Dialer is the interface used to create outgoing phone calls. It is integrated with the Contacts and Call History applications to make it easy to dial contacts or previous calls. Separate user interfaces are provided for the keypad and touchscreen dialers with the user able to access Dialer by typing numbers on a keypad device or pushing a button on the homescreen on a touchscreen device. On a touchscreen device Dialer also provides access to the Call History application.
Features
General Phone Call Set-up
The user is shown the digits they have currently entered. Pressing the Dial button dials the entered number. Pressing the Hang-up button exits the application.
Contact and Call History Look-up
To assist with quick-dialing Dialer is able to look-up Contact and Call History records that match the digits the user has entered.
It is also possible to associate Contact matches with a Call History record.
A contact is deemed to match the user's numerical input if any of the following rules are true:
The contact's first or last name is equal to the alphabetical mapping of the user's input.
One of the contact's numbers starts with the user's input.
A Call History record is deemed to match the user's input if any of the following rules are true:
The call records number starts with the user's input.
Matches display as items in a list to be called the 'look-up list' with items containing the following:
If the match is to a call record with no associated contact:
An image indicating the type of call record
The phone number of the call
The week day and time the call originated
If the match is to a contact that has no associated call record:
A photo of the contact
The name of the contact
The matching phone number
The matching phone number type
If the match is to a contact that has an associated call record:
A photo of the contact
The name of the contact
The matching phone number type
The week day and time the call originated
If the contact was matched based on the name then the matching parts are indicated to the user.
Selecting any item in the list begins a call to its phone number.
Saving to Contacts
When the user enters a phone number that is not associated with any contacts or highlights a match in the look-up list that is not associated with a contact then the user is given the option to save the number to an existing or new contact.
Other Application Integration
The user is able to create a Message based on the number entered or a highlighted item in the look-up list.
The user is able to view a contact when an item in the look-up list is highlighted and has an associated contact.
Contacts
Dialer is able to match user input with a contact's name or one of its numbers. Dialer provides the ability to create new contacts from user input. Dialer provides the ability to view the full details of matched contacts.
Messages
Dialer allows the creation of Messages based on user input, Call History record matches and/or Contact matches with a mobile phone number.
Call History
Dialer is able to match user input with a Call History record.
Keypad Dialer User Interface
The Keypad Dialer user interface consists of a number of input fields and the look-up list. When the user inputs numbers the look-up list is updated to show Contacts and Call History records matching the new input.
Touchscreen Dialer User Interface
A touchscreen phone will typically not have its own keypad so a number pad is provided in the user interface. The number pad provides buttons for 0-9, * and #. The * button has a sub-menu where the user can select special input such as pauses.
The user can reasonably be expected to wish to use their fingers to input a phone number into the Dialer; this is taken into account, hence the number pad's button size.
Due to the size of the number pad the look-up list can not be displayed and automatically updated on the same screen as the keypad version. The Touchscreen Dialer provides a button to access the look-up list that pops-up over the Dialer.
