Sensor +interaction

Devices based +on the Symbian platform are supporting 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 tapping (giving the device light taps with your hand).

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

Tapping the device by +hand (double tap) to perform a given function in set events. 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.
Changing the device's +orientation from portrait to landscape and back.
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 given the +option to set which one the user would like to use. For example, it is possible +to set methods 1 and 3 (double tap by hand and turning the screen downwards) +for the Silence incoming call event. The settings are available in Control +Panel.

When designing an application which uses the sensors, take +into account that the users may switch the use of sensors and display orientation +control off in the Control Panel.

A double 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.