Database Users

A better skin/program for phone and contacts?

My problem with my MDA Vario is mainly searching contacts. It's very fiddly normally and a copplete nightmare when driving. I really dont want to have to take the pen out just to make a call.
What are my options? Any better software/skinds around? Or is there an option i am missing that could make it easier?
Thanks
PS, i dont want to use vioce dialing because its completely crap on this model with its poor audio capabilities.

I'm pretty happy with voice dialing. I agree it is unsafe to find contacts while driving, but I find that if I enunciate distinctly both when recording and when finding, I get pretty close to 100% success with voice dialing.

i am also interested in an input method or a contact skin to make contacts easily browsable while driving ---
this would be one of the main reasons for keeping also a nokia 6630 besides the wizard.

The main fact is that they are to small to press with a finger, any way of making them larger?

Try this one

xplode said:
Try this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a screenshot how this looks/works ?!

nm

Probably already mentionedbut I found this by accident.
If you press the 'Contacts' button, the contacts are listed alphabetically.
Assuming you want someone beginning with 'P', instead of trying to press the tiny 'p' button, simply scroll down by holding the down button, but keep it pushed like fast scrolling.
Keep it pressed and after a few seconds, a large pop up appears with the Letters in it, A,B,C etc.
Hold it until 'P' appears, let go, and you are at 'P'
Seect your contact and dial.
Sorry if this is old news.

voice dialling is the best answer cause i am driving about 10.000 km /month because of my business, holding down the down arrow is also hard to select a single contact, instead u can use smartskey to use the volume controller button act like page down.. 8)

DREAMBOXER said:
xplode said:
Try this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a screenshot how this looks/works ?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://mytreo.net/archives/2006/04/new_speeddial_app_reviewed_on_a_treo_650.php

Smartdialer slow response?

Hi,
The Smart dialer on my Dopod 838 pro seems to not perform up to speed. When pressing keypad for numbers or search contacts (smart dialing) the application gives slow response... is anyone experiencing the same problem? or is there a fix for this? .. i have around 400 contacts on my unit (FYI) could this be the problem?
Thanks in advance
Any help is really appreciated
Cheers
NR

Yep, mine is sluggish too. I hate how the keypad tones stay on while the app sorts itself out, I do have LOADs of contacts though and I imagine the software having to sift through all of them as it does its realtime filtering must use up all the CPU cycles for the start of each search. My response time picks back up once I've typed in three letters / numbers, but it's still annoying enough for me to mute the volume or turn the key tones off while I dial.
My Alpine was just like it.

christopherwoods said:
Yep, mine is sluggish too. I hate how the keypad tones stay on while the app sorts itself out, I do have LOADs of contacts though and I imagine the software having to sift through all of them as it does its realtime filtering must use up all the CPU cycles for the start of each search. My response time picks back up once I've typed in three letters / numbers, but it's still annoying enough for me to mute the volume or turn the key tones off while I dial.
My Alpine was just like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response mate but... arggg.. its annoying :evil:

Does anyone use PocketCM?? I have a problem

Hello all,
Does anyone here use PocketCM (an iPhone-like application for contacts)? It's a great program and works really well except when I try to install and select a new theme. When I go to the settings and press "Choose Theme", it only lets me choose one theme (the defaul), and I can't scroll over or anything to select a different theme. I hope this makes sense, and I hope someone out there knows something about this. I was gonna post in the forum on PocketCM's website, but I can't register in it for some reason. Please help me out if you can! Thanks!
-- Nick

Nevermind -- I figured out a way that works (even though it's very inconvenient)

xboxremote said:
Does anyone here use PocketCM (an iPhone-like application for contacts)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no harm dude, but i think almost everyone here uses pocketcm lol

How does one search for a contact with this pocketcm ? Dont tell me one has to go click on every alphabet? Say I want to look for Jayne - cant I just type Jay etc and out pops Jane or wutever else?

natzakaria said:
Dont tell me one has to go click on every alphabet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. You can slide your finger down either the left or right side of the touchscreen and when you release your finger it will jump to that alphabet in your list.
natzakaria said:
cant I just type Jay etc and out pops Jane or wutever else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Just start typing and PocketCM will narrow down your list of contacts which match the characters you typed.

tomazez said:
no harm dude, but i think almost everyone here uses pocketcm lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, I wasn't sure.
Anyway, I guess another question is, does anyone have trouble when sliding, and the program will just randomly decide that you meant to press on a name instead of sliding? If that makes sense...?

xboxremote said:
Haha, I wasn't sure.
Anyway, I guess another question is, does anyone have trouble when sliding, and the program will just randomly decide that you meant to press on a name instead of sliding? If that makes sense...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its just a matter of gettin used to it. I still have trouble scrolling tho. Not very consistent.

