I just noticed something really useful on the iPhone. If you click the Recents option in the Phone app you’ll see a list of recent outgoing, incoming, and missed calls. If you don’t recognize a number, tap the little blue arrow to go to the info page for that number. Below the number you’ll see the physical location of the number based on the area code.
That’s just plain thoughtful! I just love stuff like that. The little details that make you go “Ah ha!”
I didn’t recognize a call from 574 so I tapped the arrow and found out it was from South Bend, IN.
Eli Duke
on 24 Jul 07it makes me wonder… who in south bend has your cell phone number? that was funny… kind like “who in the hell…” i think i might start saying that.
Jeff Croft
on 24 Jul 07It is a great feature, but it’s not new. My two-year old Sprint Samsung phone had it, too. Only the Samsung’s impementation was better—it told you on the caller ID popup when someone calls, rather than only in the missed call area. The iPhone kind of burries the info away.
But yes, it’s a great feature.
Kyle
on 24 Jul 07Agreed with Jeff. Not new, and as Jeff pointed out, Sprint/Samsung’s implementation was much better. The iPhone implementation is one of the few areas of the phone where there’s too much interaction necessary to get to information. Annoying.
That said, I still love my iPhone. :-)
Jeff P
on 24 Jul 07It would be better if, instead of “July 23, 2007 9:45 PM” it simply said “Tonight 9:45.” Or at least “Today 9:45PM.”
Jeff Croft
on 24 Jul 07Oh, and one more mini-gripe about the iPhone’s implementation of the feature: it doesn’t work for people in your contacts. Granted, I know where most of my contacts are from, but sometimes I do put people I meet at a conference or something in there without really knowing where they live. Not a big del, but it’d be nice to be able to get that info for contacts, as well.
And, as long as we’re dreaming, maybe the next iPhone will use GPS to tell you where they really area, rather than just where their phone number originates from. :)
But yes—I still love my iPhone, too.
Roger
on 24 Jul 07GrandCentral does that too. And it gives you a little google map in case you don’t know where south bend indiana is.
Steven Andrew Miller
on 24 Jul 07This is kinda neat but with number portability, how much will it matter going forward. I am no longer in Chicago but I still have a 312 number for my mobile phone. So it will say “Chicago, Illinois” but I haven’t been there in sometime.
Also, Jeff P is correct. “Today 9:45PM” would be better.
Jake
on 24 Jul 07Having only used Windows Smartphones for the past few years, I’d never seen this feature before finding it on the iPhone. I’ve already used it several times.
The thoughtfulness and thoroughness continues to impress…
Hey JF (and anyone else with one): what sort of battery life are you guys getting with real-world use?
Alex
on 24 Jul 07Actually, iPhone does phrase the date as “9:45pm,” or “Yesterday,” or “Saturday” etc on the main missed call screen that you view 99% of the time. Only on the more info screen does it spell out the exact time and date.
Also, I seem to recall the caller area popping up on the caller ID as well if it is a number that isn’t in your contacts. Watch for it…
Evan
on 24 Jul 07This is a great feature, however, I wish it could be implemented on the fly when that strange unknown incoming call is ringing and you wonder whether you should pick it up or not.
Chauncey Dupree
on 24 Jul 07I agree. Maybe even take it one step further and do a google lookup on the number if it is listed and put in the name of the person, company, etc on there.
This will be done at some point, the question is when.
Ilias
on 24 Jul 07it does not work with international numbers (I.e. To give you the country). Moreover if you follow the stsndatd method of storing international numbers in gsm phones, namely prefix by + country code instead of 011 country code, the phone does not match incoming international numbers against the address book because these numbers are identified by 011 by the network.
OT
on 24 Jul 07Is it just me or is your iPhones chrome edge scratched as hell??
BradM
on 24 Jul 07I would like to know where the person is calling me from right now at the moment of the phone call. At first, that’s what I thought you meant.
Jeff Mackey
on 24 Jul 07Interesting feature, and the comments are helpful. I am still on the fence deciding whether or not to get an iPhone, despite being a “mac geek”.
Jason, didn’t you mention in a previous post and/or comment that you guys are planning a review of the iPhone? I think your SvN reader base would find it insightful, especially coming from your love of all things simple and well designed.
Thanks in advance!
