How to make a safer Skin for driving

**NiN^_^NiN** · 03-30-2005, 06:15 AM

While driving today i wanted to skip through the songs to something i wanted.

Now looking to the lcd to push the button isn't very safe as unlike a cd/radio you can't feel what button you wanna push then it hit me and i pulled over.

To make using a touchscreen for music safer when driving i though why not use the corners.

Add the skip back and skip forward a song to the bottom left and right corners of the screen

this was all you need to do is feel the corner then you know where to push

Now it wouldnt look wierd the way i have it in my mind but it might look wierd if you add another 2 buttons on the top corners.

But if you don't have a remote or stearing wheel romote and just a touchscreen this is a good idea.

what do you guys think?

**BeaverWise** · 03-30-2005, 07:12 AM

Or buy a keypad and have it wired up. Another alternative being programming a powermate to skip to the next song when you push it.

**Scouse Monkey** · 03-30-2005, 07:21 AM

make one of these....Griffen Powermate Issues - Nice.. But.....

**NiN^_^NiN** · 03-31-2005, 08:12 PM

I don't have the space for a keypad or a powermate or something simular

i don't wantmy car tolooklike crap

no offence

**cadence117** · 03-31-2005, 08:15 PM

I think its a great idea,
in a lot of skins, there arent even any buttons in the corners.
You could make "invisible" buttons that you would just know you could activate by touching the corners, avoid clutter and add functionality,
sounds good to me

**Bugbyte** · 03-31-2005, 09:59 PM

I have this same problem - no buttons on the steering wheel. I haven't come up with I consider a satisfactory solution to this so I've done the following:

1. The wireless gyration keyboard I use has media buttons at the top. If I put it on the passenger seat, I can push the "forward" and "backward" buttons by touch without having to look at it.

2. I've been using voice control. Using a logitech noise cancelling microphone, Centrafuse understands "next song" and "previous song" and such. It works quite well although I expect problems when I begin to drive with the windows open.

**NiN^_^NiN** · 04-03-2005, 07:54 AM

Well i just made this skin to show what i ment about safer skin

The most used buttons when driving are forward or back unless your trying to change the album but this shows that to change the song back or forward you just feel the corner of the LCD and push and it will change the song.

If i had the source images this skin might look better than it does right now as i had to cut the buttons out etc.

But thats the basis of my thoughts

**proTONEd** · 04-03-2005, 11:19 AM

My advise would be: put the as much buttons along the edge of you screen if you work with a touchscreen of course.

This way you already have a one way "feel" on where to push. For instance: if you put the most used buttons along the bottom of your screen + along the driver's side, you would not need to search a whole lot.

I'm using Frodoplayer though but I think the concept applies on any frontend.
I'm working on a skin for Frodo myself. This is what I have come up with so far.

**NiN^_^NiN** · 04-04-2005, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by proTONEd

My advise would be: put the as much buttons along the edge of you screen if you work with a touchscreen of course.

This way you already have a one way "feel" on where to push. For instance: if you put the most used buttons along the bottom of your screen + along the driver's side, you would not need to search a whole lot.

I'm using Frodoplayer though but I think the concept applies on any frontend.
I'm working on a skin for Frodo myself. This is what I have come up with so far.

To me that skin looks more complicated when trying to change something while driving.

But thats just me