2 taps (or 1, flick, 1)
if you need as few as possible, leave the iPhone in Phone->Fav
unlock
tap to call (or if you have a lot of favorites, flick, then call)
A non-flip phone usually has keyboard locked anyway.
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10 Things that "Absolutely suck" about the iPhone. (Yes I have one)
- Thread starter benguild
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2 taps (or 1, flick, 1)
if you need as few as possible, leave the iPhone in Phone->Fav
unlock
tap to call (or if you have a lot of favorites, flick, then call)
A non-flip phone usually has keyboard locked anyway.
Correct. Carriers can choose one or the other method. Some phones, mostly from Verizon and Sprint in the U.S., have GPS and report their own position.
Most do not have GPS, and the carrier uses the receiving cell towers' information to locate the phone... but of course the phone itself has no idea where it is. This position has to be accurate within (I've forgotten the exact number) about 1-2 football field lengths. Not good enough for driving instructions, but it keeps improving.
There is PDA software out there though (obviously not for the iPhone) that keeps track of what cell tower you're logged into, and you can build up a database yourself of location based alarms. For example, if you loan your cell phone to your teenager and it sees the phone attached to a cell at the beach, it can email you.
Bravo. My thoughts exactly. This sounds like a ridiculous sense of entitlement combined with a lack a patience for learning a new device...
Web 2.0 via safari will give 3rd parties plenty of access.
Oh yeah this information was released in January and then more specifically in June.
So 3rd party designers won't have access to the shiny home screen and its cute icons. Boo-Hoo. The engine for the iPhone's safari is the same as that for Macs, so they're also leveraging their own browser in the process.
Instead of having people using "iPhone code" they will be web 2.0 developers using Safari.
You're looking for problems that simply do not exist to justify your political opinions regarding unlocked hardware.
Let's be realistic for just a moment. The operation you described can't realistically happen on ANY phone in "1 press of a single button". It can't. Unless you're clicking the "read my mind" button, which... yknow... I just don't seem to have on my old phone. Clearly, you're skipping a bunch of steps that you've done so often you've completely forgotten them. This might help...
Here's my last phone, from resting position:
- open the phone - 1 flip
- contacts - 1 button click
- find contact - click up/down buttons multiple times or hold down, then click some more (usually involves at least 5-7 clicks in rapid succession to get the selection down to the correct name, but may take more. generally, rapid clicks are more accurate than holding down which often overshoots)
- call contact - 1 click of phone button
Here's the iPhone, from resting position:
- wake phone - 1 tap on home
- unlock the phone - slide lock
- phone button - 1 tap
- favorites - 1 tap (optional, if last used not tap)
- find contact - flick, 1 touch (optional, favorites are short)
- call contact - 1 tap
Overall however, the "flicking" feature is MUCH much much faster than clicking the button to get through contacts. Moreover, checking my voice mail is MUCH much faster (as fast as looking at contacts or recent calls). Also, I know my voice messages before I even tap the phone button, which isn't true of the previous phone. I won't even talk about why visual voice mail saves more time too. Generally everything is much faster and easier to do on my existing phone. My old phone had a Java app to get GMAIL too... getting to the "Java app" section was a pain in the ass. One touch on iPhone. Camera was AS easy to get to "one click"/"one tap", but tremendously difficult to manage on the phone, or to get photos on and off the device.
These "my 4 year old phone takes 1 tap" comments are a bit creepy to me. It seems to indicate that some people have been brainwashed by familiarity to the point where they have contempt for change, even if its easier. Kind of weird.
~ CB
Let's be realistic for just a moment. The operation you described can't realistically happen on ANY phone in "1 press of a single button". It can't. Unless you're clicking the "read my mind" button, which... yknow... I just don't seem to have on my old phone. Clearly, you're skipping a bunch of steps that you've done so often you've completely forgotten them. This might help...