Ryan
on 24 Jul 07Slick feature. As I live in South Bend I did a double take while checking my feed reader this morning. No, it wasn’t me who called you. :)
Espen Antonsen
on 24 Jul 07A norwegian company offers an even better solution. When someone calls a java application makes a request to their server to look up the caller’s name and address. See http://sleepyhead81.blogspot.com/2007/07/whos-calling.html
Ian Waring
on 24 Jul 07One of the In-car navigation vendors here has a mobile phone hiding inside their jam-avoiding navigation system. When it calls in, it manages to encode it’s current GPS co-ordinates in three bytes of the Caller ID… so whenever anyone calls in for a route or to report an emergency, they knew where they were calling from.
Hopefully, iPhone V2 will get GPS circuitry in the handset and be able to replicate this. Then no need to enter your start point for any route – and indeed to open up all sorts of other applications for an otherwise excellent product.
Ian W.
Benjy
on 24 Jul 07I just checked my iPhone to see, and noticed that it only showed “IL, USA” for unknown 312 and 847 numbers.
It’d be nice if the info screen also offered a reverse look-up link.
JF
on 24 Jul 07Benjy: 847 covers many different suburbs. The iPhone gets as specific as it can, but it isn’t able to break it down sometimes.
noname
on 24 Jul 07Considering the fact, that iPhone can be used with one operator, it could also give a physical location for mobile calls from the same operator with max. 100 meters difference, and considering the fact, that in has maps build in, it could show the locations on the map. THEN it would be revolutionary ;)
smokeonit
on 24 Jul 07“Ilias 24 Jul 07 it does not work with international numbers (I.e. To give you the country). Moreover if you follow the stsndatd method of storing international numbers in gsm phones, namely prefix by + country code instead of 011 country code, the phone does not match incoming international numbers against the address book because these numbers are identified by 011 by the network.”
then you need to call att! they need to implement the + display type rather than the 011!!!! gsm should \always be +country and then the number!!! if att doesn’t do that their engineers did a bad job!!!
FredS
on 24 Jul 07What Croft said.
Benjy
on 24 Jul 07Yeah, I know 847 covers many suburbs (I grew up in one of ‘em)... but I’d also assume that 574 isn’t just South Bend itself. And 312 is just Chicago proper. It’d be nice if it could at least specify something like “Chicago metro,” or get a more precise location based on area code + exchange—those are usually assigned by city.
Ben S. Stahlhood II
on 24 Jul 07Looking at that photo closer, I noticed the edges of your iPhone are scuffed up pretty bad. What the heck have you been doing with it? ;p
Pete Freitag
on 24 Jul 07This is a feature I have been wanting in Skype for a long time, since I get calls from all over the country it would be handy it it would show me where the person is calling from.
David
on 24 Jul 07Great find! Now I have something else to show my friend on his iPhone…
RJ
on 24 Jul 07My phone has this cool feature that let’s me see who called, but it’s not even an iPhone. It’s awesome!
Please limit comments about the parody to our blog.
aw
on 24 Jul 07What’s also thoughtful is that it’s a click away, they didn’t make it a default. Because the 80% case is you don’t have that problem of seeing where people are calling from – you probably now the area code. It falls into the 20% realm, where once in a while you need to see the area-code. Thus they tucked it away. Very Apple UI – hie anything thats not a majority use case. Very thoughtful UI!
--Josh
on 24 Jul 07Another great subtle feature is that it will recognize common numbers and last names. So, since I have the same home phone number for both my mom and my dad, for example, when a call comes in from that number it says “John or Sue Smith” instead of the usual form pf picking the first name it comes across.
Jeff Foster
on 24 Jul 07My Samsung M610 does this about half-way.
When a call is coming in from an unknown number, it lists the state, but not nearly as specific as the iPhone does. It does, however, say it while the call is incoming, does the need you to wait until you’ve missed the call to get this info?
Steven Andrew Miller
on 24 Jul 07And 312 is just Chicago proper
In fact, 312 is only downtown Chicago now.
tom leconey
on 25 Jul 07On Location indication
Hey, U guys must need to check up your GF”s or wives (or both). You have certainly talked this to death. Maybe in the futere it will tell who is in the room with her and whether she is horizontal or vertical, it can tell which way is up for the phone itself!
Roger Anderson
on 25 Jul 07Lots of phones do this.Why get all gushy when Apple has it? It’s that kind of enthusiasm for me-too type applications that gives Mac users a bad name.
shofr
on 25 Jul 07a few other inconsistencies are mentioned over at this article, aptly titled iPhone iSores. A good read, and good attention to detail.
Ankur Mittal
on 25 Jul 07Really interesting this would surely affect the privacy of the users
Brent
on 30 Jul 07Would be nice to see a similar feature in Highrise where you click on a number and it gives you the current time in that location – being based in the UK calling a lot of US timezones I’m tired of doing the maths before making a call and running the risk of waking someone up.
This discussion is closed.