an app like this get picked up so that the life of the app continues.  Really neat to see!

I haven't found any problems with this version, really, although using the side button for press-and-hold to display KGT+ is a little odd in that it keeps one from being able to use the built-in setting for the side button's press-and-hold function.  This isn't really a big deal (I mean, perhaps one might want to set the side button's press-and-hold function to KGT+ and nothing else anyway) but it struck me as something worth mentioning.

The main thought I have with this version, though, is about the ClockPop5 functionality.  It seems to work great for displaying KGT+ while the Treo is already on and you're in a particular app (I found that it works best assigned to the mail hard button).  On the other hand, the way KGT+ displays the clock with Keyguard seems to be the same as before. That is, if the Treo is off, KGT+ displays with Keyguard for only the amount of time Keyguard is active.  Ideally, the press-and-hold function of KGT+ would actually override Keyguard so that when the Treo was off, pressing and holding one of the hard buttons would light up the screen and display Keyguard (and KGT+) for as long as the hard button was held down.  This would mean that with the Treo off, one could pop-up a clock and take as much time as one needed to read the information (some of us are, you see, very slow).

I'm not sure if addressing this sort of thing would be a big detour in your current development, and it's not something that will keep me from using KGT+, but it's an issue with functionality that comes to mind, so I thought I'd mention it.  Apologies if it seems inappropriate or unclear.

[100thMonkey]

Ideally, the press-and-hold function of KGT+ would actually override Keyguard so that when the Treo was off, pressing and holding one of the hard buttons would light up the screen and display Keyguard (and KGT+) for as long as the hard button was held down. 

The ONLY application that I have found that does this is mVoice's 1 touch voice memo....and it wreaks havoc with ther hardbutton settings and prohibits apps like Speedlaunch and ClockPop from being mapped to hardbuttons

Additionally Snerdy, the side button does not appear to have the ability to wake the unit unlike the 4 regular hardkeys. That appears to be a limitation of the unit, rather than a flaw of the developer, though a creative developer may hack the ROM...LOL...but that may be excessive

[Snerdy]

The ONLY application that I have found that does this is mVoice's 1 touch voice memo....and it wreaks havoc with ther hardbutton settings and prohibits apps like Speedlaunch and ClockPop from being mapped to hardbuttons

No, this was a feature of ClockPop5 -- it's one of the main features that doesn't function properly on the 650.  I realize that the situation is somewhat different on the 650, and it's perfectly understandable if this isn't something that can be implemented for KGT+, I'm just saying -- if we're trying to recreate some of the features of ClockPop5, being able to press a hard button when the Treo is off to display the time and then holding that button to keep displaying the time was a feature of ClockPop5.  It's something I miss, it's not a part of KGT+ right now, so I thought I'd mention it, is all.

Additionally Snerdy, the side button does not appear to have the ability to wake the unit unlike the 4 regular hardkeys.

I'm aware that the side button doesn't wake the Treo, and I certainly wasn't criticizing tmt for failing to implement something that's impossible (as far as we know).  I was simply pointing out that KGT+'s side button setting basically overrides whatever has been assigned to the built-in side button setting.  Again, I don't mention this because I think it's a problem -- it just seems like some users might be confused by the fact that KGT+ and the built-in setting will be conflicting and it might be worth noting specifically.

[100thMonkey]

No, this was a feature of ClockPop5 -- it's one of the main features that doesn't function properly on the 650.

my bad. I didn't realize...

[tmt]

I was simply pointing out that KGT+'s side button setting basically overrides whatever has been assigned to the built-in side button setting.

Actually, it doesn't override the key, but you have to be aware of how it works:

In "hold" mode, KGT+ hesitates a moment before acting on the key. So if you press and release quickly, the key performs its normal action. This is how ClockPop5 works (only on the regular hardkeys).

In "press" mode, KGT+ acts immediately but then watches how you choose to dismiss it. If you press the same key again, it dismisses, then sends that key, so you get the key's action on the tail-end. If you touch the screen or press a different key, it simply dismisses, so you don't get the key. "Press" mode is a special mode that ClockPop5 does not do. I like it because it leaves the display up, basically forever if you like. It refreshes periodically, too.

*BUT* it turns out there is a bug in the latest beta on "press" mode  . It dismisses okay if you touch a different key, but if you touch the same key twice it won't dismiss. So, don't try that just yet!

As mentioned, the side button is "special" on the 650 - it doesn't power the Treo up. Also, it's really kind of a sucky button - on mine it's very stiff and gives almost no tactile feedback. So it's hard to be very precise with it. The other hard buttons are great. The advantage of it however is that it has very few other functions so it's easily used for this.

My favorite key at the moment for mapping KGT+ is "while holding ... Center". With the way press/hold actions are implemented in KGT+, the only thing given up is the ability to do a Center-hold to get to the attention manager. I might be able to special-case that.

[tmt]

By the way, a bunch of people have asked for copies of the Beta but didn't provide their email addresses. At the moment, I have a bunch of beta testers and it's very close to release anyway, so I don't plan to add to my inbox too awfully much by adding more. If you have a real burning desire, or a phone model that hasn't been tested much though, let me know.

[fifty_rocks]

I promise to our members that KeyguardTime+ will be available in our Downloads area as soon as tmt is ready to release it.  I assure you that it will be worth the wait!

Most definitely - it's a really nice piece of software and a great addition to the Treo!

[tmt]

I promise to our members that KeyguardTime+ will be available in our Downloads area as soon as tmt is ready to release it.  I assure you that it will be worth the wait!

Thanks, Bum. Patience everyone! I'm sorry for the glitch, but over the weekend the beta testers found another boo-boo. The good news is, it's fixed and I'm pretty confident in the new version. I'm going to send it out to them again later today and hopefully it'll be ready.

[Feico Mol]

Lots of hype about this product...can't wait to try it.

Any chance of having it say the time as well? 

[DickieD]

L O L at M O L

Would be cool though - that would be PRO

[aabshire]

I have noticed that with the latest version when you are selecting "Sample Presets" that if you select "Simple" then all of the other presets carry forward the "Simple" screen until you select "Default".

Not sure if bug or is this is the way it is set to function.