27 February 2008

Accelerometer Continues to Amaze
RockNScroll BETA 1 Video and Hands On!

Accelerometer technology offers simply endless possibilities and opportunities for developers and motion based applications continue to amaze me.

After a few hours of testing, I can say that the last such applications one of the best so far. As a matter of fact, I am so proud to be among the few beta testers and to inform you that the first public beta version of the great KEYnetik Rock'n'Scroll is on the way and will be available in two days and that it is definitely worth waiting for.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks, KEYnetik, Inc. has released a video that shows an application that shares the same idea and brings functionality similar to the very well known NokMote applications by Samir.

Although it was a video of the early alpha version, it was more than obviously that Rock'n'Scroll is a very promising application and that it is much more than a NokMote rip-off. Actually considering that KEYnetik is a pioneer of motion input technology for mobile handheld electronic devices such as cell phones it was expected that they would try to keep their good reputation and release the best possible solution.

What amazed me immediately after installing and running the application, and what I am so excited about, is the surprisingly feature rich menu. I just can't believe how powerful of an application these guys can make in just a few kilobytes!

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I thought that Samir's NokMote would keep its leading position in gaming but after the initial test of Rock'n'Scroll I am afraid that's not the case. This software does it all and is highly customizable. It is really up to the user to decide which mode to use and how to use it.

Every single option is customizable which is even more impressive since we know that the soft is still under heavy development and they are open to any suggestions and ideas for improvement.

Please don't get me wrong, I like Samir's work. If you've been here long enough you know that I like people that change the way we use technology. He is undoubtedly a talented developer and I'll continue to support his work. After all he is the real pioneer in implementing the motion based soft on S60 platform but KEYnetik Rock'n'Scroll is a better product in my personal opinion. It just does it all and doses it well.

Speaking of the RockNScroll, right after installing, once when you run it and application comes up I am pretty sure that you'll be amazed by the number of features that it will list up:

1. Accelerometer polling: ON/OFF – ON status indicates that RockNScroll is in active mode (awake – polling accelerometer). OFF status indicates that RockNScroll is in passive mode (sleeping – not polling accelerometer).
   
2. Game mode: ON/OFF – ON status indicates that the device will respond to tilt commands. OFF status indicates that the device will respond to flick (motion) commands.
   
3. Push/Pull: ON/OFF – ON Status indicates that the device will respond to Push/Pull commands. OFF status indicates that Push/Pull commands are disabled.
   
4. Screen Orientation: PORTRAIT/LANDSCAPE – Indicates device orientation.
   
5. Notifications: ON/OFF – ON status indicates that Notifications are turned on. OFF status indicates that Notifications are turned off.

Unfortunately at the moment R 'n' S lacks the send to background command and it si necessary to use the press on the menu key instead but I am pretty sure that they'll fix it in the next version.

RockNscroll Commands:

• When you start RockNscroll in portrait orientation the default mode of operation is flick-action. When you rotate your device to landscape orientation the mode of operation will switch to game mode and if you rotate the device back to portrait orientation the mode of operation will switch back to flick-action.
  
  

  • Flick-action requires a flick of the wrist
  • Game mode works from tilt.
    
• You can manually change modes of operation in any orientation my pressing “Pen” key on Nokia N95. This way, while operating in portrait orientation and in flick-action mode you can press “Pen” key to switch to game mode. And, while operating in landscape orientation and in game mode, you can press “Pen” key to switch to flick-action mode. You can use this feature to reposition device while in game mode. Press “Pen” to get out of game mode, change position, and press “Pen” again.
  
• To put RockNScroll to sleep (disable accelerometer polling) or to wake it up (enable accelerometer polling) you can use “Pen” + 'C'. The application needs to be running for “Pen” + 'C' to work.

RockNScroll Options:

1. Accelerometer polling option gives you an ability to force RockNScroll to go to sleep or wake up. Accelerometer usage in Nokia N95 consumes a lot of power and we recommend putting RockNSroll to sleep when not in use to conserve power.
   
2. Game Mode is designed to use continuous tilt commands, which works well for gaming, scrolling through lists (contacts, music, etc.), web browsing, navigation, etc. It is very sensitive, requires precision, and is very vulnerable to motion interference. Turning OFF Game Mode switches RockNScroll to flick-action mode, which is meant for menu navigation and general phone operation. It requires a flick of the wrist to move the highlight up/down/left/right. Since flick-action mode relies on force, it can be used in any position, it is not as sensitive, does not require precision, and is not as vulnerable to motion interference.
   
3. A) Push gesture mimics select or enter command. It can also be used to answer phone calls.
   B) PULL gesture mimics exit or back command. It can also be used to turn on/off loudspeaker whileon call.
   
4. Notifications are disabled by default. You can enable them from the options menu in RockNScroll. It's highly suggestible to enable notifications to familiarize yourself with RockNScroll.
   
   Screen Orientation is updated automatically by rotating device from portrait to landscape and back.
   
   Dead Zone is a position close to 90 degrees in which game mode will not operate.

As I have already said, application is currently in the last stage of development. The first public beta version is set for February 29th and application will be exclusively available for to those who register at their forum section. So if you would like to be among the first who will test this soft better hurry up with registration.

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Unfortunately, situation with Symbian Signed is terrible at moment, for developers and for the end users as well. The very first version of the application will requires the self signing as they still didn't manage to get the publisher ID and therefore they are forced to release it as the unsigned although it will 'coze lot of problems to the people that aren't luck enough to have an certificate already.

That's all for now, application is the very complex and definitely requires some time to explore all of the features and to get to use it. Will take a deeper testing afternoon and I'll be ready to answer on particularly any question over at our forum section.

In mean time there is a new video that show the latest version of the RockNScroll in action and I ma so honored to offer you a world exclusive premier right here on Symbian Freak.

Once again, don't forget to make an account at KEYnetik's forum to be sure that you'll be up to date with the latest information and after all it is the only way to get this great soft.