Google Phasing Out the Android Menu Button

[Guest]

Google is giving Android developers a heads up that the Menu button in Android is being phased out.

Google Phasing Out the Android Menu Button : Read more

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Umm... screw you, Google? I happened to like the Menu button!

 

[AznCracker]

Well, still better than one button on the iPhone.

 

[joytech22]

I liked the menu button (capacitive), it was fast to get to the menu.
On my Galaxy Nexus it took me a while to stop hitting the bottom left side to get to the menu.

 

[jezus53]

I got an idea, lets take something that works and everyone is used to, and change it for no particular reason! We can call it, an upgrade...

 

[Guest]

Sounds vaguely in the right direction, since "menu" on a mobile device is slippery and the way Android menu is more like a shortcut bar we used to on a desktop.

 

[cookoy]

If you can't deliver substantial improvements under the hood, then you tinker with the UI and highlight the skin-deep changes as must-have upgrades.

 

[DSpider]

Wait. So they're replacing 3 buttons with 6? How about NO buttons? Replace them with gestures. Or at least add a gesture that will show/hide the menu bar.

 

[capt_taco]

Wow, that's just ... not very smart. One of the good things about Android phones is that you can use a few buttons to take care of obvious shortcuts that are a pain in the ass with a touchscreen. Works way better than Apple's "dummy button."

Seriously, Google -- you were starting to win. Why start to imitate the inferior OS now? Steve Jobs is dead, man.

 

[neon871]

You shake your phone once to go back 1 page, shake it 3 times to go to home page........ yeah Google nobrainer!

I like it.....................NOT!

 

[Kryan]

I LOVE that button...it's even still a PHYSICAL button on my phone (Original HTC DESIRE)
I use it so much, that that is the only button to show wear...like my "WASD" and the part where my thumb presses "spacebar" ....sigh, i'm such a pc nerd...

 

[N.Broekhuijsen]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I want my damn menu button. It's so quick 'n easily accessible this way.

 

[freggo]

We spent years teaching non-geek users to use Menus and now we remove the MENU button.

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. I can use some extra $$ retraining people.

 

[Crush3d]

I like my menu button.. why would you want to stop my reliance upon something good..

 

[kawininjazx]

I also like the menu button. I think they are trying to slowly phase out all buttons, maybe Apple patented buttons?

 

[mrmaia]

Maybe someone finally patented the use of buttons.

 

[kartu]

Never dissapearing statusbar is the thing I hate most in my Android tablet. It's even there when I watch video!!! It sucks, dear google and "oh, but consumer can get lost" argument doesn't stand.

 

[devnul3]

Way to report the news in a timely manner. ICS came out (with no menu button) in MID OCTOBER.

 

[Guest]

NO NO NO NO NO. This is one of my favorite parts about Android. Ever try to adjust the settings for a program in iOS? Open app, need to change a setting? press home button, open settings, find program, click program, scroll through settings, change settings, hit home button, find program, open program, check to see if settings worked. If not? repeat.

In Android? open app, hit menu, adjust settings.

I understand they're going to try to encourage software menu interaction rather then a hardware button, but now we are dependent on app developers giving us what we need in an easy to find place. Right now its just so simple...

 

[TomsSound]

Umm why not have both available.

For manufacturers who want to develop phones with buttons. Let them have buttons.
Those who do not... let them have "soft menu" buttons.
Just have the phone check to see if it has the buttons available and if so .. do not show "soft menu".
and vice-versa

I'm not a programmer.. but I would think there would be a way for them to do this.