QDateTimeEdit is virtually unusable on Symbian devices

QDateTimeEdit and it's derived components, QDateEdit and QTimeEdit, are very hard to use on Symbian. They don't behave as the native components and have subtle bugs that make it hard for users to input meaningful values.

How to reproduce:

• Install the attached application - NativeDateEntry.sisx
• Install the attached application - DateTimeEntry.sisx
• Open DateTimeEntry application from the main menu. Tap on the control so the native data entry control pops up.
• Browse with the virtual arrow keys from left to right; notice that the keyboard type selection is disabled (Pen123 top right corner), the navigation is smooth and each type the arrow is tapped, the new group (day, month, year, etc.) is automatically selected, making it easier for the user to overwrite the value. In the case of invalid input being entered, the system beeps and falls back to a valid value. As a result, entering date and time is extremely easy. Close the app.
• Open NativeDateEntry app from the main menu. Tap on the DateTime control so the native input keyboard pops up. Behavior is dependent on the region you've tapped (in the date field). For example, if you tap into the colon sign (":") the native input kbd shows it selected, something that doesn't make sense.
• While in native input mode, browse left and right with arrow keys. The caret goes digit by digit (instead of group by group as it should - day, month, year, etc.) and worse: if the previous option was selected, everything else is selected, including parenthesis.
• Tap the very first number (day), then enter a 2-digit value, say, 11. Caret will stop in the middle of the group, and the group is not selected as well. From then on, browsing with the arrow keys leads to the same behavior as the previous item. If a two-digit field is already filled out, it's impossible to change it just by typing. You have to delete both numbers using the backspace key.
• One way to make the field work somewhat correctly is to erase a group (say, month), then type a correct value. From then on, the next group is selected and users may just type the year, hour, minute, etc. without having to do extra work with backspace. Even so, If any invalid value is input at any group, the selection becomes invalid and the field again becomes hard to use.

Expected behavior:

• QDateTimeEdit should behave as its native counterpart CEikTimeAndDateEditor in terms of functionality and usability. Nevertheless, they work quite differently.

Observations:

• If you have any difficult with the DateTimeEntry native app (it's a quick cook-up using Carbide's bad UI Designer), you can try using the Calendar or Clock applications, which feature CEikTimeAndDateEditor just the same.