Does anyone know of an app that allows you to wake up the phone without hitting the power button or sliding the keyboard open? Not needing to slide the lock on the screen would also be a plus.
Screen mode widget will do the job. In "Awake Stay" mode, the screen goes dark as usual either from a timeout or pushing the power button. You can then awaken the phone by pushing the power button, the volume button, or the camera button. It will skip the lock screen and take you to the screen you were on when the screen went dark.
You can switch to default behavior with "Sleep Auto" or keep the screen from turning off by overriding the timeout with "Screen Stay."
Don't ask me to explain the names of the various options.