is it possible to search for conatcts with the on screen keyboard (without having to open the real keyboard first....)?

anybody know this one please? would be much appreciated!

No.

The only other way without opening the keyboard is to launch the phone function - tilt the phone to portrait mode - "Select Contact" and then use the alphabetic categoric filter to scroll through contacts. It's not as fast as a keyboard but the filters do speed up ur search.

thanks for your reply.

this is of no use unfortunately. i have 1600 contacts - i cant be scrolling through them. i cant believe you cant use the VK to search!

how do i ask to get thsi rectified?

also, the "select contacts" app on the call log is crap too. why cant they just call the proper contacts list up? its so inconsistent!

I suggested implementing a predictive dialer.
vote for it.

sorry mate, but thats no use for me.

i want to be able to use the phone without having to flip it open all the time, like if its in its car holder.

A predictive dialer would let you do exactly what you asked for.

An illustration:

Say you want to call Kimberly Clarkson.
1) On the dialer you press "5" for "k"

2) The dialer searches your contacts for entries with first or last names starting with "J", "K", or "L" placing any of the entries that have been recently called at the top of the list. (If Kimberly was the last person you called whose name started with a J, K, or L, you could tap her name and skip the remaining steps.)

3) You press "4" for "i"

4) The dialer cuts that list down to only the entries with first or last names beginning with "Jg", "Jh", "Ji", "Kg", "Kh", "Ki", "Lg", "Lh", or "Li". The list has become significantly smaller now, but still not all of it may fit on screen. However, again, if you've called Kim recently, or you don't have any contacts with a name starting with any of the above combinations, she should be at the top of the list in only two key presses.

5) If this is not the case, you enter another letter and the process repeats until you've typed enough of her name to have her show up on the list. (In my experience this never takes more than 3 or 4 presses, and since the bulk of my calls are to people I've called recently, only 1 or 2 presses are typically needed)

Highly support this notion.

ok, thats a good idea i agree

but i would also like some proper search function for contacts so i can manage them, not just call them.

i think these are 2 different things.

i would like to be able to do a search on more fields than just name.

i.e. company
address
etc

i would like to be able to do it with the virtual keyboard and i would also like it to do a proper fuzzy search so i can put in say "de" and it would bring back all results with "de" in any of the strings in any of the fields i have selected instead of the absolute pile of crap that it currently has masquerading as a search tool.

really i am trying to describe a standard, proper search tool instead of the mickey mouse one we have been given.

There are several things Nokia could have done to improve phone functionality of the N900. I personally missed:

- the ability to group contacts i.e friends, co-workers, family, etc;
- the ability to add phone number types.
- assign ringtone to indviduals in your contact list...etc
for now, we just have to live with this.