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Using iphone in The Car

L

LiveForever

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 13, 2007
281
0
I just read in another section about using the iphone in the car.

They were saying it's not suited to being used in the car ie first you wake up the iphone, then slide to unlock, then press a quick dial app say or the telephone. Then press again to put on speaker.

When you look at it like that I agree.

My old nokia 6280 just needed two presses of the green dial key to re dial the last number and the next key over for speaker which could be done in advance. So I could set it in speaker mode before driving so ALL My calls were then with the speaker phone.

With the iphone you have to wait to dial before putting on speaker.

How do you use the iphone in the car-I'm after some tips to make it easier.
 
In the UK it is illegal to use ANY phone without a bluetooth headset. My iphone 3G works like a treat with my car in-built bluetooth. I had to search several forums to solve some problems peculiar to my make of car etc, but it is now 100% functional
 
Even with a Bluetooth headset, it's not possible to make calls without looking at the device. (Although answering calls can be done by just using the BT headset buttons, where you don't need to look at the phone.)

But to make a call, you need to figure out which side is up, swipe to unlock it, perhaps enter a passcode on tiny buttons which requires looking, and hit at least one finger sized icon (if you have a fast-dial app on the front page), but usually hit the phone icon, hit the favorites button, scroll a list until you see a name, and then hit that name, none of which can be reliably and easily done blind (e.g. without taking your eyes off the road and peeking).

With practice, one can figure out which side of an iPhone is the top without looking. If you turn passcode lock off, leave the front page in view before starting to drive, and have a few fast-dial icons on the front page, you might be able to place a call with one quick look.

With a few other models of cell phones, one only needs to hit the "on" button, which has a funny shape so that you can find it by feel without looking, and then voice dial; or maybe hit the scroll button a fixed number of times to get to a certain number and then the dial button, both of which again can be found by feel for their distinctive shape.

There's a reason why in high performance aircraft cockpits every button (even on the radio) has a distinctive shape or location, and a nice tactile click or thunk when operated.

.
 
You can/should be able to redial the last number called by double or triple tapping the BT head set.
IF I direly need to call someone I will pull over and dial, yeah my life is worth arriving 5 mins late.

As mentioned already its illegal in a lot of US states to drive with a cellphone stuck to your head. Granted that doesn't stop people from doing other really stupid things while behind the wheel.
 
firewood said:
Even with a Bluetooth headset, it's not possible to make calls without looking at the device. (Although answering calls can be done by just using the BT headset buttons, where you don't need to look at the phone.)

But to make a call, you need to figure out which side is up, swipe to unlock it, perhaps enter a passcode on tiny buttons which requires looking, and hit at least one finger sized icon (if you have a fast-dial app on the front page), but usually hit the phone icon, hit the favorites button, scroll a list until you see a name, and then hit that name, none of which can be reliably and easily done blind (e.g. without taking your eyes off the road and peeking).

With practice, one can figure out which side of an iPhone is the top without looking. If you turn passcode lock off, leave the front page in view before starting to drive, and have a few fast-dial icons on the front page, you might be able to place a call with one quick look.

With a few other models of cell phones, one only needs to hit the "on" button, which has a funny shape so that you can find it by feel without looking, and then voice dial; or maybe hit the scroll button a fixed number of times to get to a certain number and then the dial button, both of which again can be found by feel for their distinctive shape.

There's a reason why in high performance aircraft cockpits every button (even on the radio) has a distinctive shape or location, and a nice tactile click or thunk when operated.

.
Click to expand...

That is not accurate. I have a screen on my dashboard (where my GPS maps are) where my contacts appear. I can dial using the buttons on my dashboard and/or my steering wheel.
 
Blackberry has a built in Speech activated calling feature that you could use with your Bluetooth. On your Bluetooth you press the Call/Answer button and it would activate the feature in which you said "Call Mary Jones Work". It worked pretty well, roughly 85-95 percent of the time and you do not have to touch your phone to do it.

Why the iPhone doesn't have this built in is very strange to me.
 
LiveForever said:
My old nokia 6280 just needed two presses of the green dial key to re dial the last number
Click to expand...
Sounds like you had the same phone as my friend, who would leave me long voicemails of himself singing off-key in the car, after sitting on his phone.
 
The Bluetooth in my car (UConnect in a Jeep) has a voice-activated function. I just say, "call xxx" and it calls them. Or I say, "dial xxx-xxx-xxxx" and it dials it.

With the name recognition, you have to enter that into the car's address book, but that can all be done by voice recognition, as well.
 
slightly off topic, but one more cool thing WM does that iPhone doesn't

on my WM treo, I hold one button for a second until I hear a tone, then it's
"call wanda at work"
"cal wanda on cell"
"start internet explorer"
"start pocket informant"
"what time is it"
"what's my battery strength"
etc etc etc

Live search is equally amazing. "Find pizza near 20016" "find 1253 Evermore St." etc etc etc


Apple really missed the boat on voice activation.
 
IgnatiusTheKing said:
The Bluetooth in my car (UConnect in a Jeep) has a voice-activated function. I just say, "call xxx" and it calls them. Or I say, "dial xxx-xxx-xxxx" and it dials it.

With the name recognition, you have to enter that into the car's address book, but that can all be done by voice recognition, as well.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much the same as in my Acura. It's all voice controlled.
 
Psyxologos said:
That is not accurate. I have a screen on my dashboard (where my GPS maps are) where my contacts appear. I can dial using the buttons on my dashboard and/or my steering wheel.
Click to expand...

Same here. I love it!

I just keep bluetooth running on my iPhone and it automatically syncs every time I get in my car. Easy.
 
firewood said:
But you car is not a Bluetooth headset (which was what my comments were about). And it's probably a lot more expensive than any BT headset.
Click to expand...

Sure. But it still uses the buetooth technology and this is why it is called bluetooth integrated. Effectively it makes the car a bluetooth headset, using the sound system and a microphone. Anyway, I own a Jawbone as well and this has the function to call your last number by double tapping the on/off button. Not the same functionality, but still quite safe. Just make sure the last person you called before you set driving is the person you want to speak when you are driving...

;)
 
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