The webOS 1.2 update changed the Clock application so the volume was aligned with the ringtone volume, something I personally love; a sensible change. But hidden within the updated Clock application were two new secret features.
A few days ago, Jeffgus in our forums discovered 2 new secret options in Clock. In the same spirit as the DevMode code and the email in landscape code, it appears Palm has added 2 new key codes to Clock:
"sixtyten" allows the user to set the alarm in one minute intervals instead of five minutes.
"4231" apparently removes the dashboard notification when you set an alarm.
The codes get entered from the Clock's Preferences screen and take action immediately. Very handy additions.
This seems to be a recurring thing with Palm: adding special features just out of reach of the average user. Whether it be finished code commented out, like add/delete launcher pages and LED notifications or coded tricks like DevMode, landscape email and these clock tricks, it's becoming a slightly odd trend. Why not just enable these features in a proper manner, so that the average, non-techy user can get more out of their device? Hopefully future updates might get this, since its pretty clear users want this.
Regardless, these are welcomed new secret features and its good to see Palm making apps more usable.
Comments
How 'bout this (regarding LED nags): Make the two small LEDs on either side of the center LED flash like the alternating wig/wag on police cars, so there's no way to miss a notification when you glance at it from a distance. (No, i'm not asking for red or blue lights also)
good suggestion dbd. i'm glad these were implented, even if secretly. i stopped using my alarm because i thought the dashboard icon was just too annoying. now i can use it again with impunity.
thanx weeton
Sliding the alarm notification off the screen doesn't actually disable the alarm.
well the dashboard icon was always removable. One only needed to swipe it away and the alarm would still function.
I just swipe the notifcation off but forget that the alarm is still on and having my phone wake me up the days I don't have classes...
I just swipe the notifcation off but forget that the alarm is still on and having my phone wake me up the days I don't have classes...
Good suggestion dbd. What I would like is to have you pick which days you can set the alarm for (this kinda goes along with OneDeep's issue). I work Tuesday-Saturday so having the Alarm set to Weekdays gets me up on Monday and not Saturday, and having it Daily sucks on both days off (don't need to get up at 5:30am if I don't have to).
What I do now is have a recurring event in my Calendar set for Tue-Sat, but it's annoying to look at my Calendar in month view (great tweek) or my agenda app, and see all those days shaded.
Someone see if you can help us out. I find it hard to believe that you can set specific days on the calendar but not for the alarm.
Thanks Fellow Pre-ers
thanx
Someone at Palm is a Boards of Canada fan, eh?
Awesome catch, I was wondering the meaning behind it.
i wish they would tour in the US. or anywhere!
There's a good reason to put them out of reach, and it's related to design for usability. All choices slow a user down. As the total number of preferences/tweaks exposed to the average user increases, the perceived complexity of the user interaction or workflow increases. Even preferences require application of KISS rules.
Whaddaya think, we're a bunch of idiots? The average user shouldn't be able to choose certain minor/basic options on his phone because it would be too many choices? We've had basic options for YEARS now, and we can't get them on the Pre even though we paid the same money that ur majesty did. The average user shouldn't have to suffer from other's "eliteness". Get off ur high horse.
Calm down man. iPhone didn't only win on a app store alone. They trimmed what used to be a complicated experience down to a simpler one. I don't think he, or I, think you're an idiot. But I agree with the OP just the same. The features that are "secret" often don't work as perfectly. The email landscape view for instance, is a little too trigger happy in my opinion so I disabled it again.
What I do think you're being unfair on is confusing your frustration with missing features from the sensible approach of hiding unfinished code. I think they'll make what people expect and need public and hide anything that works, but is wanted by a smaller audience. Twelve things to scroll through for minutes is friendlier for most than 60 as an example.
I wasn't commenting on Jason's story. I was replying to Shaftdad's post in regards to; "common folk wouldn't be able to handle a preference menu with too many choices". (Not his exact words, but exactly what he was alluding to)
Fair enough. I won't try and put more words in his mouth; I just interpreted the remark more charitably: In that you don't want to overload the preferences pages either.
There are indeed missing basic features. As much fun as I'm having with the device I can't deny that fact. But I don't think it's due to any mentality that the proles can't handle it.
Agree that "some" features may be better hidden, in theory, but also agree that most hidden ones Precentral users have found are not that type, and should have been available to all.
However, on these particular "Alarm" hidden codes, I think they are simply codes used by the software engineers to speed up their own internal testing, and has nothing to do with the average user. They are like the "cheats" of the game industry. I mean, If I was an engineer who wanted to test the alarms after I tweak them here and there, I wouldn't want to wait 5 minutes to hear the 'ding', so I would create me a quick code (cheat) that could ding every minute. Now, about removing the alarm icon, who knows, I don't even know why some users above complained about having it in the first place; if you remove it out of sight it becomes also out of mind, so then, why set the alarm in the first place? It's there to let you know to turn it OFF when you don't want it or after you used it, etc. But, whatever, it helps to show us how very different each person can be and the difficulty to satisfy us all (but this does NOT mean Palm is off the hook for completely missing the ball on essential/basic features MOST users were accustomed to, and for that matter, features that most cheaper and older phones already had)
100% agree. Thanx cales...
