If Santa was to bring you the ultimate phone, what features would it have?

Tom Dunne · 11-12-2009 3:01pm #1

Ok, not an overly serious thread, but given the time of year, if you were to get an ideal phone for Christmas, what features would it have?

For me, the following:

Touch screen
Decent screen
No keyboard, no stylus (do you hear me N900 designers?)
Multitasking (do you hear me Apple?)
Minimum 5 Megapixel camera with decent flash
SatNav that actually works, with voice navigation as standard
unified communication - think N900 with lots more (i.e. sms, IMs, Facebook, MMS, etc.)
Battery life that actually lasts 24 hours, not 8-10
3.5mm jack as standard
Proper synching with Outlook (stares at iPhone)
FM transmitter
All the usual - bluetooth, Wifi, HSDPA, etc.
Can be used as a modem for laptops

Any more out-there features I am not thinking of?

Pyro Boy · 11-12-2009 3:18pm

Touch screen

Give me buttons !!!!!

Jip · 11-12-2009 3:18pm

Don't some of the newer phones contain most of those features ? AFAIK an Omnia Pro has all those bar the FM transmitter and voice guided navigation but that's just software that can be added. It does have a slide out keyboard and stylus but you don't need to use them. Not sure if it can be used a modem.

Tom Dunne · 11-12-2009 3:21pm

Pyro Boy wrote: »

Touch screen

Give me buttons !!!!!

Buttons are so Last Century.

Jip wrote: »

Don't some of the newer phones contain most of those features ? AFAIK an Omnia Pro has all those bar the FM transmitter and voice guided navigation but that's just software that can be added. It does have a slide out keyboard and stylus but you don't need to use them. Not sure if it can be used a modem.

Ok, work with me here.

Can you think of any features you would like to see that are not currently in any phones?

matrim · 11-12-2009 3:25pm

Tom Dunne wrote: »

[*]No keyboard, no stylus (do you hear me N900 designers?)

I'd be the opposite. make sure there is a keyboard and stylus.

But other than that I'd agree with the other stuff you have, alot of which can be found on most smartphones

I'd also add TV-Out. Nokia's have it but alot of other phones don't

TBH the main thing for me on smartphones is battery life. You can generally get the day out of them but this needs to get better before they start integrating more features \ hardware.

Jip · 11-12-2009 3:29pm

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Ok, work with me here. Can you think of any features you would like to see that are not currently in any phones?

I see what you're getting at !

TBH I can't think of anything, I think everything at the moment, most of my needs are pretty well covered at the moment but having said that as soon as I post this I'll think of one.

matrim wrote: »

I'd also add TV-Out. Nokia's have it but alot of other phones don't

TBH the main thing for me on smartphones is battery life. You can generally get the day out of them but this needs to get better before they start integrating more features \ hardware.

Again, TV out is covered by Samsung, plus you'd get about 2 days out of the battery, not a huge difference but getting there.

Professey Chin · 11-12-2009 3:47pm

Im gonna go with HTCs evolution of the Hero.I thinks its gonna hit the spot perfectly

Mr. Presentable · 11-12-2009 3:50pm

It needs just two for me

1) Be a phone*
2) Have decent battery life

*If I had wanted a media centre, a sat nav, or a personal organiser I wouldn't have asked for a phone.

Tom Dunne · 11-12-2009 4:05pm

nipplenuts wrote: »

It needs just two for me

1) Be a phone*
2) Have decent battery life

*If I had wanted a media centre, a sat nav, or a personal organiser I wouldn't have asked for a phone.

Ah but some of us who travel a bit like to have an all-in-one device with us that just so happens to have the ability to make phonecalls.

Another thing I just thought of - wireless wallet. Instead of carrying cards and cash around, a type of Laser/Visa card that works via a mobile phone.I believe something like this is being developed already.

rushnaldo · 11-12-2009 4:15pm

In todays Irish daily Star gadget section there is a new wristwatch from Samsung with integrated phone and loudspeaker. Now that is taking it to a whole new level...one less item taking up room in my pocket. In a few years i guess we could have internet and tv and phone all on our wrists:)

cpu-dude · 11-12-2009 4:31pm

COPY AND PASTE!!! It would be OMGLOLROFLTOTHEMAX!

Oh, it's not one of those threads... my bad

billbond4 · 11-12-2009 4:33pm

The Sony Ericsson Satio has all that except for the 3.5mm jack (but you can get an adapter for that) and doesnt have FM transmitter

Dr Rod Doom · 11-12-2009 4:46pm

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Ah but some of us who travel a bit like to have an all-in-one device with us that just so happens to have the ability to make phonecalls.

Another thing I just thought of - wireless wallet. Instead of carrying cards and cash around, a type of Laser/Visa card that works via a mobile phone.I believe something like this is being developed already.

