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The click wheel works as a keyboard input device, if you make an on-screen letter wheel and manipulate it by spinning the click wheel with your finger then pushing the center button to input a letter. It's different but it works just fine once you get used to it.

That's what I'd do if I was Apple...

I think this would make texting incredibly difficult and inefficient.
 
Fcc

Would it be accurate to assume that a new form factor phone would have to go through similar FCC approval as the original iPhone? and if so is there any way to check what has been submitted? I imagine that the process would have to begin very very soon for a new phone to be available by the holidays. If this is the case it may be likely that the new model would be announced at MacWorld in a similar fashion as the original...
 
I think it could be a hit so long as texting was still rather easy. Not sure how that would be possible without a touch screen?

note: "basic" cellular capabilities. Do we count texting as part of basic cellular capabilities? When I read "basic", I was thinking the ability to make and receive calls, voicemail, etc. From what this sounds like, they may not even include EDGE.

I think it would definitely serve a purpose. But in order to get fancy, you'd have to step up to full iPhone.

Keep in mind that the current iPod Nano is a pretty limited device as well, in that it can't play movies or play games that the 5G can do.
 
There's no way they'd do a rotary dialing emulation, that'd be a huge pain and the people at Apple are not idiots when it comes to interfaces. I'm sure if they release a phone with only a click wheel interface that the dialing system will be at least somewhat elegant.
 
I think Apple needs to stop focusing on trying to publicize the iPhone and start working on updating it's long overdue products. Seriously, like Apple isn't a cell phone company. They make computers and music players. Sorry, it just bugs me about the iPhone because that's the only thing you hear about today. Apple is losing its touch.
 
To quote the Macworld '06 Keynote:

12:48 PM - "Hi, I'm Steve and welcome to my weekly podcast, Super-Secret Apple Rumors." (huge laughs) "I've got some pretty good sources inside Apple, and the next iPod is going to be HUGE, an 8-pounder with a 10-inch screen ... See you next week."
 
The only reason I don't want this to come to fruition is it would take attention away from MY iPhone, and RAZR-ize the iPhone...

~Selfish in SF
 
Here's a wild idea, what if it used a voice recognition interface! Voice recognition quality across different companies ranges from terrible to near perfect. I'm sure if it only had to be able to recognize the sound of spoken numbers and individual spoken letters then the recognition could get to near 100% accuracy even in noisy environments.

It's just a wild stab in the dark, but I think it'd work really well and would be reasonably easy to implement technologically.

EDIT: Of course a lot of the times that people use texting is when they can't be speaking, like in meetings and whatnot, so maybe it's not such a great idea after all.
 
The Nokia 3600 series had numbered buttons in a circle like a rotary dial. It sucked.
The Nokia 7280 was totally controlled with a small wheel with a single button much like the iPod. It was way cool, but hard to use.

There will need to be a keypad of some sort. Dialing with the wheel would prolly be fine, especially with a contact list as it would be just like your playlists. However, I would have to think that data entry for new contacts or text messaging would be very difficult with out at least a traditional phone keypad.
 
note: "basic" cellular capabilities. Do we count texting as part of basic cellular capabilities? When I read "basic", I was thinking the ability to make and receive calls, voicemail, etc. From what this sounds like, they may not even include EDGE.

I think it would definitely serve a purpose. But in order to get fancy, you'd have to step up to full iPhone.

Keep in mind that the current iPod Nano is a pretty limited device as well, in that it can't play movies or play games that the 5G can do.

I think it would have to include texting to be successful. The target group for an iPhone Nano would probably be high school and college students that can't afford and iPhone. That is also probably the group that texts the most.

I think the click wheel would work fine. Not for rotary dialing, but with different segments of the wheel representing numbers that could just be tapped to dial. This would also work well with a recent patent that talked about visual feedback from touchpads which also included how it could work for a cilck wheel. The click wheel could display numbers when dialing or it could display letters when texting. I realize that the letters would have to be small to fit, but you could press and drag if you don't get the right letter and then release when on the right letter. I think the would be faster than texting on a regular number pad where you have to push a button up to three times (actually four for S or Z).
 
The Rotary Dialing would be one of those things that are "ohh Sweet!" for about a week then it would be "ok can this go any faster!" But then again it is apple and I'm sure if the iphone nano is coming then it will be with style:cool:
 
an iphone nano would be a great gift for the late teens/college students in my family! lets see if they are naughty or nice from now until december.
 
I think the would be faster than texting on a regular number pad where you have to push a button up to three times (actually four for S or Z).

