What’s the big drawback to dialing numbers on iPhone versus other phones? The answer: on other phones, you can dial by touch, since there are physical buttons. On iPhone, you have to look at the screen to pick a contact or dial a number.

With Color Dial, you make a list of up to 6 color-coded contacts. The screen flashes a different color, and when it shows the color for the contact you want, you tap the screen to make the call.

You shouldn’t be making calls while driving or doing other tasks that demand your concentration, but Color Dial does make it easy to make a call while holding the phone somewhere in your field of view, and not right in front of your face.

You tap the screen when the right color comes up, then tap the “Call” button, which is always in the middle of the screen, so it’s easy to find without looking. That’s all there is to it.

For the app to really be useful, leave it open in Safari on your iPhone, so you don’t have to search through your bookmark list to find it, which would defeat the purpose.

Point your safari browser to http://mdmalin.com/webapps/colordial to try.