15 iPhone 3.0 features we'd like to see
Macworld
You can tell Apple is really ahead on some issues with regard to the iPhone. I say that because many of these features, if missing from a phone today would make it intolerable. Iphone users clearly put up with a lot to be able to enjoy the platform they enjoy the most because many of these features would be deal-killers in any other circumstance.
15 features we'd like to see really includes around ten or so that Apple needs badly or else the early lead and evangalism will become the intolerable limitations that Apple won't address. Here they are followed by my thoughts.
1. Systemwide cut/copy/paste
Clearly not every phone has this but it is a critical omission that many people want addressed. My own phone, the Dare doesn't have copy and paste but it does allow me to "extract" any information, like email addresses and phone numbers, that I need. More would be better of course and hopefully the iPhone gets this soon.
2. Push notifications and/or background apps
Clearly push means different things to some and while being notified of an email is nice, there are many more apps, especially non-Apple apps that cannot work in the background or get information while moved to the background. If I am working my GPS program, it does not quit, but lets me take my call and then goes right back to working with the same information stored and intact and in process.
3. Landscape mode in every Apple app
Hello, landscape for text messaging? Most every other cell phone has this by now.
4. Improvements to Mail
Knock, knock, who's there, Blackberry....
5. Sync notes and to-dos
Yeah syncing is important to all those Outlook folks. Apple needs to make up some ground here.
6. Better app organization
Sort of a problem caused by success. People download more apps for the iPhone so they need better organization techniques. It won't hurt Apple compared to the competition.
7. Customizable tones
This is a big deal. Everyone else has unlocked ring tones that can be easily added and customized and not just for calls, but texts as well.
8. Full Bluetooth support
This is unlikely but needs to be addressed at some point. Apple doesn't allow third party storage and so combined with always needing a cable, it puts the iPhone at a growing disadvantage. Many folks are either dropping their MicroSD cards into a reader easily or just transferring using bluetooth. I pull stuff off my phone all the time with bluetooth.
9. MMS
This is one of those areas where eight or nine individual apps appear to compensate for lack of one feature. For example I mms photos to my Facebook page. I know the iPhone can do that with the Facebook app. However I MMS photos to several different online locations with MMS and just use different contacts (often at the same time). I couldn't imagine having to use a differnet app for each. It would suck to have to load a differnet app for Flickr and Facebook for example.
10. Video capture
Apple isn't going to be able to get much out of the current camera, but the foundation ought to be in place. Phones that do 640x480 at 15-30 fps are becoming very common.
11. Turn-by-turn directions
This is one of those things where iPhone users must just live in a different world. This feature is critical for hand-free driving. It needs to retain information, move to the background for a call, work while letting you view a text, and then jump right back up to the front.
12. Application data sharing and syncing
I'm not sure Apple is very far behind most other phone providers here.
13. Spotlight for iPhone
Ditto
14. Share Internet with a Mac or PC
This is one of those features that I guess I lost track of because it seemed there were temporary fixes one way or another. Clearly AT&T is going to want extra for tethering but there should be an official solution. My family went camping out at Glamis and my Dare was our means of internet access for the week. A click of an icon and the Dare became the USB Wireless modem and allowed us to get the business done that needed addressing. They even allowed us to pro-rate the feature for the week we used it. It was awesome!
15. Voice dialing
This again, is a huge hands-free feature. Apple needs to get with the program. Having the greatest screen isn't worth much if you can't use your phone while driving. This is a feature I use DAILY. It's the law! Push a button, say a name, have your call go through. Verizon even added voice recognition to the GPS software. People don't have extra hands or fingers when they are driving.
It says add your own so....
16. A lot of the industry is moving toward microUSB for a cell standard. Apple needs to address this in some fashion. Perhaps an iPod connector on one end and a microUSB on the other. The iPhone is soon going to be the only phone left out of what will become a universal accessory market.
You can tell Apple is really ahead on some issues with regard to the iPhone. I say that because many of these features, if missing from a phone today would make it intolerable. Iphone users clearly put up with a lot to be able to enjoy the platform they enjoy the most because many of these features would be deal-killers in any other circumstance.
15 features we'd like to see really includes around ten or so that Apple needs badly or else the early lead and evangalism will become the intolerable limitations that Apple won't address. Here they are followed by my thoughts.
1. Systemwide cut/copy/paste
Clearly not every phone has this but it is a critical omission that many people want addressed. My own phone, the Dare doesn't have copy and paste but it does allow me to "extract" any information, like email addresses and phone numbers, that I need. More would be better of course and hopefully the iPhone gets this soon.
2. Push notifications and/or background apps
Clearly push means different things to some and while being notified of an email is nice, there are many more apps, especially non-Apple apps that cannot work in the background or get information while moved to the background. If I am working my GPS program, it does not quit, but lets me take my call and then goes right back to working with the same information stored and intact and in process.
3. Landscape mode in every Apple app
Hello, landscape for text messaging? Most every other cell phone has this by now.
4. Improvements to Mail
Knock, knock, who's there, Blackberry....
5. Sync notes and to-dos
Yeah syncing is important to all those Outlook folks. Apple needs to make up some ground here.
6. Better app organization
Sort of a problem caused by success. People download more apps for the iPhone so they need better organization techniques. It won't hurt Apple compared to the competition.
7. Customizable tones
This is a big deal. Everyone else has unlocked ring tones that can be easily added and customized and not just for calls, but texts as well.
8. Full Bluetooth support
This is unlikely but needs to be addressed at some point. Apple doesn't allow third party storage and so combined with always needing a cable, it puts the iPhone at a growing disadvantage. Many folks are either dropping their MicroSD cards into a reader easily or just transferring using bluetooth. I pull stuff off my phone all the time with bluetooth.
9. MMS
This is one of those areas where eight or nine individual apps appear to compensate for lack of one feature. For example I mms photos to my Facebook page. I know the iPhone can do that with the Facebook app. However I MMS photos to several different online locations with MMS and just use different contacts (often at the same time). I couldn't imagine having to use a differnet app for each. It would suck to have to load a differnet app for Flickr and Facebook for example.
10. Video capture
Apple isn't going to be able to get much out of the current camera, but the foundation ought to be in place. Phones that do 640x480 at 15-30 fps are becoming very common.
11. Turn-by-turn directions
This is one of those things where iPhone users must just live in a different world. This feature is critical for hand-free driving. It needs to retain information, move to the background for a call, work while letting you view a text, and then jump right back up to the front.
12. Application data sharing and syncing
I'm not sure Apple is very far behind most other phone providers here.
13. Spotlight for iPhone
Ditto
14. Share Internet with a Mac or PC
This is one of those features that I guess I lost track of because it seemed there were temporary fixes one way or another. Clearly AT&T is going to want extra for tethering but there should be an official solution. My family went camping out at Glamis and my Dare was our means of internet access for the week. A click of an icon and the Dare became the USB Wireless modem and allowed us to get the business done that needed addressing. They even allowed us to pro-rate the feature for the week we used it. It was awesome!
15. Voice dialing
This again, is a huge hands-free feature. Apple needs to get with the program. Having the greatest screen isn't worth much if you can't use your phone while driving. This is a feature I use DAILY. It's the law! Push a button, say a name, have your call go through. Verizon even added voice recognition to the GPS software. People don't have extra hands or fingers when they are driving.
It says add your own so....
16. A lot of the industry is moving toward microUSB for a cell standard. Apple needs to address this in some fashion. Perhaps an iPod connector on one end and a microUSB on the other. The iPhone is soon going to be the only phone left out of what will become a universal accessory market.