Here's my last phone, from resting position:
COUNT: 8-10 clicks (or more)
- open the phone - 1 flip
- contacts - 1 button click
- find contact - click up/down buttons multiple times or hold down, then click some more (usually involves at least 5-7 clicks in rapid succession to get the selection down to the correct name, but may take more. generally, rapid clicks are more accurate than holding down which often overshoots)
- call contact - 1 click of phone button
Here's the iPhone, from resting position:
COUNT: 5-6 taps
- wake phone - 1 tap on home
- unlock the phone - slide lock
- phone button - 1 tap
- favorites - 1 tap (optional, if last used not tap)
- find contact - flick, 1 touch (optional, favorites are short)
- call contact - 1 tap
Overall however, the "flicking" feature is MUCH much much faster than clicking the button to get through contacts. Moreover, checking my voice mail is MUCH much faster (as fast as looking at contacts or recent calls). Also, I know my voice messages before I even tap the phone button, which isn't true of the previous phone. I won't even talk about why visual voice mail saves more time too. Generally everything is much faster and easier to do on my existing phone. My old phone had a Java app to get GMAIL too... getting to the "Java app" section was a pain in the ass. One touch on iPhone. Camera was AS easy to get to "one click"/"one tap", but tremendously difficult to manage on the phone, or to get photos on and off the device.
These "my 4 year old phone takes 1 tap" comments are a bit creepy to me. It seems to indicate that some people have been brainwashed by familiarity to the point where they have contempt for change, even if its easier. Kind of weird.
~ CB
Ummm no, I can dial in one click. I just hold down the #2 and it dials home, #3 wifes cell, etc. Most phones can do this, you are just assigning a key to a number.
Whoops. New one on me. I stand corrected. Like voice-dialing, I guess I'm just not the type of person that gravitated to these types of shortcuts on previous phones.
~ CB
Except if you keep the keyboard locked, so it doesn't speed-dial in your pocket.
Still, only 2 presses.
Except if you keep the keyboard locked, so it doesn't speed-dial in your pocket.
Don't have to lock with a clamshell
Love them... glance at the outside LCD to see who's calling, then open to answer, close to hangup. Sweet.
I've been darned tempted to get a Windows Mobile clamshell. Alas, the ones that are available don't have a touchscreen, which I just like having.
Don't have to lock with a clamshell
Yep. Lots of them out there that aren't, though.
Drive me a bit nuts, as well. I'd LOVE to REPLY back to someone with an attached pic, but no can do.
A lot of the OP's points are valid and I agree with some of them (and actually learned a little while reading others' replies) but this one in particular is a bugger that I would assume, over time, like the others, will be addressed in one form or another. Apple reads these forums, as they read many others, and whichever issue bubbles to the top they'll likley address.
I love my iPhone. Yes, there are some pretty big flaws (some of which I'm hoping Apple fixes), but I would never go back to my old phone. The iPhone is the future. The "first edition" of a product is never quite perfect. I'd imagine Apple will refine the software for this version and the hardware for the next version.
I actually saw this as an iPhone "function"
Use your iPhone as a flashlight!
July 6th, 2007
Take a picture of a white sheet of paper. Now, whenever you want a strong light source, go to that photo and voila.
I'm still trying to decide how serious this is...
Use your iPhone as a flashlight!
July 6th, 2007
Take a picture of a white sheet of paper. Now, whenever you want a strong light source, go to that photo and voila.
I'm still trying to decide how serious this is...
It's more common than you'd think. For example, in some industrial handheld applications, we have an emergency "flashlight" option where we show a white page.
It all came about because of news articles about miners and others trapped in the dark, who used their wristwatch lights to find their way. So naturally every handheld programmer on the planet goes "Aha, cool !"
Or you could just buy one of these:
Cool bit of tech:
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/the-linux-power.html
Cool bit of tech:
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/the-linux-power.html
Love it. So true. Of all the things this phone does and DOES WELL, you'd think people would cut Apple a little slack. I'm more than pleased with mine, I know updates are coming, but the feature set as is is pretty amazing.
And there are more important things in this world to really get upset about, like America's corporate criminal unelected "president" and his war, etc.
I'd rather get upset about people who mislabel the president unelected for their own political purposes, but this isn't the place for that so I'll let it pass with only a minor hurumph.
"hurumph"
"hurumph"
Exactly, and demo'd last November to boot:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/smartphones/fics-linuxbased-smartphone-213016.php
Notice the two-finger scroll and zoom gestures and the maps app.