Well thats if you use the "abc" the T9 IMO is much faster, although I know people who use "abc" and they are fast too.

Perhape they will have it like some PDA's and you can write the letters out with your fingers.... that would still be slower than T9, BUT thats another option maybe... haha:D
 
I think Apple needs to stop focusing on trying to publicize the iPhone and start working on updating it's long overdue products. Seriously, like Apple isn't a cell phone company. They make computers and music players. Sorry, it just bugs me about the iPhone because that's the only thing you hear about today. Apple is losing its touch.

Oh, Come on. Clearly Apple is transitioning away from being a computer manufacturer to being a consumer electronics manufacturer who happens to provide some very good, very elegant software.

Case in point is the name change from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. It's not that they want to get out of the computer industry altogether, don't get me wrong. But I think Apple sees the fragmented state of the CE market and is working hard on integrating and streamlining the process to a point where all of the electronic devices in a home, though not necessarily Apple-branded products, are interconnected, hopefully using some Apple technology.

Look how far we've come since 2001 when Apple started to branch out with the iPod. That was HUGE. Now, we can access many areas of our digital life -movies, music, email, documents, TV- regardless of where we might be. Sure, these technologies aren't all Apple innovations, but Apple sees a way to make the experience better. And future Apple technologies/improvements are going to take us deeper into the integration.

For instance if iPhone is integrated with BackToMac, it would be superb; you'd never "forget" anything. Just pull up your home PC on iPhone, find the document you want and print it via bluetooth.

On the original topic, however, I'm not so sure that this method is the "best" way to do input on iPhone nano. And where's the usual disclaimer about patents; that they may or may not end up in future Apple products. It may be too early, but I think Apple has a winner with the multi-touch interface, and I don't see them backing out into a (perceived to be) inferior method. Remember the mini had the much better click-wheel first, but the iPod rapidly received it.
 
Interestingly, it would appear that Apple will stick with its venerable click-wheel interface (perhaps due to the model's size), a proposition that CEO Steve Jobs had mocked when initially introducing the iPhone at Macworld in January. To dial, AppleInsider suggests Apple will use a rotary-dial click wheel patent that Apple recently applied for (via MacNN).

I can almost guarantee that this iPhone Nano will not have a clickwheel. As I stated in another thread, the clickwheel is not meant for the iPhone family. It will be multi-touch. It only makes sense. Apple has a lot riding on this multitouch technology.

It will most likely not have wifi or edge. Thus, no widgets, mail, or safari. Smaller battery (which will be ok because of lack of internet stuff) and less memory (maybe 2GB? 4GB?). Texting will be there, of course (probably via landscape keyboard like safari on iPhone).

I don't know any of this for a fact, but I think it is all very logical. And, if you remember, there were rumors that Apple was working on a second iPhone right after the original iPhone was announced (maybe even before it was announced).
 
I think Apple needs to stop focusing on trying to publicize the iPhone and start working on updating it's long overdue products. Seriously, like Apple isn't a cell phone company. They make computers and music players. Sorry, it just bugs me about the iPhone because that's the only thing you hear about today. Apple is losing its touch.

I think you need to stop focusing on what Apple USED to be. Jobs has said himself that Apple has 3 core businesses: Computers, Music, and Phones. It's not a computer company that does other things on the side. The only thing it does on the side is Apple TV, and I think in a couple years that will be matured into the 4th core business.
 
are you guys serious about dialing?

i have dialed 1 of the past 60 calls in my call log. Address Book syncing FTW!
 
The Rotary Dialing would be one of those things that are "ohh Sweet!" for about a week then it would be "ok can this go any faster!" But then again it is apple and I'm sure if the iphone nano is coming then it will be with style:cool:

We all look at the word "click wheel" and we think the way its used today, but remember this macrumor a couple of days ago?

Apple Developing Backlit Trackpad?
illuminatedScrollWheel_300.gif


maybe this patent is being used in the iphone nano? It has the rotary display but is sensitive to touch. You just press the numbers around the click wheel. The light feedback can be used as a guide to know where you are pressing.

Just a thought.
 
Shuffle iPhone

I also hear that Apple is going to make a Shuffle version of the iPhone too.

It's really cool. When you feel like making a call, it shuffles through all of your contacts and calls someone.

There will be no iPhone Nano. This is one of the dumbest rumors of all time.

The whole deal with the iPhone are all of the features which are not on other Smart Phones. Strip those features away and you have a regular phone.
 
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