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Apple Considering Adding Contacts to iPhone Home Screen?

FaceCall does this now. First app I bought for the iPhone.

Facecall $2.99 on iTunes :D

Facecall Website
FaceCall-1.jpg
 
cmaier said:
Facecall does not "do this." Face call does not, for example, automatically add contacts to your screen when you are nearby the contact.
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And I am very happy that it doesn't. But it does give you quick access to whichever contacts you want.
 
how about "real" notifications on the homescreen instead of those stupid batches..?
 
Leave it to the experts, fellas

I'm glad the people in these forums aren't designing the UI for the iPhone.
Things like "needing" spaces that go in every direction, 3D coverflow for contacts, every other geeky and unnecessary thing you can think of.

Apple should absolutely NOT sacrifice usability for average users in exchange for nerd points from the types who wear bluetooth ear pieces.

I like the idea of one button contacts on my homescreen. Right now I have to unlock the screen, press the phone icon, go to favorites, and then press my wife's name to call her. I use the "app" of calling my wife more than many of the other apps on my homescreen, so why not let me do it with one touch?

I also love the idea on some sites for the unlock screen to be far more useful, showing the next few iCal events and unread Mail messages. This is the type of simple upgrade to an already awesome OS that I'm looking forward to.

Sure the other guys might have more flashy interfaces, but Apple's got it down like a long-distance runner. They let you get the most number of icons on each screen. It's one touch to access my favorite 20 apps that I can rearrange simply, and on the fly.

5MP camera with Flash would be nice. Nicer screen, maybe. Better battery. Not sure what else to ask for. Still the king of all phones.
 
cmaier said:
Let's think about this a little harder.

Regarding your first point, and going back to my chipotle example. The point is not necessarily that I am going to use the icon right away. There is a certain utility to the phone realizing I frequent certain establishments and adding them to my contacts so that I can use them later.
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The business card analogy is cute, but what does automaticly adding "certain establishments" to your contacts have to do with the following?

icons for contacts could automatically appear only temporarily based on the user's proximity to the contact.
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It's not about adding a contact based upon how often you frequent certain places. It's adding a home screen icon while within a certain distance from a certain contact. I'm not sure how you confused the two, but all of your analogies are irrelevant to the actual implementation proposed in the patent. The article doesn't mention "appropriate options to add the contact" based on proximity.

The icon is only useful right away because it would disappear after you leave. It would not add a contact for the frequenty-visited chipotle because that has nothing to do with the patent. You would not be able to order the burrito remotely in the future becuase the icon would only appear when you are close to the chipotle.
 
Another approach...

What if you could scroll down the same way that you can scroll left and right on the home screen and all of your one touch phone contacts were down. Then if you wanted to get back to the normal left right scroll you just scroll left or right as if you were at your base homescreen.

PATENT PENDING!
 
Eso said:
The business card analogy is cute, but what does automaticly adding "certain establishments" to your contacts have to do with the following?



It's not about adding a contact based upon how often you frequent certain places. It's adding a home screen icon while within a certain distance from a certain contact. I'm not sure how you confused the two, but all of your analogies are irrelevant to the actual implementation proposed in the patent. The article doesn't mention "appropriate options to add the contact" based on proximity.

The icon is only useful right away because it would disappear after you leave. It would not add a contact for the frequenty-visited chipotle because that has nothing to do with the patent. You would not be able to order the burrito remotely in the future becuase the icon would only appear when you are close to the chipotle.
Click to expand...

The difference is I read the patent application and didn't limit my observations to the macrumors blurb.

For example, the claims:

9. A method, comprising:displaying on a mobile device, content associated with an individual;receiving input to create an icon associated with the content;creating an icon based on the content;associating the icon with the one or more applications; anddisplaying the icon on a user interface of the mobile device, where the displayed icon includes information relating to the one or more applications.

26. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:displaying on a mobile device, content associated with an individual;receiving input to create an icon associated with the content;creating an icon based on the content;associating the icon with the one or more applications; anddisplaying the icon on a user interface of the mobile device, where the displayed icon includes information relating to the one or more applications.

Note that while some of the claims display icons temporarily, most do not, including the ones above. Of the 30 claims, only 6 have the "temporary" language.

