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Apple Considering Adding Contacts to iPhone Home Screen?

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Apr 12, 2001
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131135-home_screen_contacts_500.jpg


Being Manan notes (via Redmond Pie) a newly-published patent application from Apple describing the ability to add users' contacts directly to the iPhone's home screen, offering one-touch access to various functions related to that contact.
Users can create icons for a mobile device, where the icons can represent often accessed user contacts. User created icons can allow convenient access to all information and applications related to a contact. Thus, consecutive access to applications related to a contact can be greatly diminished.
Click to expand...
Taking things one step further, the patent application also describes a system in which icons for contacts could automatically appear only temporarily based on the user's proximity to the contact. Such a system is similar in some respects to Google Latitude and Loopt, but would offer direct home screen integration with proximity-based services. Apple has also expressed interest in such "location sharing" technologies in other patent applications.

Today's application also specifically addresses the potential for proximity-based advertising using the same functionality, allowing businesses to offer information to nearby users in the form of contacts that can appear on the home screen of the users' devices.
In some implementations, a contact 610 can temporarily appear on a mobile device 100 when the mobile device 100 is within a determined proximity of a contact host. The contact host can be a server or device operated by an individual, entity or service capable of providing the icon and related application information. In the present example, the contact host is a server operated by a coffee house called "Rocket Java". An alert can be presented on the mobile device 100 to indicate that a temporary contact or application is available to the mobile device 100. In one example, the alert can have two options: "dismiss" and "view contact." After the contact has been viewed, other options can be presented, including options like "add to local contacts" or "save to the home screen."
Click to expand...
Apple's proposed system allows for customization of alerts when the user is near a proximity-based contact, either automatically adding the contact to the user's home screen while in close proximity or first requesting permission to do so.


131135-proximity_based_contact.jpg


Apple has explored the use of location-based content delivery in previous patent applications, suggesting that it may hold more than just a passing interest in the technology.

The new patent application, filed on July 9th, 2008 and published today, is credited to Apple designer Marcel Van Os.

Article Link: Apple Considering Adding Contacts to iPhone Home Screen?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/14/apple-considering-adding-contacts-to-iphone-home-screen/
Guess the one-touch dial apps are about to tank.

No more "call grandma", "call mom", "*********friend", LOL.
 
I like the idea of a contact on the homescreen, as I use my "Favorites" in the phone app all the time. However, I'm not sure if I like the amount of real estate having each of my 8 faves take up on the phone.
Maybe if I only had like 2 favorites...
 
this idea sucks, specially with the ads.
cmon apple, why don't you improve the features you already have?
voice control needs work, do something about that first.
 
ngenerator said:
I like the idea of a contact on the homescreen, as I use my "Favorites" in the phone app all the time. However, I'm not sure if I like the amount of real estate having each of my 8 faves take up on the phone.
Maybe if I only had like 2 favorites...
Click to expand...

Just use a different page for them.... although I guess that kind of defeats the purpose of one-touch access. Kind of not though.
 
I only see this causing more unintentional calls. At least with the Favorites panel, you have to touch the Phone App first. I don't think I would really want this in 4.0 personally.
 
eh, they really need to address the whole home screen UI. It was great at first but now we have hundreds of apps and sliding around can be tedious at times.
 
Patentable?

Not indicting Apple, but the thought that this is patentable is offensive to me. This is not what patent law is for; it's a shortcut.
 
webcam?

what is the circle thing above the speaker at the top? that could have been in previous design sketches, but that looks like an awfully convenient spot to have a front facing webcam.
 
b1wils1 said:
what is the circle thing about the speaker at the top? that could have been in previous design sketches, but that looks like an awfully convenient spot to have a front facing webcam.
Click to expand...

To be honest, that was the first thing I noticed. It looks like the video chat rumors are true?
 
some of these things are silly. how can you patent the ability to have a contact show up on a home screen? wouldnt that sort of fall in body of common knowledge?
 
It's not so much contacts I'd want--I mean, you already have your "recents" list--, as a home screen that shows any appointments I've made in the calendar for that day (or whatever period you specify in the preferences).
 
Sounds like prior art, Nokia N97 already has the ability to add contacts to the home screen ( IRC ).
 
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...1304.PGNR.&OS=DN/20100011304RS=DN/20100011304

An icon can be created for a contact (e.g., an individual(s) or an entity) and presented on a user interface of a mobile device, such as a "home screen." The icon can be used to retrieve and display contact information. The icon can also be used to invoke one or more applications that are personalized to the contact. The icon can be modified to display information related to the contact. In one aspect, an icon associated with an entity can be temporarily displayed on the mobile device based on the proximity of the mobile device to the entity. The icon can be used to retrieve and display information related to the entity. Additionally, the icon can be removed from the display on the mobile device when the mobile device is no longer within a certain proximity of the entity.

[0004]An icon can be created for a contact (e.g., an individual(s) or an entity) and presented on a user interface of a mobile device, such as a "home screen." The icon can be used to retrieve and display contact information. The icon can also be used to invoke one or more applications that are personalized to the contact. The icon can be modified to display information related to the contact. In one aspect, an icon associated with an entity can be temporarily displayed on the mobile device based on the proximity of the mobile device to the entity. The icon can be used to retrieve and display information related to the entity. Additionally, the icon can be removed from the display on the mobile device when the mobile device is no longer within a certain proximity of the entity.

[0005]Other implementations are disclosed which are directed to systems, methods and computer-readable mediums.

[0006]Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Users can create icons for a mobile device, where the icons can represent often accessed user contacts. User created icons can allow convenient access to all information and applications related to a contact. Thus, consecutive access to applications related to a contact can be greatly diminished. Additionally, temporary user access to applications relative to a location allows a user to minimize the amount of application data stored on a user mobile device.

[0007]The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
 
Heh. This is one of the features on my HTC Hero, which I bought in spite of my raging Apple fanboi-ness, because Apple doesn't allow home screen customization on the iPhone. I honestly didn't think that Steve'd bend to this sort of thing, but it looks like Apple may start to slowly rip off the Sense UI. :rolleyes:
 
I'm doing this on Android 2.1 and my Nexus One currently. What else is new...Apple is behind on tech.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; Archos5 Build/Donut) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Interesting stiff LTD. Good post!

Does "The icon can also be used to invoke one or more applications that are personalized to the contact." suggest mulitasking?

Cool if so!
 
Maverick1337 said:
To be honest, that was the first thing I noticed.
Click to expand...

Same here. Video Chat would be ideal. Too bad AT&T won't bother spending the $ to upgrade their network to handle such a feature, until their competition does. ...then they'll spend a little, do it halfassed, in a whopping six cities, promise Apple they'll have it all done in time for the next phone release, & then continue to do nothing until their exclusive contract on the device is up again... pathetic.
 
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