Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

It's still philosophy. The system is flexible enough to work any number of ways, as evidenced by the significant changes recently.

It looks like I severely misunderstood the process. As I said in another post, I just wish someone had corrected that after I wrote it up in posts that have been read numerous times over the past few months. I invested a lot of effort into doing something wrong, and I'm not happy about it just now being raised.

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

Ok, let's go through the current solutions under http://maemo.org/community/brainstor...ne_experience/

RELEVANT TOPICS according to number of ratings

• Solution #6: Store and Handle prefered numbers Information
• Solution #1: Adding filtering & sorting to call list
• Grouping contacts: Solution #2: Add grouping of contacts (A) + Solution #3: Add grouping of contacts (B) + Solution #7: Provide filters for grouping unknown numbers
• Speed dial: Solution #4: custom-sized speed dial desktop shortcuts + Solution #9: Provide speed dial for phone pad
• Solution #8: Better UI for Missed Calls
• Contacts fields: Solution #12: Store fax numbers (actually implemented) + Solution #15: Freedom to rename entry titles + Solution #16: Possibility to add more than one "Note" to a contact .

POTENTIAL BUGS to be filed at http://bugs.mamo.org

• Solution #10: Avoid sending SMS to Landline Phone's

NOT RELEVANT at this point since they have too little (or negative) ratings

• Solution #5: shake to choose contact, phone to ear will call
• Solution #11: A phone shortcut icon at task manager view

DUPLICATE

• Solution #17: Add portrait mode ONLY option for the phone app at least --> portrait mode is discussed in other brainstorms.

Note that also http://maemo.org/community/brainstor...ncies_on_n900/ exists , which is is another vague brainstorm with some overlapping with some of the solutions listed above.

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

Sorry. I had not seen an option to split existing Brainstorms and had assumed that if such an option existed somewhere deep in the Brainstorm moderation interface, qgil would have used it to seperate out the solutions he wants to push forward. I apologize.

EDIT: Okay, it appears as though this really isn't possible...yet. qgil has opened bug 8153 though. Thanks, qgil!

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

hi all
i have been trying to find a post that captures the following items but could not actually find the specific issues and also need to know how do i vote for such issues if they have been raised already....

i have read in one of the posts on talk that full portrait mode is not planned for N 900. However as a user for over a month i have realized that portrait mode is essential for the following activities else it becomes user unfriendly to use N900 as a phone:

- unlocking the phone with one hand if you have a device lock code set up
- typing sms with one hand on the go (s/w keyboard in portrait)
- searching for a contact with one hand (though phone app has the portrait mode but currently there is no provision to type (s/w keyboard) and reach the contact quickly)

We need a portrait view for the above specially if you want to use your phone on the go.....

Requesting the community to direct me to the right place to log these and/or vote for these if they have been logged before....

Thanks!

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

No need to apologize. I'm going out on a limb to an extent; I know it's configurable because it's very, very different now than when first implemented. Being content management software (more or less) I think it's safe to assume there's more that could be done... and as we see, probably should.

But I was referring originally to more manual manipulation. Even without further functionality changes, the same end can be achieved by human beings with the inclination, knowledge and access to do a little editing. That's why I'm asking for a definition of the workflow Quim would rather see.

I apologize myself for getting testy. I'm just frustrated by an overload of damned if I do, damned if I don't.

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

relevant/not relevant ... i thnk that many of the problems of the contact database comes from the fact that each number is multiplied to fit any available service for the number, instead of offering a sellection of options for the number (with a filter or not) ... for a mobile # field, you get a sms field for the # a sip field for the # a sip message field for the # ... doing that, maybe the management of the database gets tricky

this is the reason why calling a number from hte call log is so difficult now ... you cannot call it using hte sip application if it was a gsm call, because it was not multiplied ...

this is a MAJOR ISSUE!!!
what if i just want to copy the # and put it in an email?
etc.

sure, this is a solution for the touch screen environment. one needs an easy way to access all these options ... don't know if this is the best, maybe it is for a touch screen phone ... have no idea .. though i would have prefered a menu with options (like in a clasic n95)

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

hi guys
waiting to hear from u all on this.

