Dialling a contact using fewer keystrokes

[iploya]

It might sound lazy, but I am looking for a better/faster way (other than voice, which only works in quiet areas) to dial someone in my contacts.

I am coming from BlackBerry, where I used to tap out the first few letters in the first OR last name and it would quickly narrow to the desired contact. Then click 'send.'

NOW, I have so many options, none of them being ideal. Again, excluding voice prompts, I can:
- click contacts, search for a name
- select dialler (green phone icon), scroll through contacts by flicking my finger, and using that tiny/thin column of A-Z letters on the right
- select dialler, then keypad, then tap out letters using the virtual phone keypad
- use the Google search box/widget

just to name several.

Each of these can take several or many "keystrokes." Also, for some reason if I type several keystrokes of a first or last name, it only recognizes a name if that contact happens to be indexed according to that part of name. For example, if John Doe is indexed as Doe, John, then typing out J-O-H...does not bring up John Doe. But for some crazy reason the indexing for my contacts got screwed up so half of them are sorted by first name and the other half by last name (so changing the Options settings doesn't get them all indexed correctly).

Also because there are so many choices (using Contacts, using the dialler, using the search box on the homescreen, etc.) there isn't just one clear best way.

Is there an App or something for this?? Suggestions?

Thanks

 

[jeremytanner]

Personally, I starred the contacts I tend to make calls to, then placed a folder on my home screen of starred contacts. Thus, hit the folder, hit the contact. For a few I have to swipe to scroll down a bit. It's much less complicated than any non-smartphone I've ever used.

Another thing that works well for me, is to open the dialer, and just start putting in the area code of the person. Most of the people I call are all over, so as long as I remember the first 2-3 numbers, then they'll usually be the first that comes up. This won't be as effective if most of your contacts are in the same area code.

You can also hit the hard Search button and begin typing in their first or last name. It will truncate the list, but on the bottom you'll see a bar with the types of searches performed. Hit this, hit the phone button, it'll list the contacts. Obviously, you can change your search settings and disable web results and the like, if you want it to be more Contacts-oriented.

Hope that helps with some ideas. There are probably others, too. I don't make that many calls, so I haven't messed around with it too much.

 

[3gAndroid]

I also came from years of BlackBerry use. I find the Captivate an excellent choice.

Here's an easy way. Just three taps and you're ready to dial like you described.

1) Tap Phone button
2) Tap Contacts
3) Tap* Search button

Enter just one or two letters to find name to dial.

 

[Infinite-t]

If you are using launcherpro (free or paid) you can use one homescreen as a "contact screen". You can fill the screen with contact shortcuts of the people you call most.

This would be 1 swipe (if your contact screen is only one away from your default screen), and 2 taps. Swipe to contact screen, tap contect and tap call. You can do the same thing for text and email. Swipe to contact screen, tap contact, tap email or text.

May not be totally what you are looking for but works good for me.

 

[yahoowizard]

You don't even have to tap the contact. You just slide the contacts' name right to call them, or left to text them =0

 

[mnemonicj]

How about using the search button, typing in some of the letters of their first or last name, selecting the contact and then choosing the number to call them at?

 

[labratt104]

Long press on the Home screen, select Shortcuts, select Direct Dial, select the name from your contacts list. Creates a shortcut on your Home screen. Then tap the shortcut, and it dials that contact.

I made a folder to put a bunch of direct dial shortcuts into. Also made another folder to put a bunch of direct text message shortcuts into. Same idea, just select Direct msg from the Shortcut menu.

Create the folder the same way. Then drag and drop the direct dial shortcuts into the new folder.

Works for me. YMMV.

 

[Chew]

Use Contact Widget: Contact Widget - Android app on AppBrain

You put a 1x1 Widget on your screen for each number you want to quick dial. Click the widget, it calls. One keystroke.

 

[Boldt]

Its funny I actually do just about everything listed in this thread and still cant figure out which I like most heh. I use the launcher pro plus widget the most though I guess but I still cant stop using direct dial shortcuts (ugly but useful) or swipe left/right from the contacts screen to message or call

Mostly for the wife and work etc I just use speed dial. I will follow this thread to see if there are more ways to annoy myself over this issue. I wish you better luck

 

[harleydad82]

I agree with "infinite" or "chew" I use launcherpro and i have only two homepages the second is just "half" filled with contacts i call or text. on a blank screen press and hold and then click on "shortcuts" then you can either click contact, which you set a pic for that person, and when pressed you can either call or text. Also in shortcuts if you only call a person or text you can choose a shortcut that will automatically either call or text depending on which you choose for there shortcut. Hope this helps.