I'm with you man. I came from a LG Rumor (yeah...) that had the option to select a different sound for texts, voicemails, ringer (both for known contacts and for unknown callers), etc. Palm has already updated the OS a number of times and they still do not include this simple feature for the average user. Is this too complicated? What kind of smart phone doesn't give this option? And thats just one small thing. I'm glad that there are so many developers in the community working on fixing stuff otherwise the Pre would be somewhat disappointing - lets be real.
Couldn't have said it better myself, Bilbo.
I can't disagree with that one either.
That's an excellent point - it may be what Palm is doing. I had also thought perhaps this is Palm's way of doing a large beta test - knowing we'd find these features, try them out, and if any problems appeared we'd note it on the boards. Then they can correct any issues and release the feature in the next OS update.
Testing code changes at Palm is probably a job where they can't find or test every interaction. All of us out here seem to find them quickly. The fact they didn't see the Exchange 2007 issue for WebOS 1.2.0 shows some holes in their testing protocols (seems like a large hole, doesn't it?).
Microsoft does this for windows mobile. They have taken tweaks, hacks and 3rd party programs and have added them to the OS over the years. They also have people who check the forum sites and blogs for gripes, suggestions and new tweaks/fixes. Too bad they take forever to implement changes and updates to WM. That's why I jumped ship to the pre. Not only letting the homebrew development community thrive, but encouraging it (and listening to it) is what sold me on this phone and OS more than anything else.
I agree that there are missing features, but it almost seems like Palm is letting all of us mess with things and see how we like the tweaks set up before they put them into an official release. Either way, i'm sticking with palm for a long time. This phone is the best thing for the smartphone experience since the iphone, in my opinion.
Soapbox time: is there, by chance, a hidden preference to use calendar popups instead of scroll wheels for date selection? It sounds like a small gripe, but those scroll wheels are maddeningly inefficient. Just because iPhones use them doesn't mean scroll wheels are the best solution for all users. Make it a hidden preference at least. I don't mind a little hacking to be rid of the damned things.
Soapbox time: is there, by chance, a hidden preference to use calendar popups instead of scroll wheels for date selection? It sounds like a small gripe, but those scroll wheels are maddeningly inefficient. Just because iPhones use them doesn't mean scroll wheels are the best solution for all users. Make it a hidden preference at least. I don't mind a little hacking to be rid of the damned things.
my thoughts exactly...plus i like to have my reminders set at different intervals depending on the event. is there any such code to do similiar for the calender?
on a side note...the palmOS had all these features, why are they not in webOS. i figured that they would be since palm invented the whole PDA thing essentially and managing your life. webOS has been a big disappointment in that regard from the calendar, task list, alarm, reminders, forwarding texts, etc.
oh well.
When you are in one of those scroll wheels (date, time and integer pickers), just type the option you'd like rather than scrolling. That's what I do.
For example:
for 1:30 PM type 1 ⏎ 3 ⏎ p
for 2:05 PM type 2 ⏎ 5 ⏎ p or 2 ⏎ 05 ⏎ p
for 3:50 PM type 3 ⏎ 50 ⏎ p
for 12:15 AM type 12 ⏎ 15 ⏎ a
for July 4, 2010 type jul ⏎ 4 ⏎ 10
for November 25, 2010 type n ⏎ 25 ⏎ 10
For me, this works better than flicking through huge lists.
I was wondering about specifically making it change to minutes instead of every 5 minutes. Great find!
Thanks!
for some reason the 4231 code is not working...is there a trick to it?
anyone get the 4231 to work? I got the sixtyten to work and it gave me a vibration notice when I entered it. However, I got no vibe notice with the other and it doesn't seem to be implemented...
nm...got it to work. For anyone else, you need to hold the shift (orange) key down and type 4231 in on the clock preferences screen and it will vibe to let you know it worked. This was one of the first mods I wanted to the awesomeness that is the pre!
I can understand hiding the dev mode toggle but where does palm get off hiding actual functionality? I've wanted a minute interval clock from day 1 of having this phone and it was probably there all along.
4321 isn't working for me either
Because it's 4231, not 4321? :)
Holding down the orange button while entering numbers worked for me. Thanks for that tip.
Discovered entering code again toggles options off. Also, the analog black clock theme locks up when 4231 is entered. Have to exit clock and reload, but works fine then.
Love both features.
Holding down the orange button while entering numbers worked for me. Thanks for that tip.
Discovered entering code again toggles options off. Also, the analog black clock theme locks up when 4231 is entered. Have to exit clock and reload, but works fine then.
Love both features.
Hey being totally non-tech...Where do I enter the "sixtyten" code to get the minute changes???
Also what and where is the dashboard notification, and why do I want to remove it.....?
Launch the Clock application. Then tap the Clock button in the upper left corner of your screen. Tap Preferences in the app menu to enter the Preferences screen. Then just type the codes as shown. No text box will appear; you're just entering characters directly. When you type the last character of the code your Pre will reward you with a vibe or vibe+chime (depending on your individual sound configuration). To enter the second code remember to hold down the orange function key while typing the numbers.
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