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

Hmmm, I might be able to at least shorten the solutions list by two entries. I made my solution a Bugzilla entry since it really is easy to fix, and my solution would solve one of the other issues on the list as well. My proposal is to permit free-form text in phone numbers. This also solves the proposed solution of permitting extra field types (you can enter the text in the number rather than the field type).

For example, you would be able to enter a US phone number as:

+1 (555) 123-4567

rather than the much less readable:

+15551234567

and you can even add things like:

+1 (555) 123-4567 (Old number)
+1 (555) 123-4568 (Current number)
+1 (555) 123-4569 (Parents)

Or whatever other comment you would like.

Having extra text in numbers seems to work well in all places I have tried it (several phones, SyncML web-sites and Outlook), but extra field-type names are not portable. Several other apps and phones already permit free-form text entry. The N900 has no problems with free-form text in phone numbers once it is there (i.e. imported from a vCard for instance), but the text-entry field prohibits all but numbers to be entered.

Have a look at bug 8297 for more details (and please do vote for it).

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

This is definitely an area which needs work, I hope this brainstorm gets noticed and acted upon. There are some great ideas in there - for what it's worth I've added my own idea which is a phone widget. I think this approach could be really great as it'd integrate perfectly with the desktop and customization aspects of the OS' design.

I have been looking at various phones, including iPhone, Android-based, Windows Mobile and Symbian. I was interested to see just why the N900 phone features were feeling lacklustre to me and the main differences I've noticed are:

* Many phones instantly or within 1-step present a dial-pad (or have a physical pad)

- N900 has a first step screen with recent calls, this slows calling flow and could easily be changed. I think at least having the option to go to the dialler pad first should be included.
- The phone application design logic is a bit faulty... making users open up an extra window to access the dialler or the contacts list adds an extra step before a user can then access another vector to dial. A tabbed approach would be much better for easy flicking between - something I've noticed the Hildon UI doesn't seem designed to handle. Nevertheless, I'd personally still break with UI design and flow here to tab these functions as it is such a critical application.


* Many phones jump from an icon on the home screen to the dialler app

- N900 doesn't do this by default, but can easily be configured. This should be the default... 1-touch access seems critical
- N900 transition can be quite slow going to phone. I love the transitions generally but on this particular feature I'd prefer to have it appear instantly, or make the transition less physical. The transition from a desktop shortcut also sometimes has an extra step going to phone (the black expanding box) - this should be eliminated to speed up the transition.


Aside from that, there's not actually much wrong with the dialler/phone application. I love the rolodex-style A-C, D-F shortcuts on the contacts list and the dialler / active call display doesn't really have any particular issues. One exception here is that I think the answer / call buttons should be slightly more spaced to prevent accidental mis-pressing on the touch screen. I have accidentally pressed the screen pulling it out of my pocket to answer too and I'm not the only one (judging by other posts on these forums). I don't know whether the proximity sensor is employed when a call is coming in - ie. it's against my leg in my pocket so don't activate the touch screen for a few seconds, but something like that or a slide-to-answer solution to prevent accidents could be helpful.
The ability to place shortcuts to contacts on a desktop is great, I love it and find that really usable - no complaints there at all.

The only feature really missing from it all is a proper filtered call log system. This is really lacking from the phone and needs adding with at least the functionality that the N95 (and its like) had.

I'd love for my idea for a dialler widget to be realised (see my solution, number #31 here: http://maemo.org/community/brainstor...ne_experience/ for a full description and mockup of this idea). If I knew how I'd do it myself - not my area of expertise alas. I think along with the sort of improvements I've mentioned above that Nokia could kick the impression of this "not being a phone" once and for all.

http://static.maemo.org/static/3/326..._widget_design

Re: [Under Consideration] Improving the Maemo 5 phone experience
 

Input on

PHONE APP INTERFACE DESIGN
click on phone app -> dialing pad opens
1: click on call button once (empty string) should open call log
2: call log page should also contain dialled/received/missed call tabs
3: hold a number (2-9) should start speed dialing number
phone app drop down menu -> assign speed dials
4: ussd code functionality be available

except for voice dialing this would put a solid phone app in n900