Finally, the physical QWERTY keyboard which should double as a trackpad doesn't seem to have changed much from last year, and the Athena apparently retains the same 3:2 image format and a similar screen - to - body ratio as the KEYone.
Not exact matches
This is a great feature
as it allows for one handed use of the phone via the
trackpad, which
does get the glowing outline treatment
as pictured above.
The phone is so small and easy to use with one hand with the
trackpad as navigation that it just seems less efficient to move my finger onto the display and start swiping so instinctively I don't.
The ability to run Windows apps is its only good point and it looks good in theory, but you really
do need to use the keyboard and
trackpad to
do it — so why would anyone wanting to run Windows applications buy this kludged assortment of clip together bits with a second rate keyboard and
trackpad, low battery life, and semi-stable parts
as opposed to a proper ultrabook laptop?
But the keyboard
does function
as a
trackpad in a pinch.
Knowing how much you can
do simply by swiping on the PlayBook screen, it's awesome to see those gestures carried over to the
trackpad navigation
as well.
I really think the Tour is a better device, even if it doesn't have WiFi, an optical
trackpad, or OS 5.0 (it's basically the same
as 4.7 anyways).
As a side note: While the
trackpad doesn't light up, you can still adjust the sensitivity level for it.
It is a solid phone that has wifi and an optical
trackpad and can
do the same things
as all the other Berries out there.
Although BlackBerry has put in a ton of work to make sure their apps and the OS are working well with the
trackpad, there's still a lot of work to be
done by others
as some apps just simply don't play well with the
trackpad and some, such
as Android apps, may never play well.
I wouldn't mind this phone
as a supplemental backup to my 8900, plus I
do want to check out the new optical
trackpad.
Last year the company released its first ever gaming notebook with a unique secondary LCD screen that
does double duty
as an in - game dashboard and gaming
trackpad.
Of course, the optical
trackpad works
as it
did on previous devices, giving you an additional option for navigation and interaction, although we found we used it sparingly.
As for the
trackpad underneath the keyboard, it's decently sized and overall accurate, but
did not support multi-touch gestures in our tests.
We found the
trackpad does tend to feel at least
as cramped
as the keyboard, if not more, but you fall into a fairly natural rhythm of using the touchscreen and
trackpad depending on which is quicker and easier.
The
trackpad doesn't feel
as good
as some of the metal or glass ones I've used before, Dell instead opting to go for a standard plastic design.
Particularly, I often had to use the very bottom of the
trackpad to right click,
as it didn't always accept that input in more comfortable locations.
I didn't need to use the desktop peripherals,
as the display, keyboard and
trackpad were comfortable enough to use for long periods, but having the option and being able to have Netflix playing in one window while writing about Android things in another on a 27 - inch monitor was quite nice.
We don't recommend the HP Spectre 13 because it's about an inch deeper than our top pick, its battery life was nearly half
as long
as the late - 2017 Dell XPS 13's in testing, and its
trackpad is less comfortable to use.
As an example: my work earbuds (Tao Tronics Go Sport Minis) seem to cause the Bluetooth stack in OS X Yosemite to go haywire if I go out of range, to the point where my Bluetooth keyboard and
trackpad don't work too.
The keys on the keyboard will vanish
as you
do this, emphasizing you're using a
trackpad.
The backlit keyboard and the accompanying
trackpad function
as expected and are pleasant to work with through an entire day, but they don't go above and beyond what you'd expect from laptop input devices — especially on a slim model like this XPS.
You can also pin apps
as tiles, but I found that the current version only lets you
do that with the
trackpad or mouse input.
If that doesn't sound like enough inputs, remember that the Steam
trackpad works both for movement and
as a configurable button pad, depending on if you hold a command or just quickly tap it instead.
Of course, it's worth noting that not all Android apps will run on it
as well
as they
do on mobile devices when the feature is launched; developers might need to optimize their software to work better with
trackpads and physical keyboards.
InputMapper also
does other useful things, such
as enabling the «
Trackpad as mouse» feature, which allows you to use the controller's trackpad as a mouse in
Trackpad as mouse» feature, which allows you to use the controller's
trackpad as a mouse in
trackpad as a mouse in Windows.
Likewise, the
trackpad feels really solid, although it
does make a clicky noise
as it travels.
Windows Precision
Trackpad support means you'll find the usual multi-touch gestures work just
as well
as they
do on any other Windows laptop.
Of course, the optical
trackpad works
as it
did on previous devices, giving you an additional option for navigation and interaction, although we found we used it sparingly.
While not
as seamless
as the
trackpad on Apple's MacBook, the implementation nonetheless
does a decent job of giving users the illusion that the home button is mechanical.
The Pad
does not prop the phone up like the station, but instead allows it to lie flat, where it can be used
as a
trackpad or keyboard.