Yup, Near Field Communication tech is what you're thinking of, and it has been trialled in some places, but only allowing very small transactions so far afaik (bus journeys etc.).
Most of the things you've mentioned are available in a lot of the new phones - HTCs, Samsungs, Nokias (I reckon the X6 would be a good fit for what you're saying there).

But for me, the big feature that's missing is... SIZE! I want phones that are BIGGER! The 5" screen on my Archos 5 is absolutely fantastic, perfect size for watching tv/ movies on a bus, and once you get used to it, it's not too much to carry around.
I think screens on the new phones are still too small for what the things are able to do. Why have 32Gb of storage for movies if you can't watch 'em on the tiny screen?

Venom · 11-12-2009 4:53pm

rushnaldo wrote: »

In todays Irish daily Star gadget section there is a new wristwatch from Samsung with integrated phone and loudspeaker. Now that is taking it to a whole new level...one less item taking up room in my pocket. In a few years i guess we could have internet and tv and phone all on our wrists:)

Looks fun but in all honestly using that on the street/public transport/pub would make you look like a complete tool

Alanstrainor · 11-12-2009 4:57pm

I suppose for me it's not the features the phone has, but how the features are implemented. I mean all i really want is:
1. A phone.
2. A device for web browsing (wifi is a must). That has a stable, well designed mobile browser, that allows multiple tabs.
3. Good music player and a 3.5mm jack.
4. GPS is nice to have, i'm surprised how often i use it.
My 5800 on paper has all those features, but my god the web browsing is very poor with the stock browser, the music player is acceptable, and the GPS is poor. I've been seriously looking aat the N900, but it's too expensive, and as yet unreleased in this corner of the world. I'll wait until the new year before i go buying it anyway.

Padraig Mor · 11-12-2009 5:16pm

Android OS
SPB mobile shell interface
Screen from HTC HD2
Win Mo app selection
Slide out keyboard and stylus
iPhone 'slickness'
And I couldn't give a rat's ass about the camera!

long_b · 11-12-2009 6:37pm

N97 mini with one of those lovely HTC keyboards
Better RAM, processor and screen res
Dual booting iPhone OS or Android

But mainly a BIG ASS battery, I'm talking "you have to cross the street" big
and
It has to have some mechanism whereby I can locate the yoke in my house, whether it's on, off or on silent.

rushnaldo · 11-12-2009 6:59pm

long_b wrote: »

It has to have some mechanism whereby I can locate the yoke in my house, whether it's on, off or on silent.

LOL nice one:D

mkennedy · 11-12-2009 8:34pm

Probably a combination of the best features of the HTC Touch Pro 2/Iphone 3GS/Nokia N97/Moto Droid:

Thin, pocketable, light (<120g) device.
Tilting slider qwerty (HTC Touch Pro 2).
Decent 3 inch screen (not mad about the huge screen devices).
Decent resolution.
3.5 mm headphone jack.
Proper GPS (not the bull$hit data subscription stuff with bull$hit maps) but updateable nevertheless and proper 3rd party satnav apps (tomtom, copilot etc).
Seamless location-based customisation with proper integration of GPS/satnav with all other apps on the phone (contacts, web, email etc) (like a more sophisticated Google Maps).
Up-to-date traffic info on satnav- via tmc/data connection.
Decent removable storage (>32gb micro-sd cards) (not mad about internal storage).
Decent battery life (days-weeks rather than hours) (even with heavy multitasking).
HSDPA/wifi/wimax/bluetooth.
FM tuner/DVB-H.
TV-out.
Software: the usual- POP email, good web browser, office apps, satnav, ebook, pdf document reader, notes app, mp3 player and video player apps etc etc.
Barcode scanner app (Android shop savvy), remote control app etc etc

>5mp camera.
Decent processor (multitasking is a given).
Capacitive/multitouch touchscreen (iphone).
Eminently usable UI (iphone).
Extensive and open (and not bull$hitty) app selection.
Accelerometer.
<400 euro (well preferably <100 euro

).
No bull$hit restrictions/proprietary stuff.

GigaByte · 11-12-2009 8:57pm

billbond4 wrote: »

The Sony Ericsson Satio has all that except for the 3.5mm jack (but you can get an adapter for that) and doesnt have FM transmitter

The HTC HD2 has all of the listed items + 3.5mm jack and FM Transmitter but the battery doesn't last 24 hours.

Anyone with the HTC HD2 should install FPSEce so you can play all your old PSX games. Its cool!!

http://www.fpsece.net/

Here's a nice demo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFYeAmW03RM

Rsaeire · 11-12-2009 9:23pm

I'd want the European equivalent of the Samsung W880 with the following updates:

- 1080p video recording
- Android or Symbian OS
- QWERTY keyboard
- Slimmer and more svelte design
- 5x better battery life