Helpful Apps - NubDial & Dialer One

[Fabolous]

I discovered this awesome dialer over at XDA. It's available for free in the market, just search for 'NubDial'

It allows you to dial both with numbers, and search for contacts, at the same time. This feature is pretty standard on most smartphones (i.e. Blackberries), but somehow is missing from stock Android.

Well, no more!

Also, Redflea found another similar app called Dialer One that seems to have higher performance, and some extra features. Check them out:

First is NubDial, second is Dialer One

*Of course, they will actually show last names and numbers, but I gotta protect my friends

 

[i VTAK]

My phone does that already.

 

[mancow]

Neat app, thanks for the info.

 

[Redflea]

Great, thanks. I've been using Super Dial, which does the same but can't search business names, and generally doesn't search as well as Nubdial does.

Other than a little more lag than I'd like this looks very good. Thanks for sharing...

Oops...maybe not so good for me after all. Getting FCs (two so far) and moving in and out of the app sometimes has a really long lag. Bummer, this looks good, but not working so well for me.

 

[dougwilson2000]

I use Fastcall from the market. Best for droid.

 

[Redflea]

I use Fastcall from the market. Best for droid.

Fastcall is very limited compared to SuperDial and Nubdial...all Fastcall does is allow you to select just the first letter and brings up a list (often quite long) of names to scroll though. Does help a little, but not what I'm looking for - something similar to the blackberry where you type in letters and the list of contacts is filtered to match what you're typing as you type it...

Oh well...I'll have to keep looking/waiting for this on my Droid.

 

[Fabolous]

I use Fastcall from the market. Best for droid.

Uh, yeah, I checked this out since you recommended it, and as Redflea said, it doesn't really do much.

In fact, it's pretty laggy, and I think I could do what it accomplishes faster with the slider in the default contacts app.

But to each his own.

 

[Redflea]

OK...this inspired me to look into this category again, and I think I've found pure gold...

Check out Dialer One.

It has:

Performance - fast!
T9 Search - (did I say Fast!?)
Nice looking UI
Lots of settings
Search looks very accurate and inclusive of business and personal names
Able to replace stock phone program as the "return to" default after calls (not all dialers doe this, nubdial doesn't for example, Super Dial does.)

In short, haven't found a shortcoming yet...definitely the closest thing to the BB experience on a Droid since I got my Droid.

Coming in second - not as fast, not as nice a UI, was aContacts.

Give Dialer One a whirl...looks like a keeper. SO happy!

Pardon me a brief childish display...

OMG - it does speed dial!!

I'm in love..................

 

[Redflea]

For a stripped down version that has few features but is quite fast, you may want to try Spell Dial (or Spelldial - might be one word). Doesn't appear to have the ability to replace built-in dialer as default, unfortunately.

 

[dougwilson2000]

Fastcall is very limited compared to SuperDial and Nubdial...all Fastcall does is allow you to select just the first letter and brings up a list (often quite long) of names to scroll though. Does help a little, but not what I'm looking for - something similar to the blackberry where you type in letters and the list of contacts is filtered to match what you're typing as you type it...

Oh well...I'll have to keep looking/waiting for this on my Droid.

Do you realize that the Droid already does that? Go to contacts-open keyboard and start typing. Filters as you type.
Easiest is open keyboard press..search+c (takes you to contacts) and start typing.

 

[Redflea]

Do you realize that the Droid already does that? Go to contacts-open keyboard and start typing. Filters as you type.
Easiest is open keyboard press..search+c (takes you to contacts) and start typing.

Thanks, but not really for me as I rarely use the physical keyboard, don't like to keep having to open/close it, and don't like the short screen that results from landscape view.

The Dial One option is superior for me...tap to open Dial One, tap letters and contacts using simple T9 keyboard and contact list is immediately filtered to the relevant entries.

Try it - I'll bet you'll find it faster/easier than the physical keyboard process. Coming from a BB as I did, this was a key feature that the Droid was missing, getting it back is huge for me.

Also - didn't expect this, but I just tried the built in contacts search using the physical keyboard and it doesn't find all the relevant entries - did a keyboard search on "Sushi" - only got one result. I have four contacts w/Sushi included somewhere in the name, and Dial One finds them all. Same issue searching on Hilton - I have two entries for that hotel, physical keyboard search only finds one, Dial One finds both.