MajorGl0ry said:
No. You can slide your finger down either the left or right side of the touchscreen and when you release your finger it will jump to that alphabet in your list.
Yes. Just start typing and PocketCM will narrow down your list of contacts which match the characters you typed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Errr type where??

I use PocketCM also. I do experience a little glitch when searching the contact alphabetically, when scrolling from the left; it will sometimes show my favorite contacts instead. Does anyone experience this also?

natzakaria said:
Errr type where??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slide out your keyboard and type.

But if without the keyboard? How?

Pocket CM disappointment
I'm actually pretty disappointed when it comes to this app, for a two reasons:
1) it randomly hangs: sometimes when I'm scrolling the display just stops working and in my impatience i continue to click and before I know it I've either called someone that I didn't mean to, or i've opened someone for editing.
2) side scroll (alphabetically) does not work worth a damn. It NEVER goes to the letter that I specify, always stops short. I would say that this happens randomly... but no, it happens consistently, every time. Any ideas what is causing this? The only time is seems to work is when I'm going upwards.
Does anyone have any ideas about these two problems ?
Thanks.

TMELAM said:
I'm actually pretty disappointed when it comes to this app, for a two reasons:
1) it randomly hangs: sometimes when I'm scrolling the display just stops working and in my impatience i continue to click and before I know it I've either called someone that I didn't mean to, or i've opened someone for editing.
2) side scroll (alphabetically) does not work worth a damn. It NEVER goes to the letter that I specify, always stops short. I would say that this happens randomly... but no, it happens consistently, every time. Any ideas what is causing this? The only time is seems to work is when I'm going upwards.
Does anyone have any ideas about these two problems ?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any ideas about those two problems (sorry), but I'm also a little disappointed with the app. Like why I orinigally started this thread, it's such a hassle for me to install new skins because it doesn't work like it's supposed to. Or the inconsistent scrolling, or the hanging like you mentioned.
Also, (although this is minor), has anyone else noticed that if you leave Pocket CM open and go back to the Today screen, and lock the buttons, the top eighth of the screen or so shows the Pocket CM app, and everything else is the Today screen? Does that make sense? Anyway, it's a minor detail, but it's kind of a sore-sight. Has anyone been able to fix this?

The standard Dialer is driving me MAD

Opening the phone interface there are a number of numbers visible that I've recently dialed.
Some numbers even show what type of number (car, mobile, home work) was dialed by using "<c>" as in indicator.
Intuitive I press and hold one of the last dialed numbers, hoping for an option menu, but nothing happens, only to have this number dialed on release.
This must be a nuiscance to more people than just me.
Is there a solution, or even a better dialer program, so I can exchange this one?

you know how the <txt> or w/e is surrounded by left/right arrows/brackets (<>)? That's to indicate you can swipe your finger (left or right) to cycle through the different options (much better and easier implementation than 'holding' down for the change I think).
Hope it helps

I agree. the standard dialer drove me mad as well. Almost returned the device.
It was especially annoying, because I borrowed a WiMo from a friend first, and I liked the dialer.
The solution: Disable the phone skin, go back to the WiMo dailer.
Many utilities can do this, amoung others: Advanced Config V3.3, HD Tweak, etc. Just disable the phone skin.

cybermaus said:
I agree. the standard dialer drove me mad as well. Almost returned the device.
It was especially annoying, because I borrowed a WiMo from a friend first, and I liked the dialer.
The solution: Disable the phone skin, go back to the WiMo dailer.
Many utilities can do this, amoung others: Advanced Config V3.3, HD Tweak, etc. Just disable the phone skin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just in case: the wm6.1 standard dialer makes you lose the bt status icon in the top bar as well as the in-call volume-control! (but there is a somewhere a thread with a cab to fix that last issue)
regards jan

hausen said:
just in case: the wm6.1 standard dialer makes you lose the bt status icon in the top bar as well as the in-call volume-control! (but there is a somewhere a thread with a cab to fix that last issue)
regards jan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure? Because I they are both still working for me, and I do not recall having to fix it?
The only thing that is missing for me is Video-Calling, though it can still be done from the menu.

