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iPhone Idea

V

veedubdrew

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 14, 2002
172
0
Los Angeles, CA
Hey MR gang,

Following is a brief note I drafted in the iPhone "feedback" area of Apple.com. Let me know what you think of the idea!

-----------------------------

Hello,

I have a suggestion for the iPhone preferences. I've just had my iPhone a few weeks now and it's wonderful, but it certainly uses the battery quickly. I've found that switching off the WiFi when I'm not near a base station saves a substantial amount of charge.

I've noticed a pattern in my WiFi manipulation: When I'm at work, I shut it off; when I'm home, I engage WiFi for faster internet and mail access. I know for a fact that I'll never need WiFi during work hours because I never leave my office during the workday and there's no base station there.

In a similar vein, I have an electric timer to shut off a number of household appliances while I'm at work, because I'm never home from Monday through Friday, 7:00AM to 6:00PM. The timer switches everything back on moments before I'm home, so I don't notice anything besides a lower electric bill.

So my iPhone improvement idea is this:

How about a "WiFi Timer" settings option? A list of the days of the week with an option to select a time period when WiFi will automatically shut off.

For example, mine would look like this:

Sunday: WiFi ON
Monday: WiFi OFF 7:00AM - 5:00PM (I get home early this day)
Tuesday: WiFi OFF 7:00AM - 6:00PM
Wednesday: WiFi OFF 7:00AM - 6:00PM
Thursday: WiFi OFF 7:00AM - 6:00PM
Friday: WiFi OFF 7:00AM - 6:00PM
Saturday: WiFi ON

Of course one could still turn WiFi back on manually at any time. I think this idea could potentially save a lot of iPhone users a lot of charge on their phones, and prolong battery longevity through less cycling. I'd imagine most users have at least a few periods during the week when they know that they'll be away from WiFi and will have no need for it or the power it consumes.

-Drew
 
The settings are basic. This is too complex for apple, and plus, it really wouldn't be worth it.

good suggestion though.
 
I think that there are a lot more things that need to be implemented rather than this, great idea. The thing is that it is too complicated, when turning WiFi on and off is simple.

I actually have an idea as well.

I think we should be able to integrate the Calender and the Map program so we can click on an event, and have a map for it, like say to a meeting or client.
 
TexanMan05 said:
I think that there are a lot more things that need to be implemented rather than this, great idea. The thing is that it is too complicated, when turning WiFi on and off is simple.

I actually have an idea as well.

I think we should be able to integrate the Calender and the Map program so we can click on an event, and have a map for it, like say to a meeting or client.
Click to expand...

Well I had envisioned it as a second option. The WiFi on/off slider would still be there exactly as-is.

I had imagined this as a second function that could be enabled, almost exactly like one can set up multiple alarm clocks with individual sliders, only for WiFi. But if someone didn't want to mess with it, it would be relatively invisible.

For me, WiFi off during the workday is the difference between making it until I get home on a full charge, and needing a charge mid-day.

-Drew
 
I like this suggestion--I'm in the same exact situation as you. But, I agree with the other posters that Apple probably won't implement this.

The good news is this seems like it should be simple enough for a 3rd party developer to build a small app to do this. That is, provided that the SDK gives them this type of functionality.

I would pay $5-10 for a little utility like this.
 
It's a good idea on paper, however i don't think this is the right way of going around this. I think it would be easier to just be able to access the wifi on/off button easier. I used to turn my wifi off when i wasnt using it, and then back on when i went to use it. It did save battery, so in that way its really good. However, i got tired of always having to go through to preferences and turning it back on. If they made a quick toggle you could access from the springboard, maybe an app like thing called wifi off, and just click it to power on wifi, or power off wifi would be a lot better. All manual, yes, but your idea gets to into it, and while a lot of people would like that, hell, id llike that, i believe that in the end it would get to be too much. Just my $.02. Keep giving apple those suggestions!
 
While we are at ideas, how about a notification on sms or voicemail (audible, vibrate and visual) if you have received one of the previous, and the iphone (detected via the motion sensor) has been laying either flat, at a slight angle just list when in the dock, or motionless then motion or change in position is detected. That way if you set the phone down, or it is charging and you miss an SMS or voicemail, it will notify you when you pick it up without having to turn it on to check.
 
Your having that much battery issues? I can easily go a couple days with out having to recharge. Since you work at a computer why don't you always carry an iphone charger with you. I always keep one in my work bag for either my iphone or ipod and its great.

Maybe someone will create an app like this with the SDK? I just cannot see this being a popular request at all. Id much rather apple work on more pressing needs.
 
Why do you need to conserve battery this much?

I never turn WiFi off, and rarely get below 50% battery after a full day.
 
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