Android features you'd like to see?

[ryannosaurus.rexx]

I've been toying around with my G1 for a few days now and I'm noticing a few things I feel would greatly enhance the Android experience / usability. After coming from a Windows Mobile device that was primarily a PDA that Microsoft coincidentally threw a couple of phone features into ( ), I notice a couple of shortcomings with Android. Still being v1.0, I know there is still plenty of room for improvement.

1. Repeating audio notifications. If I miss a call, have a new voicemail or sms, etc. the device should let me know even if I am not looking at it. An occasional unobtrusive 'chirp' would be great.

2. 'Smart' dialing. On the WM device,it had HTC Smart Dial included with the dialer, which allowed the user to, using the letters on the phone dialer, type in a contact's name and the Smart Dial would present matches as I typed. (Similar to T9, I think...)

These are just a couple of little things I've come up with off the top of my head. Anyone have any other little suggestions? Anything that should be built into future updates of Android, not necessarily 3rd party apps?

Ryan

 

[bicky1124]

I really wish there was a way to group your call log list. I hate that it lists the same number however many times you dialed. Does anyone know if you can group them so it just shows you the number once in the log?

 

[punkzanyj]

Other shortcomings:


-Doesn't brew coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate

-No built in lazer-pointer

-No compartment for gum, spare key

-Can't be plugged into telephone wall jack

-Tastes horrible

-Too dull to shave with

-No Apple logo

 

[Phlogiston]

1. Repeating audio notifications. If I miss a call, have a new voicemail or sms, etc. the device should let me know even if I am not looking at it. An occasional unobtrusive 'chirp' would be great.

I totally agree on this one. I missed that on every mobile phone I had before. Should be easy to implement actually.

 

[clarkw]

The ability to sync to Lotus Notes - email, calendar and contact list.

ClarkW

 

[g1mami]

how about video i have a 2month old and enjoy taking pictures of him but there or some precious moments i would like to capture on video. the other thing that should be seen is with the aim being able to customize the aim icon to my own pic or something else as well as editing my own away message like on the sidekicks.

 

[g1mami]

the other thing i was thinking was as for the security pattern have a voice verification security. i love the pattern thing it awesome but now not so helpful when everyone still can watch your hand movements to know what your tracing. where with voice security it will only unlock for the persons voice that is recorded. just another suggestion

 

[sleebus.jones]

• Multi-select and delete in gmail (didn't another touch-screen phone have this very same flaw? )
• Option to have non-threaded email in gmail
• Option to edit quoted text in gmail
• gTalk that is stable
• AIM/MSN/Yahoo that doesn't use SMS </obvious>
• Ability to multi-select photos to attach to an email, rather than attach/return to email/select attach/attach photo/repeat
• Make the home screen more than three screens wide

 

[carlosnumbertwo]

Record Video.
Play Avi files.
Turn by turn directions on a map app that doesnt need internet (preloaded maps).
Voip app.
Selectable themes.
A music player that has an equalizer.
Opera mini running as a native app.
A good pdf reader and ebook reader.
The developer app "DYNO".
If all this is put in there; you could pretty much dig a hole the size of a mouse and place your Iphone in it CAUSE ITS BEEN MURDERED.

 

[krstofer]

I'm suprised no one mentioned flash plugin. I NEED a flash plugin.

 

[derrrface]

Stereo Bluetooth.
Bluetooth support for the media player.
A new (better) media player.
Flash support
A second generation battery that lasts 4x longer.
Instant camera (mine is slow and useless)
On screen keyboard; Seriously someone should clone the one that comes with the Samsung Instinct (my previous phone; worked very very WELL)
Haptic feedback while scrolling.

 

[mnswamp]

Picasa client
faster camera
bluetooth stereo
facebook app
media player that syncs with my desktop/Amarok

 

[Rob]

@punkzanyj hahahahahaha i almost spit my coffee out at that

I wish there were more widgets you could put on your "desktop". Right now there is just clock, apps/games, search, etc... but nothing else. I'd like to see increased functionality and creativity.

 

[ikkleste]

More widgets seconded. I'd like a desktop calender display.

Better addressing for messages and emails, selectable from contacts list in multiples, addressable to groups.

