iPhone Apps

[albatross710]

Well yeah maybe - but if I fly MEL-SIN - need new access code in SIN - if I then go to China - need another number in China - so on and so on

Found this one but haven't used it myself: International Prefix | Euan Robertson

This free app for iPhone, will bulk edit contacts’ phone numbers, formatting them correctly and adding the correct international dialling code for each one.​

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Thanks alby - downloaded and tried it but appears it aint going to do what I wanted.

This will change destination incoming access code - I want to change origin dialling out code.

 

[ozscot]

all my friends use viber.

the only thing is you're required to have notifications turned on. Which is a battery drain.

That's incorrect. Enabling push notifications and sitting waiting for them has no impact on power use. The phone registers with Apple's servers anyway and messages are pushed to the the device not polled.

 

[albatross710]

That's incorrect. Enabling push notifications and sitting waiting for them has no impact on power use. The phone registers with Apple's servers anyway and messages are pushed to the the device not polled.

Thanks for that Ozscot. What about bandwidth demands? I always turn off Push and Fetch when I am overseas. I just thought that with limited bandwidth, better to only check messages when i need them and not every 15 minutes when I'm asleep or in meetings (or both)

 

[ozscot]

The maximum payload for a push message is very small, a few kb only. Often they're only a small number of bytes. There's no bandwidth use at all whilst listening for one, only when those few kb's are pushed to the phone.

Of-course on some apps, the push is used as a trigger to connect to a server and exchange more sizeable data. You need to be aware of what the app is doing and hopefully good devs will make that clear.

There's a new trend also where apps use the geo-fence features as a trigger for data exchange. Eg the latest version of Instapaper allows you to refresh your articles when you cross a geo-fence, say arriving at the office. The mechanisms used for geo fence monitoring are very power efficient, but again you may need to understand what an app does on this trigger if you're watching bandwidth.

Fetching is another story. That's the phone making a server request every 15 minutes or so asking if it has any new data. Each fetch will be a few 100 bytes only but if it's 24x7 x 15 minutes it could add up. Note that some telcos round up to a minimum connection volume too so those 100 bytes might be a a few hundred kb every 15 minutes. It's also not ideal power management spinning up the radio frequently for short bursts like this which is why most apps & messaging are moving to push.

One last thing to watch when traveling is auto syncing of media. Usually that's great - buy a tv series on your Apple TV and it can be automatically download by your iPad. It's not so good when you have limited and expensive overseas data on your iPad and it downloads some show your kids bought back at home on the tv.

 

[drewbles]

Hey tech heads - need an App if you can help please.

So I bought a new SingTel SIM card in Sing last week cause I got jerked around by Star Hub once too often.

Now to get cheap inter calls from Sing with SingTel SIM I need to dial 019 as inter code rather than 001.

But I have all my contacts set up in iPhone with + as prefix so auto dial inter whatever country I am in - in Sing 001.

Do any of you learned guys or gals know of an App that will automatically substitute pre-designated inter dialling code for standard undesignated inter dialling code?

Is this too way out there?

I can also use this facility for my Chinese number too - I think I have to indeed a 7 or 8 digit prefix to get super cheap rates out of China but I aint gonna do that manually. I guess applicable to many many countries we visit.

It should be nothing to do with the way you dial. All my numbers are in + format to make it easier (wherever I am in the world, my phone book 'just works'). When you dial a number in that format, the network is not going to think it's an international call if you're at 'home'. It just routes normally. There should be no need to change it at all from what I can see.

As others have mentioned though, if you're compelled to change it, use a PC to do it (there's definitely no iPhone app to do it, as this would equate to direct manipulation of the address book, which is prohibited in the API).

 

[Cruiser Elite]

DRewbles than you for your input

Yes I understand the + bit - all my contacts have + in front of them.

But does that not just automatically dial out using standard inter code - ie for Australia - 0011 - for Sing its 001.

But the SingTel card I purchased requires the outgoing prefix to be used is 019 rather than 001 and call costs are then a fraction of call costs using standard 001.

Same for China - if I dial number as in contacts with + in front then it dials out of China on 00 - but if I put 10193 in front of the 00 then call costs reduce from RMB8/min to RMB1.19/min.

That is the reason I ask - just thought there maybe an app that would save a shoot load of contact manipulation.

Yes maybe can build data base on PC and transfer across and back - but some of us fossils aint too puter savvy - hell I am lucky to put batteries in a torch without stuffing it up - I love simple easy solutions.

 

[drewbles]

DRewbles than you for your input

Yes I understand the + bit - all my contacts have + in front of them.

But does that not just automatically dial out using standard inter code - ie for Australia - 0011 - for Sing its 001.

