/ Apple

My Remaining iPhone Wishes

With the release of the new iPhone operating system and the new iPhone 3GS, the intertubes are chock full of iPhone news and commentary. So, I thought to myself this afternoon, why not add to the general din. So here are a few things I wish for (and would even wish for if I could get the new 3GS):

Easier way to switch between 3G and Edge

Right now, it takes 3 selections to get to the proper screen to switch between networks. I may switch more than some, but because of the trade-off between performance and battery life, it would be great to have an easier way to manage these network settings (as well as turning wifi on and off).

Actually, in thinking about the wifi situation, how cool would it be to have the iPhone switch Wifi on or off based on your location? Consider: I set the phone to always turn on wifi when I’m in my apartment, at work, or at my favorite coffee shop and then, when I’m driving or seeing a movie with a friend, or anywhere that I’m not normally using wifi, the phone just turns it off, thereby saving battery life.

An external keyboard

I expected someone to be poised and ready with one of these when the 3.0 operating system launched, considering that one of the key parts of iPhone 3.0 is that Apple offers 3rd party developers the opportunity to use the dock connector for hardware. I know I’m not alone in wanting a small external keyboard to go with my phone because, truth be told, as good as the software keyboard may be for short emails and text messages, if I want to do some serious blogging or writing done but want to leave my laptop behind, I need a keyboard. As much as I love my Macbook Pro, there are plenty of times that I’d like to leave it home and just bring my iPhone and small keyboard with me for a short trip.

Send to AirTunes

I’m sure it would kill the iPhone’s battery life, but how cool would it be to take your iPhone and an Airport Express with you and be able to stream to a stereo? Considering Apple’s own Remote app can detect Airtunes and allows you to select speakers attached to an Airport Express, you’d think it could send music that was coming from the iPhone itself to those same speakers.

Easier Mail Management

If you have multiple emails set up on the iPhone, switching between them is a pain and a half. There must be a better way!

Customizable Background

Without going overboard with personal customization, I think having the ability to choose a background image is reasonable. The plain black background is a bit staid and uninspiring.

What about you? Are there any annoyances or irritations or pie-in-the-sky wishes that remain even after the 3.0 and hardware updates?

(Update: I forgot to mention that I would really appreciate a Weekly view in the iPhone’s calendar app. I don’t think I’m alone in that one either. While I tend to use Montly views on my computers, I’ve always preferred a Weekly view on small screen like my old Toshiba pda and on the iPhone.)

On this day..