Friday, November 2, 2012

Display Name on Phone Contacts

Almost everyone I know stores atleast a few contacts on their phones by the relation or the nickname of the contact. E.g. Dad, Mom, Sweet Sis, Robbie or something like 'DoNOTAnswer'.

So howcome a simple field like that is not available in Phone Contact apps?

I would really like to see a 'Display Name' field different than a 'First Name' and 'Last Name' field - so that people do not have to write relations in the 'First Name' field. Even though some contact apps have an 'Alias' field or a 'nickname' field, its only the 'First Name'+'Last Name' that is displayed when the other person calls. The phone should display the 'Display Name' if filled, if not then default to 'First Name'+'Last Name'.

Simple idea, but I am sure will be very useful.

Also related, this is my first blog from a mobile device - iPad. :)

4 comments:

  1. Like you said, phone contact books already have a field for the Nickname / Alias. The phone software should display the "First Name" and "Last Name" combination like it does. But if the Nickname field is populated, display that *instead*.

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    1. Aha, I agree.

      The only thought to your comment to use Nickname instead is: I don't think "Nickname" is standard across platforms. I was trying to propose something that is as standard as 'First Name' and 'Last Name'. Not all Mobile OS's have nickname field.

      Secondly, I don't think 'Dad' or 'Mom' is a nickname. My Dad would kill me if I had a 'humorous or cruel' nickname for him. lol.

      From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickname:
      A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name

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  2. Good observation. Simple idea which makes sense.

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