Thanks for the suggestion, regardless.

 

[Fabolous]

Ah, I am enjoying Dialer One.

It's very customizable, yet light and quick. Just what I need.

Thanks!

*And I've added that to the OP! Thanks again Red.

 

[Redflea]

Ah, I am enjoying Dialer One.

It's very customizable, yet light and quick. Just what I need.

Thanks!

*And I've added that to the OP! Thanks again Red.

Glad you like it, Fab - you inspired me, I had forgotten to go out and see what had been released since my last survey of options.

Thanks for posting the screen shots, still don't know how to do that.

 

[mdevine]

Can anyone help me with how to add a speed dial and the ability to do T9 search by company name using Dialer One? thanks.

 

[mdevine]

Found speed dial. User needs to be a "favorite"- then you can long click on the name for speed dial option.

 

[crankerchick]

Thanks guys for sharing this. I'm going to check them out when I get home. Since I know you guys are running custom oc roms, do you think these apps would run smooth on a droid that isn't oc'd?

 

[Clementine_3]

I am not rooted/oc'd or anything and installed dialer one last night...it's great! It really is very quick and looks great too.
Just long press the contact to add speed dial, they don't have to be a favorite.

 

[njKeever]

Also loving Dialer One. I love that it can group contacts in the call log as well as show the actual time of the call ("yesterday," really, was that helpful?). Speed dial is not living up to my hopes though. First of all it won't let you assign number 1. It's stuck on voicemail which is pointless for me since I use Google Voice. Second, I have assigned some of the other numbers and I can hold down on them until the second vibrate but it does nothing. I have tried killing the app and trying again, but still only works for voicemail (yes, I did double check that I have speed dials assigned)

 

[al911er]

Ahhh.. Finally found an app that brings back the "old style" speed dial of phones past, to the droid. It cost $1 but it sure is worth it.
go to the market and search "old school speed dial" add your numbers/contacts and on the phone pad hit the number and call. You can program 1-99.
I have 2 set at home so its --phone-- 2-- call
Now all I need is bluetooth voice dialing and we be set.

 

[Clementine_3]

Second, I have assigned some of the other numbers and I can hold down on them until the second vibrate but it does nothing. I have tried killing the app and trying again, but still only works for voicemail (yes, I did double check that I have speed dials assigned)

Try holding until the first vibrate then releasing, it's working nicely on my phone...not sure why it's not working for you?

 

[Redflea]

Speed dial also works fine for me - just hold to the first vibrate.

 

[virtus]

Ahhh.. Finally found an app that brings back the "old style" speed dial of phones past, to the droid. It cost $1 but it sure is worth it.
go to the market and search "old school speed dial" add your numbers/contacts and on the phone pad hit the number and call. You can program 1-99.
I have 2 set at home so its --phone-- 2-- call
Now all I need is bluetooth voice dialing and we be set.

You can also create a shortcut to any contact number on your phone. No need to go into the phone app or long press a number. Just tap the icon and it dials. I put a whole bunch in a folder and put it on my home screen.

 

[njKeever]

Sorry, I don't know why I said second vibrate, I guess I thought it vibrated as soon as you touched it.

 

[Redflea]

Dial One has an update in the market...some new features and other stuff.

 

[Redflea]

You can also create a shortcut to any contact number on your phone. No need to go into the phone app or long press a number. Just tap the icon and it dials. I put a whole bunch in a folder and put it on my home screen.

I've done that in the past...couple of limitations that made those home screen direct dial shortcuts less useful for me:

1. The shortcuts (assuming you mean the ones you create via long press on the home screen>Shortcuts>Direct Dial) are tied to the home screen you create them on. Anyone playing w/various ROMs will need to figure out a way to backup and restore those shortcuts, or you'll find yourself having to recreate them every time you change home screens, or change to a new ROM. If you don't make those types of changes you're fine, obviously. I make those types of changes frequently.

2. They aren't available if you're in the dialer...Say you just finished a call and have been returned to the dialer, and want to make another call to one of your speed dial contacts. You'd have to exit the dialer and navigate to the shortcut to use it. If your dialer supports speed dial then you simply press the number of the speed dial you want and you're on to the next call w/out any additional steps/navigation.