by Jens Begemann
100 days ago Apple released the iPhone 3G and iPhone firmware 2.0. I love my iPhone , but it’s not perfect.
I have wishes for the next-gen iPhone (bigger battery, faster CPU, better camera, Adobe Flash support etc.), yet these improvements will not be easy and will take time.
But Apple has already made big steps forward through software. However Apple could significantly improve the iPhone by very quick and easy fixes. I am not talking about bigger software issues (like MMS, Flash or copy&paste; all of these would be a lot of work to work properly, potentially require stronger hardware or require Apple to adapt the user interface). Instead I think of trivial and easy quick fixes that one developer could change within a few days.
These is my “Top 10 quick-wins needed” list:
1) Make iTunes store work via 3G:
I download music via 3G since almost four years (on other phones). But Apple still requires us to be connected via WiFi to use iTunes. Why??? Apple, this is ridiculous! Why did you build a 3G phone after all?
Shazam is one of the greatest iPhone Apps, but if you are on the go and you want that song, you just can’t download it today.
2) Allow to disable auto-correction (or make it optional):
This is how iPhone Auto-Correct should work
The auto-correction feature of the iPhone keyboard drives me crazy. Over 20,000 people have signed the petition please-let-us-disable-autocorrection-steve.com and there are rumors this will come with firmware 2.2 in a couple of weeks/months.
Hopefully!
Nonetheless I would love auto-correction to be optional:
When you type and the auto-correction finds an “improvement” it should be shown in the list (as today). But today you have to touch “x” if you don’t want it – and if you forget to type “x” you have to re-type the whole word. Instead you should be able to touch “✓” only if you want it. Auto-correction should then also learn words you type: For example when I start to type “j” it would suggest “Jens” and on “b” suggest “Begemann” etc.
3) Support landscape mode for mail:
Many HTML newsletters I receive are formatted for wider screens:
Either you can’t read the small type or you need to scroll to read a line of text. Therefore mail should support landscape mode for reading mail (like in Safari).
Btw: Mail already supports landscape for reading attachments.
4) Support landscape mode for virtual keyboard in all apps:
TouchType allows to write in landscape mode
The virtual keyboard only works in portrait mode so far – except in Safari. Try typing in Safari-landscape mode with both thumbs: It’s a huge speed gain compared to portrait mode (even if your hands are smaller than mine…).
External apps allow you to type mails in landscape mode and show the potential – but they are not smoothly integrated due to the limitations of the iPhone SDK.
5) Don’t reload page on “back” in Safari:
If you touch “back” in Safari the iPhone will usually re-load/re-render the previous page. This can take several seconds and makes the browsing experience worse. Try Opera Mini on other phones to see how amazing an immeditate “back” can be.
6) Allow listening to iPod while playing games:
When you listen to your music via the iPod feature and you start a game the music stops as soon as the game plays any sound. This is annoying – I’d like to play puzzle games while listening to my music. The iPhone should simply mix the Game sounds and my music (like on the XBOX 360).
7) Support Bluetooth-Stereo audio (A2DP):
Apple heavily promotes WiFi to replace network cables, but you still need to plug-in your headphone/car-stereo system. Apple should simply support the bluetooth stereo-audio profile A2DP (virtually all new Nokia phones do…). Many high-end cars now support A2DP and if you have ever experienced it, you know this is the future how to listen to MP3s: Simply press play on your phone and the car stereo automatically switches to AUX and plays the music.
8) Allow to invite others via calendar:
The functionality of Microsoft Exchange is great: All of your contacts, calendar and E-Mail is always (automatically & immediately) in sync with your PC (I use Skyfillers Hosted Exchange Premium for my personal mail account).
The iPhone allows you to set up a meeting and it will appear on your server/PC immediately, but it is not possible to invite others: Therefore you have to add a second reminder to later invite the other people to the meeting when you are back in the office.
9) Synchronize photos of contacts via Exchange:
Assigning photos to contacts is easy and of great help to rember people (esp. if you have hundreds of contacts), but I stopped using it, because it doesn’t sync with my server/PC via Microsoft Exchange: On the PC there are simply no photos assigned to the contacts (and it also does not work the other way).
10) ??? What is your missing feature ???
Please add your favorite missing feature in the comments section. But please remember: It should be something very easy to fix via software. – There are enough lists with hardware or big software wishes.
Thanks,
Jens Begemann
P.S.: If the iPhone software was more open, these things would have been fixed already.