If you read the patent application closely, particularly paragraphs 30-35, it is mostly concerned about business card exchange. The idea appears to be that you get close to someone else with an iphone (or an appropriate contacts server) and you are presented with a prompt (you said: "The article doesn't mention "appropriate options to add the contact" based on proximity." Maybe not, but the patent application certainly does. For example, see paragraph 37). You can snap a photo at that point, and it grabs the contact info from the other person.

So while my post was "irrelevant" I guess that depends on whether you refer to macrumor's little post, or the actual patent application. Available here, by the way:

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph...1304.PGNR.&OS=DN/20100011304RS=DN/20100011304

Friscohoya said:
What if you could scroll down the same way that you can scroll left and right on the home screen and all of your one touch phone contacts were down. Then if you wanted to get back to the normal left right scroll you just scroll left or right as if you were at your base homescreen.

PATENT PENDING!
Click to expand...

Already suggested by me and others in this very thread.
 
There's already an App for this

It's called Facecall !!!
Not exactly worth a news item...

If Facecall doesn't do it you can bet it will now after this !
 
cmaier said:
Of the 30 claims, only 6 have the "temporary"
Click to expand...

... and only one of the claims refers to proximity, specifically:

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the icon is temporarily displayed when the mobile device is within a specified proximity of the contact.
Click to expand...

cmaier said:
The idea appears to be that you get close to someone else with an iphone (or an appropriate contacts server) and you are presented with a prompt (you said: "The article doesn't mention "appropriate options to add the contact" based on proximity." Maybe not, but the patent application certainly does. For example, see paragraph 37). You can snap a photo at that point, and it grabs the contact info from the other person.
Click to expand...

That's true. I suppose you could still have the contact information for a busniness at a particular location stored in your address book, according to the patent, which may include a link to the particular app for that business (not yet possible). I just don't see the point in adding information to the address book for businesses. Most outlets that have an associated app have location information built-in; for everything there's masterc... err, google maps.
 
HMMM!!!

Did anyone else notice that the Patent image shows a display screen larger than the current iPhone?

Notice how the screen goes right to the edge of the bezel and doesnt have the 3mm gap!!


Also notice the top and bottom.


I think we are in for a resolution bump :):D:D:)
 
Harry.yrraH said:
Notice how the screen goes right to the edge of the bezel and doesnt have the 3mm gap!!
Click to expand...

Some space between the screen and the bezel is required so users can tap objects very close to the edge of the screen (since the cursor is centered in area of the finger contacting the glass).
 
I really don't see real value in this patent.

IMO what Apple needs to implement ASAP is a decent LockScreen. The LockScreen as is right now is a waste of space where you see the time and show off your wallpaper.
I want dynamic data being thrown on my LockScreen so I can see it at a glance (Missed Calls, SMS, Email, and access to info from supporting 3rd party apps).

Example:
http://www.teehanlax.com/blog/2009/09/22/iphone-needs-a-new-home/

The other thing which would be really useful (although it is already available if you're running a jailbroken device, but the same can be said about the LockScreen info) is something like Overboard or Orbit.

Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAbLObCtEe0

I really can't see why Apple hasn't already realized the potential in both of these things. Instead of swipping 6 times to get to my last page of apps I just pinch the screen I'm at and I get SpringBoard exposé, tap the page I want to go and I'm there.

And let's not even mention SBSettings and it's usefulness in toggling WiFi, Bluetooth, Push Notifications, Location features, 3G, Adjusting Brightness without quitting the app you're on.

I wish I didn't have to jailbreak to get this functionality.
 
a whole article?

I don't get why having a dedicated icon for a contact is a big deal, considering that somebody could easily make and distribute this right now through cydia. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there is something like this already floating around. Only the proximity idea would be something news worthy.
 
bloodycape said:
I don't see how Apple can patent this seeing as I can already do this on my Android 1.5 device?
Click to expand...

Because Apple submitted the application four months BEFORE Android was even released. That's how!

Do a little research, two seconds Googling garnered that little nugget.
 
Something I don't understand about the proximity thing is what about if your first home screen is full? Where does it put the contact then?
 
AppleInLVX said:
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:
Click to expand...

He's not bending when he gives us features other phones have but delivers them on his own terms.
I don't like the idea much but oh well.
 
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