Button of the month: a dive into how we interact with our devices on a physical, tactile level – The Verge

The drinking fountain button is tragically misunderstood

2024-04-30T16:10:45-04:00

Buttons feel magical. You press here, and invisible connections make something happen elsewhere. But "magical" is probably not how I'd describe most public drinking fountains.

Button of the Month

In today's digital age, it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devices. Button of the Month is a column that explores the physical pieces of our phones, tablets, controllers, and beyond.

Who among us hasn't walked up to a drinking fountain, expecting a bubbling stream of life-giving water, only to experience the crushing disappointment of a measly trickle after smashing in that button?

But I'm begi …

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The T-Mobile Sidekick’s Jump button made mobile multitasking easy

2024-03-31T08:00:00-04:00

The T-Mobile Sidekick II and its unique Jump key. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Before the iPhone, before Android, before webOS, a revolutionary soap bar of a phone made it incredibly easy to get shit done. The Danger Hiptop, better known as the T-Mobile Sidekick, made the internet portable and affordable like no phone before.

Button of the Month

It introduced cloud sync long before iCloud, popularized unlimited data and real web browsing on mobile, and made instant messaging and email …

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The Indiglo button let there be light

2024-01-31T07:00:00-05:00

The Indiglo button on a modern Timex Weekender. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Long before the self-lit pixels of OLED phones illuminated our lives, there was a time many portable gadgets didn't shine at all. Remember when the display of practically every Nintendo Game Boy was designed to be viewed by sunlight? Remember when it was tough to tell time with your average wristwatch after dark?

Button of the Month

But in 1992, Timex popularized a push-button technology that could bathe any …

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8BitDo’s NES buttons are a big, red, Nintendo-themed invitation to experiment

2023-10-31T06:00:00-04:00

The keyboard and buttons are an ode to all things Nintendo.

When you think about it, adding two extra buttons to a keyboard, a peripheral that already has dozens of keys built in, is kind of ridiculous. Why add more buttons when so many modern keyboards already let you customize their existing keys to do exactly what you want? Are you really so attached to your dusty old Pause Break key that you're not prepared to reassign it?

And yet, the appearance alone of 8BitDo's Dual Super Buttons offers half the answer. The peripheral buttons are giant, red, and look like you should be yelling "fire the torpedoes" with every press. Even if you don't immediately have a use for them, they have a playful and fun …

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The Action Button is the most significant new iPhone feature in years

2023-09-25T11:00:00-04:00

So small, so powerful. | Image: Apple

The most significant new thing in the iPhone 15 Pro this year isn't its lighter titanium frame, new A17 Pro processor, or its camera system (although all are appreciated). For me, it's the Action Button: the little button above the volume keys that replaces the mute switch that had been on every iPhone since the very first one.

The Action Button is perhaps the biggest hardware upgrade the iPhone line has received in years. It's not a particularly advanced piece of technology - it's literally just a button - but its programmability lets you use your iPhone in completely new ways.

Apple showcased the Action Button in its announcement of the …

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This USB button helps Jeopardy! contestants get their buzz on

2023-08-31T06:00:00-04:00

Many Jeopardy! contestants say they used this button to practice buzzing in before the show. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The press of a single button can mean the difference between winning thousands of dollars on national television - or winning nothing at all. Jeopardy!'s buzzer is arguably the most infamous game show button; over the past 59 years, the "signaling device" has become a behind-the-scenes character of its own. The button on a stick inspires future contestants to train their hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and handling, all in an attempt to gain mere milliseconds over the competition.

Button of the Month

In today's digital age, it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devices. Button of the …

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The unsung heroes of the Apple Watch are its hidden buttons

2023-05-31T11:00:00-04:00

The buttons on its underside are the key to the Apple Watch’s “strap monster” status. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

In the wide world of wristwatches, there is no easier way to dress to your aesthetic or customize your timepiece than by swapping straps and bands. There are all kinds of straps out there, from nylon NATOs and leather bund straps to hotly debated metal link bracelets. Most watch straps are universal across similarly sized traditional watches, an open ecosystem for anyone to explore.

But none are as simple and convenient as the proprietary little band release buttons on the underside of every Apple Watch.

Button of the Month

In today's digital age, it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devi …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Stream Deck mastered the LCD key by making it peripheral

2023-04-30T11:00:00-04:00

Like many great products, the Elgato Stream Deck wasn't exactly a new idea.

When the very first one debuted six years ago this month, we instantly compared it to Art Lebedev's legendary Optimus Maximus keyboard, which promised an array of swirling OLED screens under your fingertips an entire decade earlier. Razer, too, pioneered LCD keys before their time, tacking them onto a keyboard and the company's very first Blade laptop.

Button of the Month

In today's digital age, it sometimes feels like hardware has taken a back seat to the software that drives our devices. Button of the Month is a column that explores the physical pieces of our ph …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Fitbit’s attempt to disappear the button proved why they matter

2023-03-31T08:00:00-04:00

The Fitbit Charge 3 was the first to introduce the inductive button. Confusion ensued. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

It's easy to see why gadget makers are so fixated on touchscreens. Swiping is intuitive. It enables sleek lines for a futuristic aesthetic. It's the easiest way to banish bezels and maximize screen real estate. So I understood why Fitbit was chuffed when it introduced the inductive button on the Fitbit Charge 3. Begone side button protrusion, and behold the slim profile of a modern fitness tracker!

Button of the Month

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The grill ignition button is a reminder of happy summer days

2023-02-28T13:25:58-05:00

Button of the Month

It is 28 degrees Fahrenheit on top of this mountain, before you factor in the wind that's blowing snow sideways into my face. I'm sitting on a rock with my soda can-sized backpacking stove the size of a soda can trying to make lunch and regretting my decision to go hiking in the middle of February. I press a small button on a pen-size rod that I'm holding over the burner, bringing a spark …

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