The Augen Gentouch78 supplied manual says nothing about the four buttons on the back of the unit, other than showing them. These four buttons are the key to doing everything with Android on this unit.
The four buttons are, looking at them from the back:
- Backspace (on far left viewed from back, on far right when viewing the screen and accessing from front upper right) -- almost always for going back a screen or getting back to the Android desktop from an application. The application continues to run when you do this. Whatever other effects the other buttons have, Backspace will usually cancel it or get out of it or go back to a prior screen.
- Homepage (second from left viewed from the back) -- a long click & hold (hold for a couple of seconds) will bring up the window of running applications and then you can tap on one of them to switch to that application.
- Search (third from left viewed from the back) -- when pressed at the desktop, a short click doesn't do anything, but a long click and hold will bring up the Quick Search Box and keyboard. I have not found this button to be much use yet.
- Menu (4th from left viewed from the back) -- a click (short) will usually bring up the menu for an application on the bottom of the screen. A long click & hold (hold for a couple seconds) will usually bring up the onscreen keyboard. The Backspace gets you out of both of these, the menu and the keyboard.
These buttons do MORE than just what their names state. Depending on whether you do a quick click of them, or click and hold for a couple of seconds, and what application you are in, they have different functions.
The most important buttons are Backspace, Homepage and Menu.
For example, if you click and hold (long press) the Homepage button, you get a little window that shows you all the running programs. If you do this and nothing is running you see "No recent applications." Click the Backspace to clear the message.The unit runs more than one application at a time, which is critical to doing certain things, like turning the display and reading books.
As an exampleThe iReader did not work for me and does not support ePub books, so I went through Market and installed Aldiko, a free reader that handles ePub books.
To put the Gentouch into a portrait mode, I first started Aldiko and then used Backspace to leave it running but go back to the desktop. There I started the ES File Explorer (you may have to find it in the applications that slide out from the right slideout screen tabbutton. Run ES File Explorer and then click (short click) the Menu button. Tab on More in the lower right corner. Tap on Flip Orientation. Nothing will happen, so do this again: Menu, More and again Flip Orientation. Now your display will be in portrait mode. To get back to Aldiko, click and hold the Homepage button until the window of running applications comes up. Now tap on Aldiko and select your book to read. Actually, Aldiko makes the unit into a great ebook reader. If you have ePub books, create a folder inside the ebooks folder on your SD card called import and put the ePubs into it. Then in Aldiko, use the Menu button and click on Import to have the books show up on the Aldiko bookshelf.
This illustrates how the buttons are used. You have to get used to pressing the right button at the right time and having the right applications running to do what you want.
If anyone has more information on the use of the buttons, it would be helpful. These buttons really are key to doing anything useful with the GenTouch78
The four buttons are, looking at them from the back:
- Backspace (on far left viewed from back, on far right when viewing the screen and accessing from front upper right) -- almost always for going back a screen or getting back to the Android desktop from an application. The application continues to run when you do this. Whatever other effects the other buttons have, Backspace will usually cancel it or get out of it or go back to a prior screen.
- Homepage (second from left viewed from the back) -- a long click & hold (hold for a couple of seconds) will bring up the window of running applications and then you can tap on one of them to switch to that application.
- Search (third from left viewed from the back) -- when pressed at the desktop, a short click doesn't do anything, but a long click and hold will bring up the Quick Search Box and keyboard. I have not found this button to be much use yet.
- Menu (4th from left viewed from the back) -- a click (short) will usually bring up the menu for an application on the bottom of the screen. A long click & hold (hold for a couple seconds) will usually bring up the onscreen keyboard. The Backspace gets you out of both of these, the menu and the keyboard.
These buttons do MORE than just what their names state. Depending on whether you do a quick click of them, or click and hold for a couple of seconds, and what application you are in, they have different functions.
The most important buttons are Backspace, Homepage and Menu.
For example, if you click and hold (long press) the Homepage button, you get a little window that shows you all the running programs. If you do this and nothing is running you see "No recent applications." Click the Backspace to clear the message.The unit runs more than one application at a time, which is critical to doing certain things, like turning the display and reading books.
As an exampleThe iReader did not work for me and does not support ePub books, so I went through Market and installed Aldiko, a free reader that handles ePub books.
To put the Gentouch into a portrait mode, I first started Aldiko and then used Backspace to leave it running but go back to the desktop. There I started the ES File Explorer (you may have to find it in the applications that slide out from the right slideout screen tabbutton. Run ES File Explorer and then click (short click) the Menu button. Tab on More in the lower right corner. Tap on Flip Orientation. Nothing will happen, so do this again: Menu, More and again Flip Orientation. Now your display will be in portrait mode. To get back to Aldiko, click and hold the Homepage button until the window of running applications comes up. Now tap on Aldiko and select your book to read. Actually, Aldiko makes the unit into a great ebook reader. If you have ePub books, create a folder inside the ebooks folder on your SD card called import and put the ePubs into it. Then in Aldiko, use the Menu button and click on Import to have the books show up on the Aldiko bookshelf.
This illustrates how the buttons are used. You have to get used to pressing the right button at the right time and having the right applications running to do what you want.
If anyone has more information on the use of the buttons, it would be helpful. These buttons really are key to doing anything useful with the GenTouch78