Speed Dial and Voice Tags for Fun and Profit.

I'll be discussing the various "issues I have" with the UI of the Microsoft Smartphone OS in greater depth later. Today, I would like to explore Speed Dial and Voice Tag a little bit, as both of them can be handy workarounds for the rather clumsy user interface.

• O2 Menu does not support the usual straightforward assignment of Speed Dial or Voice Tag
• Speed Dial does not always work. The normal operation is to depress and hold the required key while in the home screen. I haven't analysed any pattern yet so I still haven't figured out what may be going wrong but quite frequently Speed Dial fails to work. It always seems to work when the process (of going to the home screen and holding down the relevant key) is repeated, though.

Speed Dial is normally used as a handy way to phone people you call regularly. You assign a number on the keypad to a contact. For example, voice mail is usually automatically assigned to number 1.

In Smartphone, Speed Dial can also be assigned to launch applications. This is kind of cool and a nice way to reduce the time spent negotiating the rather labyrinthine menu system, which requires burrowing down 3 or more levels to get to a much needed app like the task manager (which, as I already criticised, you regularly need in this rather clumsy system).

However, it can be a challenge remembering all the speed dial numbers and their corresponding application so the next logical step is Voice Tag assignments.

Using voice tags to call people is not new. My ancient Nokia 6310i had the feature and it worked very well. In Smartphone, you can assign voice tags to apps, too. This is cool.

This means you neither have to remember all your speed dial assignments nor negotiate the convoluted menu system. Unfortunately there are drawbacks to voice tags:

1. You have to remember what voice command you used for each application or contact
2. You can't always use voice tags (like if you're listening to Windows Media Player)
3. To issue voice tags, you have to hold down the earpiece volume controller. Even with no cover on the phone, this is not as tactile and reliably-performed as it could be and the camera button is on the other side of the phone, exactly where you naturally place the other half of your hand so you have sufficient control and leverage. Half the time, when you're trying to use voice tags, you open the damn camera. The problem is exarcebated if a silicone "skin" is fitted, though admittedly, this is not exactly the fault of the phone's designers.
4. Obviously, there are likely to be situations when/where fumbling with your phone, squeezing it and announced something like "My favourite hardcore porn videos involving farmers' daughters, margarine, tennis balls, small domesticated animals, some baling wire and a kazoo" out-loud and in a nice, clear voice could be a tad inconvenient. Fortunately, neither I nor Brothers William, Eduardo or Bubba feel the need to hide anything from the rest of the monastery.
5. Voice tags have "bugger all" (Yes that was puntentional) utility when you've been sworn to an oath of silence. (see previous point) Again, it's probably unfair to complain to HTC/O2 about this.