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Phone number intergation inconsistent (*updated from Lacking*)

as I had suggested in an earlier post, smart phones roots come from phones, and phones which allow quick and easy communication quickly rise above the best, the Pre still has a little work to do here.

Brian Haller
2 min read
Switching windows to dial
Switching windows to dial
One feature which I've become accustomed to in my phones for the past number of years is their ability to make a phone call from just about anywhere in the phone. Before my first smart phone, if I received text messages or a notification of the sort, I could usually select a number, even within the body of the text message and call it. Once I got my smart phone (Motorola Q), if a phone number was entered in a text, email message, web site, calendar event, you name it, I could click it like a hyperlink and it would launch my dialer for me to make the call. This same capability is available in my G1, so it just seemed natural that I would be able to do this with my Pre. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I have yet to see my Pre recognize a phone number through any screen except for my contacts or call log.
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This became apparent (and frustrating to me this morning when I aptly received a calendar reminder on my phone for an upcoming teleconference I was supposed to join. I tried in vain to click the phone number listed in my appointment reminder. When that didn't work I tried to copy the phone number using the Pre's copy paste 'feature' (hold the shift key and drag your finger of the desired text). However, that only works on editable fields. Fearing that I was going to have to rely on my own dyslexic memory to dial this number, I found a reasonable work around. I clicked out of the appointment reminder and launched the dialer. I then moved back and forth between these windows, and manually dialed the number.

While this was not a desirable or efficient way to dial into my call, it was easier than having to remember a number or write it down (heaven for bid!). It also demonstrated one of the many things I like about being able to move around between windows on the Pre. Nevertheless, I would have much rather been able to click on the phone number to dial it.


**Update 7/14**


I appear to be somewhat mistaken! I received an email last night as though Palm heard me and wanted to send me a message. Lo-and-behold, at the bottom of an email was someone's phone number... clickable!

So, in some, but not all emails, the phone number is recognized by the phone and you can click it to launch the dialer. I'm very happy to see that. However, just to make sure I wasn't crazy, I double checked my calendar appointment, and the phone number, either in the location field or the body of the appointment was not clickable. I will try to update this as I come across more clickable numbers!