cybermaus said:
Are you sure? Because I they are both still working for me, and I do not recall having to fix it?
The only thing that is missing for me is Video-Calling, though it can still be done from the menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
strange... for me these two things are the side-effect of going back to the wm6.1 standard dialer, and other users (in another post somewhere) have confirmed that... so just feel lucky that that did't happen to you (but you are sure that you don't have these issues? when bluetooth is switched on, you still get an icon in the top bar, and when you make a call, you can change the volume of the 'person on the other side' with the volume keys (not system or ring volume)?)... so, just feel lucky, no idea why some people have it, some people don't... it's just a warning, but worth a try anyway, as the setting can easily be changed back....
regards jan

In retrospect, you are probably right.
I do have a "bluetooth" icon in my WiMo dialer, but it is in fact my headset icon, probably not the icon you refer to. And in fact, the headset is the one I want, so I do not care about any more base-bluetooth icon
And I rarely set set the volume, but when, I do that by the via the headset also, which also works....

auto contact recognition in dialer

One thing I miss from my windows phone was the ability to open the dialer and start typing a contacts name using the dialer keypad and having it auto sort for the contact. are there any apps that add this feature?
I want to just hit the phone button then start typing the contact on the keypad and have it bring them up rather than going to contacts, then searching then choosing the contact, then choosing to call them,..

When you open contacts, you can hold the menu key down for a couple seconds, which brings up the keyboard. Then you can start typing a contacts name, and it starts narrowing down the list.

That's a start thanks. I am only two day into android and have many tricks to learn. Would still love to see it work in the dialer as well though.

zjchaser said:
That's a start thanks. I am only two day into android and have many tricks to learn. Would still love to see it work in the dialer as well though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you're hoping for only works in SenseUI. Being new to Android, you just need to remember that different OS' do things differently. You'll get used to it soon, and it'll become second nature for you.

That was a bummer for me too, so I've opened a thread yesterday on this ... the best solution I found was using aContacts from marketplace.. it's very good and configurable.
It wont work keeping the menu pressed for showing the keyboard and looking for a contact in the Dialer screen. @uansari1, have you tried that? or are you speaking just by "knowledge" ?

uansari1 said:
When you open contacts, you can hold the menu key down for a couple seconds, which brings up the keyboard. Then you can start typing a contacts name, and it starts narrowing down the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can actually use a similar trick, in any app, including right on the home screen. Just press the search key, and start typing the contacts name. No need to open Contacts first.
zjchaser said:
Would still love to see it work in the dialer as well though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you need it to work in the dialer? What's the difference?

alithenake said:
That was a bummer for me too, so I've opened a thread yesterday on this ... the best solution I found was using aContacts from marketplace.. it's very good and configurable.
It wont work keeping the menu pressed for showing the keyboard and looking for a contact in the Dialer screen. @uansari1, have you tried that? or are you speaking just by "knowledge" ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have only tried using the keyboard in the Contacts screen, not the Dialer screen. I have my most frequently called contacts set as favorites, and calling non-favorites from time to time isn't a big deal for me.

uansari1 said:
I have only tried using the keyboard in the Contacts screen, not the Dialer screen. I have my most frequently called contacts set as favorites, and calling non-favorites from time to time isn't a big deal for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holding menu won't work, but pressing search will (on the dialer screen)

SpyderMS said:
Holding menu won't work, but pressing search will (on the dialer screen)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok... all I said was holding menu will work in CONTACTS. I don't use the dialer screen unless I'm calling a number that's not in my Contacts.

zjchaser said:
I want to just hit the phone button then start typing the contact on the keypad and have it bring them up rather than going to contacts, then searching then choosing the contact, then choosing to call them,..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try aContacts (free) from the market. It has this T9 dialpad that search the contacts and you can set it up to open this T9 when open the app. You can also customize the T9 a lot, check the settings in aContacts.

SpyderMS said:
You can actually use a similar trick, in any app, including right on the home screen. Just press the search key, and start typing the contacts name. No need to open Contacts first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 This is a great feature, I can dial from any home screen (essentially)

Alternatively.
Long click on the search even on the home screen and it starts voice recognition.
Just say your contacts name or something like "Directions to Castle Street"
God this phone never ceases to amaze..

ok a couple things. I tried out acontacts, cool idea but it doesn't work with exchange contacts so it it doesn't do anything for me, hopefully later it will handle all phone contacts.
holding menu to bring up the keypad in contacts works well but its annoying that it doesn't clear the text input after you select the person because the next time you go into contacts you then have to bring up the keyboard and delete the text you typed in.