by James A. Martin

iPhone 5 Features: 4 More for the Wish List

Opinion
Jul 10, 20122 mins
iPhone

CIO.com blogger James A. Martin's iPhone 5 feature wish list is growing. Here are four more features the current iPhone lacks that could vastly improve Apple's next-generation smartphone.

UPDATE: The multiple calendar alerts section was revised for clarification purposes.

Last week, I wrote about five features I’d like to see in the next iPhone and iOS 6. (See iPhone 5 Wish List: 5 New Features for details.) Here are four more to add to the wish list.

* Better battery life. The iPhone 4S’s battery life isn’t terrible, but I’m hoping for a serious battery upgrade in the next iPhone. One reason: Turn-by-turn directions, which Apple’s new Maps app will offer. Whenever I use a GPS app with voice-guided directions, my iPhone 4S’s battery takes a major hit. Apple will likely add 4G to the next iPhone, too, so improved battery performance will be essential. But how much better will it be?

* Multiple calendar alerts for everyone. Apple’s Calendar app offers the ability to set up to two reminders per event. But that capability isn’t available to every user, depending upon your calendar syncing set up. For instance, I sync my iOS calendar with my Google calendar. But when setting up a new appointment on my iPhone, I only have the option to create one reminder per event. Some third-party iOS apps, including the $7 CalenGoo shown below (which syncs with Google Calendar), allow you to work around that limitation.

CalenGoo iPhone screen shot

* Automatic hashtag insertions in Siri-dictated tweets. With iOS 6, you’ll be able to dictate and post tweets using Siri. I love that idea, but wouldn’t it also be cool if Siri had the intelligence to automatically translate keywords into popular hashtag phrases? 

* Easy Bluetooth on/off. To turn Bluetooth on or off in current versions of iOS, you have to open the Settings, select General and then choose Bluetooth. A Bluetooth on/off switch directly under Wi-Fi in Settings would be much more convenient, or even a home screen icon (like Android has).

What’s on your iPhone 5 wish list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.