Does FaceTime Need A Keypad?
With the melding of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite and iCloud drive, you might start feeling a bit beholden to Apple. I know I feel like I just crossed the point of no return.
Mac on my Desk, iPad running my home lighting system and alarm, GeoTracking so my house “knows” when I am home or away. Even then I could pretty easily go back.
The most important communications in my house is still the phone. Customers, agents and occasionally my family call me on the phone. Email, I got that on the phone too if I need it, but lets face it, 90% of all the email I get I won’t ever read. I do answer the phone.
Cell reception in my home is a joke. Anytime I change rooms the call drops. For $100 I fixed that problem and bought a wireless phone system that connects to my cell via bluetooth. So I could answer my iPhone from my office and the balance was restored, or so I thought.
Then along comes OS X Yosemite and iOS 8. Suddenly my Mac is ringing and the caller id is on my screen. I can’ answer calls on my computer? Sure enough it works. Well sort of.
I have a Google Voice number so that I can get better at call screening. The first call that comes in is a name that many actors would know, and was a call I wanted to take. A little exited to talk on my new toy, I answered the call and the voice says “press one to answer”. My caller went to Voicemail.
Later, a call comes in from our service. Again I need to enter a code to get the message. Message missed.
Quickly I realized that without a keypad, any call coming in that might bring me paid work I can’t get. So much for the great fun of answering my calls on my computer.
Until FaceTime gets a keypad, it’s still just FaceTime.