 

[harleydad82]

Oh forgot...also in my contacts i have periods in front of names that i call or text very often wife, dad, work, friends...etc. being it has the period in front of the name it is then put at the top and in alphabetical order still. so that is really fast too. again hope this helps

 

[artvandalay22222]

You can search for a name in the dialer without hiring search button. Just start entering numbers that have the letters of the name. For example to call bill first hit number 2 for b then 4 for I it will pop up

 

[DynaBlue]

If I could figure out BT voice dialing that would be the fewest keystrokes.

 

[sero]

You can search for a name in the dialer without hiring search button. Just start entering numbers that have the letters of the name. For example to call bill first hit number 2 for b then 4 for I it will pop up

yall need to listen to this guy cuz ur all making this waaay too complicated lol. i was just about to post this myself. hit the phone icon and then start typing the letters of the persons name (using the numbers...u dont have to pull up a keyboard pad). by the time u got about 3 numbers in there you may have 2-3 names popup....tap on the name you want a hit dial. wha-lah

 

[Prim8]

You might want to check out aTakephONE TAKEphONE contact dialer - Android app on AppBrain
I haven't used it on android but I had it on my Treo and it worked great, pretty much just like you said. The developer is fantastic too, he's constantly adding requested features and responding to posts.
Here is his thread
http://androidforums.com/android-applications/8160-atakephone-released.html

 

[alphadog00]

The options under the dialer also support speed dial - so you can assign people to every number - long press on a number to speed dial. 2 clicks: Dialer; Button press

Or

Select a contact->menu->default and pick which number is the default - then add them to your favorites. So from there 3 clicks: Dialer;favorites;contact slide to right

 

[jeremytanner]

Heh, options-overkill.

 

[artvandalay22222]

my favorite is adding shortcuts to the scrolling dock bar in launcher pro. for example to call my wife, I click the icon that has her picture, to call. I swipe on the icon to text her

 

[bake]

You can hit phone and then search to search like you said you used to be able to. Or make a shortcut on a homescreen, and you don't even need launcher pro to do it.

 

[artvandalay22222]

I don't mean home screen. I mean on the dock, which with launcher pro has 3 scrolling docks with 5 selections.

 

[tylerdurdin]

You don't even have to tap the contact. You just slide the contacts' name right to call them, or left to text them =0

This guy said it. Its the fastest way hands down.

Contacts>scroll to contact>swipe.

 

[Terry S]

I created one of my 7 touchwiz screens as a contact screen. You just go to that screen and than press on the contact and it dials. To do this you don't need to download anything special. To set it up, just long press on the screen you want the icons on.. press shortcuts and than direct dial and select the contact. You can fit around 16 most dialed contacts on one screen.

 

[3gAndroid]

If you are using launcherpro (free or paid) you can use one homescreen as a "contact screen". You can fill the screen with contact shortcuts of the people you call most.

This would be 1 swipe (if your contact screen is only one away from your default screen), and 2 taps. Swipe to contact screen, tap contect and tap call. You can do the same thing for text and email. Swipe to contact screen, tap contact, tap email or text.

May not be totally what you are looking for but works good for me.

Excellent work, what a great idea.

 

[Andrewdroid]

You can make shortcuts to contacts in Touchwiz.. (Samsung's regular interface). Just long-tap an empty bit of a home screen and go to shortcuts and either choose direct dial or contact. I choose contact because I'm worried direct dial might = pocket dial.

PS I don't know why everyone loves LauncherPro so much because I don't know which home screen I'm even on without the top "bubbles" that touchwiz has, and I can't think of something the free version of LauncherPro does that I'd need. I don't want more homescreens, and you can change the bottom dock in Touchwiz (not obvious but the option is there), and I like scrolling through apps sideways.

 

[iploya]

yall need to listen to this guy cuz ur all making this waaay too complicated lol. i was just about to post this myself. hit the phone icon and then start typing the letters of the persons name (using the numbers...u dont have to pull up a keyboard pad). by the time u got about 3 numbers in there you may have 2-3 names popup....tap on the name you want a hit dial. wha-lah

One of the probs with this I tried to point out above - it doesn't work if you have the person indexed by their last name and start typing their first name, and vice-versa. I have a contact John Doe indexed by first name. If I start pressing the dialpad keys for JOH... his name appears as one of the options. If I start typing DOE... his name does not appear.

Which leads me to another gripe, that somehow when I uploaded my contacts from Outlook using Kies it somehow indexed half my people by last name and others by first name. So in the phone, you can select whether to list people by last or first name, but since half of my "last names" are really "first names" then it just reverses everything.