But the SingTel card I purchased requires the outgoing prefix to be used is 019 rather than 001 and call costs are then a fraction of call costs using standard 001.

Same for China - if I dial number as in contacts with + in front then it dials out of China on 00 - but if I put 10193 in front of the 00 then call costs reduce from RMB8/min to RMB1.19/min.

That is the reason I ask - just thought there maybe an app that would save a shoot load of contact manipulation.

Yes maybe can build data base on PC and transfer across and back - but some of us fossils aint too puter savvy - hell I am lucky to put batteries in a torch without stuffing it up - I love simple easy solutions.

All the + does is negate the need to use an international dial code (it replaces 001 with a +). eg, instead of having 00161414xx_xx you can have +61414xx_xx_ and it will work anywhere in the world. This is the beauty of GSM/UMTS. It works much easier to allow you to keep all your numbers in full international format. So, if you're in SG, you'd put +6519xx_xx_x rather than dialling 019xx_xx_ and the network is going to see it as a local call.

Does that make sense?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Does that make sense?

No - our office number here in Melb is 03 9584 xx_X - so it is input into contacts as +61 3 9584 xx_x.

So if I plonk the SingTel SIM in in Sing and hit call - it will dial 001 61 3 9584 xx_x. But I do not want it to use 001 - I want to dial out on 019 61 3 9584 xx_x. I just thought there might be an App to substitute the 001 with 019 without manual manipulation except for inputing it into the App once and it would retain going forward.

Am I making sense? (Yes Yes before you smart coughs chime in - I seldom make sense)

 

[drewbles]

No - our office number here in Melb is 03 9584 xx_X - so it is input into contacts as +61 3 9584 xx_x.

So if I plonk the SingTel SIM in in Sing and hit call - it will dial 001 61 3 9584 xx_x. But I do not want it to use 001 - I want to dial out on 019 61 3 9584 xx_x. I just thought there might be an App to substitute the 001 with 019 without manual manipulation except for inputing it into the App once and it would retain going forward.

Am I making sense? (Yes Yes before you smart coughs chime in - I seldom make sense)

Ahh ok so it's some whacky singtel thing my apologies sorry I wasn't quite understanding

Hrm interesting situation. All I can suggest is adding a second contact to your phone with the 019 prefix for every contact (you can add them on your iPhone or in Outlook on a PC or Address Book on a Mac) and then when you go to call a contact, select the right number. It's fiddly but likely to be the easiest way (I don't believe there would be any app that would allow you to do something like this in real time unfortunately).

 

[malmacdowall]

If I understand the OP question correctly, you need an app that forces a particular prefix to be used rather than the countries default one that's used with the + symbol. But this will change based on the country and sim you are using

A quick Check in the app store under prefix dialed and it looks like an app called second dial will do just that. And it won't change your original number for the contact. Just set the prefix you want to use at the time.

You will probably have to turn off the international assistant setting, under settings- phone. This should stop the phone taking over based on your location..

Disclaimer - I've never used the app but it seems to fit the need and is under $2.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Yes its a bit tricky - but adding another number for Sing doesn't get me over the reqt for another number for China - so guess will be manually doing it for time being.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

If I understand the OP question correctly, you need an app that forces a particular prefix to be used rather than the countries default one that's used with the + symbol. But this will change based on the country and sim you are using

A quick Check in the app store under prefix dialed and it looks like an app called second dial will do just that. And it won't change your original number for the contact. Just set the prefix you want to use at the time.

YES that is exactly what I was looking for - but now I cannot find that app you mentioned - I only find Prefix Dialer which won't do what I want.

 

[drewbles]

Yes its a bit tricky - but adding another number for Sing doesn't get me over the reqt for another number for China - so guess will be manually doing it for time being.

You can add as many numbers to a contact as you want though, and the iPhone lets you label them anything you want. Would that not work? (not trying to be difficult, just curious as to know if that would help your situation).

And Second Dial can be found here: http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/second-dial/id409716693?mt=8

 

[malmacdowall]

Second dial by Markus Strauss or try the website seconddial.com

Thanks drewbles for posting the link direct to the app...

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Thanks guys you are legends - downloaded and will try when I hit SIN tomorrow - thanks again for taking the time to assist.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Has anybody had any experience with this App?

 

[malmacdowall]

The website has a downloadable user manual ..

 

[Cruiser Elite]

The website has a downloadable user manual ..

Yes saw that - have played with it already - looks perfect

 

[simongr]

So there really is an "app for that"!

[stirring]

No try to find something similar in the Android Marketplace or on Win7 Mobile



[/stirring]