Nexus One Update

Includes Pinch-to-Zoom and other updates

[Sierra_Dad]

[googlenexusoneboard.blogspot.com...]

Notably, includes pinch and zoom for iphone like browsing in Google base applications.

Android hardware has always been capable of multitouch. Nonetheless, the events weren't available in software until 2.0 or later. Even, then pinch and zoom was not immediately available.

Chatter on developer boards has suggested that:
1. Google didn't include pinch-to-zoom because Apple might sue them over a patent.
a) But the Android SDK does let you implement multitouch applications (since 2.0), so that does mean that they'd rather let small developers get sued?
2. Google didn't include pinch=to-zoom because one of their executives doesn't like it.
3. Google didn't include pinch to zoom because they don't want to be just like IPhone.

If any of that was true, Google has gotten over it.

Other applications are likely to use the multitouch. Since there is no simple interface for "pinch-to-zoom", implementations are unlikely to be consistent, but at the same time, there is a wider range of things beyond pinch and zoom that can be done.

[incrediBILL]

Sorry, but the HTC Hero, 1.6 device, has pinch and zoom, so this is nothing new.

However, in an exciting change, the 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen will support pinch-to-zoom capability. The last we heard, multitouch wouldn't be available until Android 2.0.

[cnet.com...]

Trust me, I have one, it works.

The Motorola Droid, a Android 2.0 device, also shipped with pinch and zoom.

So I'm not sure what's up with Nexxus but this has been in Android phones for quite some time.

[Sierra_Dad]

I have to rephrase this slightly.

Did your 1.6 Hero have Pinch and Zoom in the Google Browser and Google Maps? I believe this is the first time they've had it in their own base apps, though I could be wrong. Google has been awfully shy about pinch and zoom functionality - that's given rise to the above speculation.

Multitouch capability is not in Android 1.6. HTC put their own hardware specific multitouch interface and bypassed Android/Google. An end user doesn't particularly care about that detail, but developers do.

My G1 has been upgraded to 1.6, and I cannot get any data for more than one finger. Nor will I, since it is unlikely to get an upgrade to 2.0.

[incrediBILL]

In the Hero the pinch and zoom works in the browser, maps, camera when reviewing photos, not sure where else.

As far as the API goes, it doesn't bother me how it's implemented when I'm using the phone ;)

[Sierra_Dad]

As far as the API goes, it doesn't bother me how it's implemented when I'm using the phone

Fair enough. This thread can be deleted if no developers read this board.

The news for the end user is that pinch-to-zoom, etc, while not completely new, is becoming more mainstream. It's now in the base apps of Droid and Nexus One (where it wasn't at intro), and will become more common in third party apps as well.