 

[desman]

I love the G1 and am gettin to grips with it quite quickly BUT I would like:

- The option to be able to select multiple recipients for a text from the contacts screen
- The option to save a picture/ video etc sent via multimedia messaging (really really do not understand why this was missing)
- A pdf reader would be nice

And hey all - my first post

 

[PhantomTrace]

personal encased jetpack with 2 second deployment notice with auto flight

 

[MarvinAndroid]

-Text Search - inside a document and webpage
-Flash - having flash in the browser would be huge
-Video Recorder - come on... my ancient Treo650 even did video (and had a better camera)
-Improved Battery life - I'd like to be able to make it more than one day of normal use...

Besides that... I LOVE this phone! Coolest 'toy' I've bought in a while.

 

[cred05]

1. Repeating audio notifications. If I miss a call, have a new voicemail or sms, etc. the device should let me know even if I am not looking at it. An occasional unobtrusive 'chirp' would be great.

No thanks! I had one phone that did that, the razr and it was the most annoying thing in the world to me. The flashing LED works perfectly the way it is now, for me atleast.

 

[vincewchan]

I really wish there was a way to group your call log list. I hate that it lists the same number however many times you dialed. Does anyone know if you can group them so it just shows you the number once in the log?

I agree with this one..Flash player would be nice..

 

[SK.]

There are a couple of things I can think of now and some have already been covered off on here

First off the Gmail Application itself.

I have my Gmail account pickup mail from a secondary Gmail account and also an ISP provided account. Now on the PC (Via the web portal as I don't bother with email clients on the PC) you can set up gmail to retrieve mail from other accounts but also send via those addresses also.

On the G1 you can't which is a minor shame, It would be cool if you could at least reply to an email sent to one of the other accounts from that address but you can't it defaults to your Gmail address. It's not a deal breaker for me and it doesn't cause me any issues as I have the G1 set up with my main email address anyway but it would be a nice to have for the future.

Google Reader.

The web portal works well on the phone but damn I wish they could build some kind of simple application for the handset itself. It just feels like there is something missing from the mobile web version and more functionality could be added I feel on a handset version.

Google Docs

Ok to be able to edit etc for the future would be good but my main little issue is that I can preview when I receive documents via email but can't download. Ok so you can't edit yet but I would have liked there to be a proper docs viewer on the handset that would also allow me to save the attachment and then at least upload to google docs (Which I use often) I except that I can do this when I get back to the PC but would be nice to have the functionality on the G1.

Picasa

Well I don't think I will be taking many photo's with the handset as it currently is as well lets be honest the camera isn't up to much but yeah why not picasa functionality would be good but there are applications in the store that can do this anyway so no biggie to be honest.

As I said none of these are deal breakers for me and it hasn't stopped me enjoying the handset or getting the most out of it, it's more musings and hopes for the future really.

Unless I have missed something though it would be nice if Google set up a wishlist site as Nokia did a couple of years ago for s60 where people could post up suggestions and comments as to what they would like to see, but I am sure they take very close notice of forums like this anyway so hopefully they are reading and taking little notes

 

[cbaileyii]

I agree with all of the above and more specifically FLASH PLAYER.

My personal interest in seeing would be an OBEX file transfer option with the bluetooth.

And am I missing something simple or is there no forward option on the text messages??

 

[SK.]

Select the message that you want to forward by holding your finger on the selected message for a second or two and a box pops up that gives you the option to forward/call etc

 

[crackertc]

one of the very simple features I'd like to see is, during a call, make a sound when you receive a notification email/sms, etc... sometimes Im in a call and I don't know that somebody sent me an sms, or if I received a new email, etc.. and let people change settings on this. I used to have an iPhone and the iphone doesn't let you change the settings for this during a call, but it makes the sound at least.

 

[mark]

Other shortcomings:


-Doesn't brew coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate

-No built in lazer-pointer

-No compartment for gum, spare key

-Can't be plugged into telephone wall jack

-Tastes horrible

-Too dull to shave with

-No Apple logo

Might further add: inaccurate as a pistol, no place to carry ammo, cannot be used underwater

Mark

 

[DarkTLRrider]

the other thing i was thinking was as for the security pattern have a voice verification security. i love the pattern thing it awesome but now not so helpful when everyone still can watch your hand movements to know what your tracing. where with voice security it will only unlock for the persons voice that is recorded. just another suggestion

Check out biowallet I cant find it on the market but I read a review of it for android and have been to their web site. It offers voice and retina verification and a place to store all your credit card numbers and passwords and you can set security levels for different things like phone-none passwords-voice cretit card and bank infor-retina.