Neither phone is too different from our own internal handheld touchscreen apps. There really is little that's new to people in this line of work. But it's thrilling to see stuff reach the casual consumer!
the OP's email example points out a real problem that I would not have expected from Apple. Sure, it's v.1 of iPhone, but if a Treo can do it, I think iPhone, even v.1, should be able to do that. needs to be a better link between programs. no cut and paste is ridiculous. and, as for how many taps to call a favorite, for my Treo, one to turn on phone app, one to turn on voice dialing. then touchless access to all my address book. iPhone needs voice dialing. i can't always devote two hands to type on a keyboard, virtual or otherwise. an external SD card would have been nice. finally, for me, street navigation, like TomTom, is essential. googlemaps is slick, but it doesn't know where you are and it doesn't tell you, verbally, how to get there. as others have said, I'm sure Apple will work out some of these problems, but they need to be voiced.
My speed dial fix...
Here's my idea...
SUBJECT: Very useful SPEED DIAL Idea
FEEDBACK: Enhancement Request
COMMENT:
----------------------
In order to get a speed dial selection:
Menu does NOT remain if user releases, whether or not a selection was chosen.
Which operating system are you running?
Windows XP/2000
I think that would solve the speed dial issue. By the way, I like how Panther users are second class citizens. The operating system drop-menu says Mac OS X 4.x. Doh.
I half expected the homepage had some easter eggs and already worked this way. I like how the keyboard has that "hold and release" easter egg in it.
~ CB
Just FYI, this exists now, so start submitting! If anyone "GETS" the platform, and has any clever suggestions for solutions, definitely pass them along (ie, if your idea is to add scrollbars, don't bother).
Here's my idea... SUBJECT: Very useful SPEED DIAL Idea
FEEDBACK: Enhancement Request
COMMENT:
----------------------
In order to get a speed dial selection:
- PRESS and HOLD DOWN the PHONE icon on the HOME screen.
- After 1 second, a FAVORITES menu will pop-up.
- While continuing to HOLD DOWN, move finger to number and RELEASE.
- Number will dial immediately.
Menu does NOT remain if user releases, whether or not a selection was chosen.
- Holding down SAFARI button displays a quick menu of open tabs.
- Holding down IPOD button displays a quick menu of 10 items from the group/playlist, with the "now playing" media highlighted (10 items may be before or after depending on where "now playing" is placed in the group). Choosing the "highlighted" item, goes to the now playing screen, otherwise, you hop to that song, and it starts playing.
- Holding down MAIL button shows the latest 10 listing of mail from the last mail account you checked when using Mail App. Releasing on selection opens that mail.
Which operating system are you running?
Windows XP/2000
I think that would solve the speed dial issue. By the way, I like how Panther users are second class citizens. The operating system drop-menu says Mac OS X 4.x. Doh.
I half expected the homepage had some easter eggs and already worked this way. I like how the keyboard has that "hold and release" easter egg in it.
~ CB
3 days with iPhone
I returned my iPhone after 3 days...the whole iPhone experience left me with a sour taste in my mouth. It took about 60 hours to activate and then once I had service the microphone didn't work so I had to return the device. The folks at apple store in NYC (soho) were quick + kind and swapped the device for a new one...once I was up and running I noticed that iPhone was constantly, jumping on and off the "edge network"...this was annoying and I spent much time watching the thing search for a signal and I'd often get "unable to connect with smtp server" message...very annoying!! I'm a long time mac user and fan. I should have waited for 2nd or 3rd generation iPhone...but i fell for all of the buzz. The typing deal started to grow on me, but the battery life sucks. I was so frustrated that I returned the iPhone at an at&t store and exchanged it for blackberry curve...atleast I can rely on the functional email (this is my primary need for a mobile device) and i sync to my mac using pocketmac (which isn't great but it works)...
I returned my iPhone after 3 days...the whole iPhone experience left me with a sour taste in my mouth. It took about 60 hours to activate and then once I had service the microphone didn't work so I had to return the device. The folks at apple store in NYC (soho) were quick + kind and swapped the device for a new one...once I was up and running I noticed that iPhone was constantly, jumping on and off the "edge network"...this was annoying and I spent much time watching the thing search for a signal and I'd often get "unable to connect with smtp server" message...very annoying!! I'm a long time mac user and fan. I should have waited for 2nd or 3rd generation iPhone...but i fell for all of the buzz. The typing deal started to grow on me, but the battery life sucks. I was so frustrated that I returned the iPhone at an at&t store and exchanged it for blackberry curve...atleast I can rely on the functional email (this is my primary need for a mobile device) and i sync to my mac using pocketmac (which isn't great but it works)...
I know...it's rough...the iPhone felt like driving a porsche, the curve feels like a saturn. but...I get my emails!!