New Feature: Momentum Dragging

[chris.t...@gmail.com]

If you've used the iPhone/iPod Touch, you've probably liked how when
you can flick your way through scrollable sections, a twitch of the
finger resulting in a long, smooth scrolls.

Well, now you can do the same in Zoomii. And wow, it sure makes the
interface feel more alive. I'm loving it. Give it a try!

Thanks for the suggestion, Anand. (creator of BumpTop.com)

-Chris

[combinat...@gmail.com]

For those who haven't used an iPhone etc, it's not clear how to get
the maximum effect. If I drag and release while still dragging, I get
maybe one shelf more before it stops. For my money, holding down an
arrow button in the upper left is a good bit more useful.

On Jul 18, 2:08 pm, "chris.thies...@gmail.com"

[Chris Thiessen]

That's why I provide more than one way to do things.  Preferences differ. :)

[combinat...@gmail.com]

I wonder if it is a preference or if I'm simply not doing something
right. What constitutes a "long, smooth scroll" and what's the
technique for getting it?

[Chris Thiessen]

Hm... I think you're right that one page at a time isn't quite enough.  I've upped it to about 2.   I originally allowed much faster 'throws', but it seemed disorienting.   To do longer pans, you have to 'pump the handle', but it is still much smoother than the old stop-and-go method.

I mentioned preference because I haven't really used the the top-left arrow buttons at all.  I've mostly used the arrow buttons below the shelf titles to get from shelf-to-shelf.

-Chris

--
Chris Thiessen
Founder
Zoomii Inc.
zoomii.ca -- zoomii.com
cell: 519-212-6530
tel: 519-267-0899

[combinat...@gmail.com]

Without knowing the established conventions about such things, here is
I think would be fun:

1. Amount of scrolling would be proportional to distance dragged
before releasing the mouse. A full-screen drag might translate to a
full-library scroll. A short drag would get a short (shelf or so)
scroll.
2. Speed of scroll would be proportional to speed of drag. Thus, a
long, quick drag would get you to the other side of the store quickly.
A slower drag would let you see the titles as they passed.
3. For slow or moderate drag speeds, the scroll speed (but not
distance) would be limited by the speed of retrieving the cover art.
That would guarantee you could read the covers as they passed. A fast
drag might allow blurry covers to pass by.

On Jul 18, 4:22 pm, "Chris Thiessen" <chris.thies...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hm... I think you're right that one page at a time isn't quite enough.  I've
> upped it to about 2.   I originally allowed much faster 'throws', but it
> seemed disorienting.   To do longer pans, you have to 'pump the handle', but
> it is still much smoother than the old stop-and-go method.
>
> I mentioned preference because I haven't really used the the top-left arrow
> buttons at all.  I've mostly used the arrow buttons below the shelf titles
> to get from shelf-to-shelf.
>
> -Chris
>

[Chris Thiessen]

The speed of the scroll is actually now proportional to the speed of drag, just with an upper limit (around 2-screens' distance) because the browser occasionally reports the drag was much faster than it was, and that can lead to getting lost.