Where’s Alex when you need him?

Posted by Simon in Apple with No Responses Yet

If there’s one thing missing from the 3g iPhone that everyone’s calling for, it’s voice guided navigation. While the maps application serves a purpose, it can be distracting if you’re trying to follow of while driving. Having to constantly check the screen isn’t as usefull, or as safe, as having voice prompts.

The really baffling thing to me is that it would appear, if Apple are to believed, that the functionality already exists. Take a look at the original iPhone key note. Steve Jobs made a point oftelling everyone that the iPhone would be running osx. If this is true, any “service” that runs on osx would also run on the iPhone. And, with Leopard, Apple introduced a new way to speak written text, Alex. So the question is, why can’t Apple simply use Alex to speak the directions already provided by Google maps?

When you think about the functionality already available on Google maps, it wouldn’t be a huge amount of work to adapt it to work with Alex. It already gives a route and follows your position along it through gps. All you really need is Alex to “say” the directions google already gives you.

This really got me thinking about some of the other native osx features that would be welcome on iPhone. So apart from the obvious (copy & paste, video capture) which desktop osx features would you like to see on iPhone? I’ll throw a more thorough implementation of coverflow (how cool would it be for contacts) into the ring along with spotlight. So what would you like to see?

Bookmark this page

Popularity: 2% [?]

  • What’s happened to FireWire?

    Posted by Simon in Apple with No Responses Yet

    Like many others, the purchase of a new iPhone 3g has rendered many of the iPod accessories obsolete.  The biggest surprise for me is that Apple’s own iPod dock, which was purchased with my 4g iPod, won’t charge my new iPhone.  There was talk of Apple changing the charging mechanism, but I refused to believe [...]

    Popularity: 2% [?]

  • 5 Quick iPhone 3g Tips

    Posted by Simon in Apple with 3 Responses

    I won’t beat around the bush, so here are 5 really quick iPhone 3g tips to keep you occupied. And even if you’re not using an iPhone 3g, many will work with the original iPhone and iPod Touch. So here goes.

    Don’t pay for ringtones - There’s no need to pay for ringtones.  Just [...]

    Popularity: 10% [?]

  • Display Upcoming Events on the iPhone Sleep Screen Without Hacks or Apps

    Posted by Simon in Apple with No Responses Yet

    Moving from a Nokia N95 to an iPhone 3g (eventually), one of the things I will miss is the list of upcoming events on the home screen.  Essentially, it’s just a simple list of events in my calendar that occur in the next few days.  So how can we emulate this functionality on an iPhone [...]

    Popularity: 4% [?]

  • How To Easily Check iPhone 3g Availability

    Posted by Simon in Apple with No Responses Yet

    With O2 and Carphone Warehouse completely sold out of iPhone 3gs (at least according to their websites), it would appear that Apple Stores are the only place you’re going to find one of the elusive blighters.  But how do you know they’ll have one in stock?  Well fortunately Apple has provided a page on its [...]

    Popularity: 4% [?]

  • iPhone Twitter App Showdown

    Posted by Simon in Apple with No Responses Yet

    The iPhone App Store has been one of the few true triumphs with regards to the iPhone 3g launch.  Considering the problems Mobile Me has been having, the problems upgrading the firmware 2.0 and the mass activation problems that struck on day one, the App Store launch is really the only thing that went smoothly.  [...]

    Popularity: 3% [?]

  • Google Site Search Change Opens Marketing Opportunity

    Posted by Simon in Blogging with One Response

    Google recently sent out an email to users of its Site Search feature (as used by this site) to point out some changes.  Below is an extract from the email:
    •    Site Search: If you’re concerned about users leaving your site through Websearch, you can now you can choose to provide just site search so users [...]

    Popularity: 2% [?]

  • iPhone 3g Pricing From Around the World

    Posted by Simon in Apple with One Response

    With iPhone 3g enjoying a simultaneous release across over 20 countries, Apple and the various carriers it’s partnering with have been forced to announce their pricing strategy at about the same time.  Some reactions have been positive, some negative, and some very negative.  As far as I’m concerned, there are four markets of real interest [...]

    Popularity: 2% [?]

  • Is O2 Scared of iPhone 3g?

    Posted by Simon in Apple with 5 Responses

    Talking to various people over the last few weeks has unveiled a trend.  O2, the UK supplier of iPhone 3g, may be a little worried about the launch.  Unfortunately it looks as if O2 simply aren’t geared up for the potential hit they have on their hands.  And this isn’t just hearsay and conjecture, there’s [...]

    Popularity: 2% [?]

  • Why iPhone 3g Isn’t iPhone 2

    Posted by Simon in Apple, Uncategorized with No Responses Yet

    Many people have pointed out the failings of the new iPhone 3g. Features seemingly omitted for no good reason.  Features that were much anticipated, and much rumoured.  But when you look at Apple, and the situation they are currently in with regards to their phone business, it makes perfect sense.

    Thinking about iPhone 3g, it seems [...]

    Popularity: 2% [?]

    • -

    • Subscribe By RSS Subscribe By Email

      More Subscription Options

    • Post Details

      This post was written on July 5, 2008 (last modified on July 5, 2008) by Simon and posted in Apple, Uncategorized.

    Ads