Sensor interaction

Devices based on the Symbian platform support extendable Sensor framework. The supported sensors include accelerometer sensor, which is used for example for sensing device orientation (landscape/portrait and screen down/screen up) and short tapping on the device with your finger.

With the accelerometer sensor, there are three types of interaction that can be achieved:

1. Short tapping the device by finger to perform a given function in set events. Short tapping the device interaction is not recommended for touch devices; the user may unintentionally tap the device on the touch area, and trigger controls by mistake.

2. Changing the device's orientation from portrait to landscape and back.

3. Changing the device orientation from screen down (for example, on a table) to screen up and back to perform a given function in set events (for example, silencing an incoming call).

In effect, the system is capable of sensing any of these interaction methods in the events where sensors can be used.

The supported sensor interactions are configurable per device. Also, the user can be provided with an option to set desired interactions. For example, it is possible to set methods 1 and 3 for the 'Silence incoming call' event. The settings are available in Control Panel.

A tap on the device produces tactile (vibrating) feedback to reinforce and acknowledge that the interaction has been successful.

As the Sensor framework is extendable, devices can have different configurations for sensors. For instance, some devices may have a magnetometer sensors included, which could be then used, for example, as a compass on location-based services.

For more information, see Sensor interaction.