Hello,

Here is a very quick and very dirty hack to use proximity sensor to show dashboard (task switcher or whatever it is called ).

Run, place your finger over proximity sensor (close to front camera) for a short while and your dashboard should appear.


mpd

mpd.c

compile with see before you buy

Ok, it works with screen turning off, nothing fancy, when you finish the call you will just see the dashboard, which I think is acceptable for such a hack.

If I have a minute, I will put it to extras (is it worth it?)

I think that this will make some people happy

Proximity dashboard can be now used to launch phone application.

Touch the proximity sensor, a dashboard will appear. Touch it a bit longer, the phone application will be started. If you keep the sensor touched for about 4 seconds it will turn dashboard/phone launching off and on.

I have also added support for double-tap for the phone application, you need to start it with:

but, It may be a bit tricky to use it (proximity sensor is not really the best for double-tapping, as you need to take your finger far away from it to register the pause).


I will put to extras on weekend. Compile with:


mpd

mpd.c

Whao - that's brilliant. I was getting more and more annoyed with the lack of a hardware key to launch exposé (or dashboard or task switcher or whatever). Having to always exit full screen mode or slide out the keyboard just to activate exposé is a real pain.

I was thinking of using the Camera button as a shortcut but that's even better. The camera button would have been a bit tricky to get to. Well done.

@hopbeat,

I'm no coder. This is the kind of genius stuff, small apps that I was hoping would develop for the N900. You should definitely put in extras, and yes it is worth it. Furthermore, I wish I could not only subscribe to threads but also to posts of individuals as you seem to be posting such great stuff. I love it!

Dunno if it's possible, but wouldn't it better to launch applications list on touch, instead of dashboard, since dashboard can be easily exposed by tapping t-l button. And great stuff btw

@wazd, I think that the it is an easy access to the dashboard that is needed by many users. The main reason is browsing in full-screen mode, where you have to slide out keyboard to switch applications (or to exit full screen).
The same goes for the phone application, for some it is important to have quick and direct access to it (don't really use it by myself).

A direct access to applications list is also an idea, I will take a look how this can be done. When the app gets a bit more mature I will add configuration options.

Is it polling the sensor all the time?

@mikkov, the sensor itself is active all the time anyway, I'm only reading from file.

That's what I meant. Is the program polling all the time? If yes, it should stop when screen is blanked.