How To Use Gesture Controls On The Palm Pre. Gettings Started With The Basics

The Zoom Out Function is one of the easiest to master, in fact it's fairly intuitive. The picture below comes from the offical Palm Pre user manual. Basically the user places two fingers on the screen by the middle of the display, then they zoom out by sliding those fingers away from eachother in the direction of the arrows shown in the picture:

The zoom out function is one of the most widely used gestures by many Palm Pre users, mainly because it is compatible with Email, Web, Doc viewing, Photos, PDF viewing and even Google Maps. The function can show better street views or just making reading a document so much easier on the small 3.1" display of the Palm Pre.

Essentially to zoom out on your phone you'll reverse the process from the Zoom In feature. Place your fingers towards the outside corners and then drag them along the screens surface back towards the middle of your screen. The zoom out process can utilize the same types of applciations as the zoom in function.

Here's a picture of the Palm Pre zoom out function:

If you want to zoom in or zoom out a specified amount when viewing photos or when surfing the web you can simply double tap on your Pre's display. This is the easiest way to pinpoint a location and viewing it more closely or from further away. No need for a picture here simply double tap your display as you would a mouse on your PC to complete the task.

Think of your finger as a mouse pointer, when you hover over a text input area and click at the start of that input your cursor will automatically appear inside of the input box. Simply tap the location one time and the cursor for input will appear.

If you want to move the cursor on your Palm Pre the process is simple but a little more involved than simple zoom in/out functions. Begin by tapping the screen where you want the cursor to appear. Next you will need to hold down the orange button at the bottom left part of your keyboard. While holding the orange button simply drag your finger from point A to point B. You can release the cursor once you have reached the point on your display where you would like the cursor to travel.

Here's a quick look at the display gesture and orange button:

If you want to highlight text like you would on your PC you can simply tap on the location you want your cursor to display and then open your Palm Pre's keyboard and hold down the shift key (up arrow key at the bottom left part of your keyboard) then simply place your finger anywhere on your devices display and drag your finger across the screen in the direction you would like to highlight.

This is the easiest process. Simply tap and hold down on the object you want to drag, move your finger across the screen and release the item where you want to drop it. Typically when you press down on an object it will change colors or size to let you know it can now be dragged, however not all sections will alert you in this way.

Those are the basic Palm Pre gesture controls which should help you get started with your new device. Remember to try the gestures on various programs as not all applications will utilize every single function. If you feel that the gestures are not up to par try moving your fingers in a slightly different manner, as the capacitive screen is excellent on the Pre and it may just take a little bit of practice if this is your first multi-touch device.