FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

HI
I need Help :confused:
Has anyone found an easy way to find and dial a contact when the phone is in landscape and is locked into a car holder so the hardware keyboard is not available? If anyone has a solution I would be very grateful if you could share it with me.

It’s driving me crazy because its making finding a contact while driving impossible. :mad:

Regards

Gary

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Umm, the only thing I can think off the top of my mind is a bluetooth keyboard.

Either that, or add the contacts to the desktop?

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

I would love to know the answer to this too, a solution would be to have an applet that evoked the keybord. solving this would allow me (when the n900 has a portrait keyboard) to call contacts with one hand.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

You should place a Contacts shortcut on your desktop :)
And/or a Phone shortcut, for your recent calls

Edit: you still have to scroll.. but it's a solution
Edit2: also, check this thread: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=55647, maybe useful brainstorm?

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

did anybody noticed that there is the alphabetical sorting option in portrait mode but not in landscape mode when opening "select contact" inside call history? why it is not available in landscape mode?!!

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

you can lock the phone app to portrait only so you can use the rolodex style alphabet

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

I know, how did this slip through. I can't have the phone in portrait in the car as I want to be able to play music.


G.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

i mean you can fix the orientation of JUST the phone app, everything else would still be landscape. not optimal but helps a little

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Thanks,

Just not a solution for when I am driving and the phone is locked into a phone holder stuck to the wind screen.

G.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

find this anoying also.

have the phone in landscape with the kickstand. tried to select a contact and had to scroll to get to a contact, rather than shortcut with the letters on the side...

the crazy thing is the fact that there is a bunch more screen realestate for the letters to be there.

it would (in my opinion) be great to have the letter shortcuts for:
a) when n900 is in kickstand mode (eating,studying, etc..)
b) when the n900 is in a car holder ( as someone else mentioned)

Is this possible to change? or is it closed source? Feature request? or Bug?

looking forward "optamistacly" to a resolution.

p.s. too lazy to spellcheck

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Great to see it's not just me then. I really thought I was missing something here.

This really needs a fix soon, or I am going to have to have a look at the New IPhone.

:(

G.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

i agree it needs to be fixed, but please don't bring "I'll have to look at the iPhone" "threat". if you don't like the n900 for that reason alone, and you are willing to go to a phone without a keyboard...well, just go.

Someone with enough smarts about the contacts programming will be more inclined to look at the issue with measured support and requests... just my opinion.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

btw, it will be more safe for you and your passengers to stop the car and make the call then keep driving

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

I share the same problem with the buddies above,
Stopping the car is not always an option, do you stop your car everytime you need to seek your car radio station? It should be no harder then doing that.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Actually no, i don't stop the car to change radio station, or to answer a call (i'm using headsets in the car).
This is one of the downsides of "touch screen" phones, you can't feel the keys, unlike physical keyboard which you can answer/disconnect/even search contacts without looking at the phone.

In OP case, even if there is a way to have rolodex style in landscape mode it still need you to keep scrolling and looking to the phone which means "distraction".
I hope i don't sound like a traffic police. ;)

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

I totally agree that it is a distraction, and should be minimized if possible. But sometimes you just HAVE TO. (ofc that can also be delayed, but we are human, we make mistakes and we like it).

Anyway, I had an idea on how to allow calling someone from your contact list with just 3 or 4 clicks without scrolling.
I started implementing it with Qt, but had some problems, I think they are solved now, i'll keep working on it.
The idea is like this :

1. Press to open the SmartContactBook.
- The phone scans all the contacts, and displays KEYS per 1st letter for all contacts, that means that if you don't have contacts starting with Z Y and H, you will have 22 letters, no need for spaces etc.
2. You press a letter.
- Now the phones filters, and scans again the result of the filter, displaying only buttons for the 2nd index letter of the matching names, now you will have far less buttons, like 5 - 10 buttons maybe less.
- At the same time, the phone will already show you a scrollable list with matching contacts, which you can tap to call.
3. You press a letter.
- Odds are you will have your contact now, and can choose it to call
4. Choose contact to call.

4 clicks all around, the improvement over normal VKB (which doesn't exist anyway) less buttons, existing buttons are bigger, easier to call.

I'll see if I can get this going on - I hate scratchbox, and Qt Mobility has been improving so i'll try it again.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

hmm I miss the letters too in Contacts when in landscape mode. I am guessing the reason it's not there is because if you are using landscape then chances are you will be using the keyboard to type and find a contact but this wont work well when you have it mounted in a car.

I think Nokia should fix this and have the letters for Contacts in landscape mode too.

/xuggs

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Hi

telecomgeek79, your right nothing boring than dum threats, apologises.

eitama, your idea sounds great, I be happy to help out as a tester.

Many thanks to everyone’s reply.

G.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

How about, you learn C++ and Qt, develop it, and i'll test it for you? (;

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Hi

I wish I had the time. :(

G.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

I've come up with a possible quickfix. If you open the contacts and press space with the keyboard, it'll show up the search box. You can now close the keyboard and the search box will stay. Tapping it will bring up the virtual keyboard where you can type normally. The contacts application seem to disregard the leading and trailing spaces so it'll still show all the contacts.

Sadly if you select a contact, the search field is gone so you need to open the keyboard and type space again :(

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

hehe, I thought of that one too, but it won't help in my condition where the phone is mounted in the car, I cannot open the slider to reach the HW keyboard...
Someone can however, write a deamon which will use the proximity sensor to simulate a keypress on the HW keyboard.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

I guess the other solution is to find a car holder that holds in such a way that allows you to open the physical keyboard.

G.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

LOL, that would block all the view (:

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Thats True :)

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

Anyway with the help of Felipe, I realized there is a newer Qt Mobility SDK, I was running Beta, when the RC1.0 is out for a week now.
I have been having lots of problems with it.

I am reinstalling as we "speak", if this works - i'll move on with my project.

Re: FInding Contacts in Landscape Mode
 

look forward to future deveopments