When your phone is smarter than you are
Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 03:41PM 
Last winter I purchased my first cell phone. It worked fine in the telephone company office when I bought it. I took it home and it stopped working. I took it back to the telephone company and it worked fine. I took it home and it stopped working. So I did the logical thing and left it sitting on my desk for a couple of months.
But the second bill I received for services I wasn’t using made me mad enough to go back yet again to the telephone company where the 20-something young lady looked at it, dialed a number with it, and sat back rather smugly as the phone on her desk rang.
“Wait,” I said. “Give me that.” She handed it to me and I tried to dial. Nothing happened. “See!” I cried and handed it back to her, happily knowing it was my turn to be smug.
It didn’t last long. The lady actually stole one of my favorite lines and said, “Works better when you turn it on. Press this button first.”
“Look, I push that button till the cows come home. It still doesn’t work,” said I.
“Try holding it down for a two-count like the directions say,” said she. It worked and I left her office feeling dumber than dirt. Intelligence Deficit Syndrome, Head for the Edge, November 2000.
I used a Palm Treo 650 "smartphone" for six months about five or six years ago. It was both a crappy PDA and a crappy phone. It still sits in my drawer of unused toys as another sad reminder that wonderful concepts often become disappointing realities. A $29 dumb cellphone with prepaid service was my usually forgotten communicationd device of choice until about a week ago when I once again took the smartphone plunge - this time with an iPhone 4. (I went with AT&T since the Verizon phone doesn't work outside the U.S.)
And now, after reading Pogue's Missing User Manual, synching with iTunes, and doing the Subservience Dance to the Omnipotent Technology Gods, I think I am almost ready to place a call.
Actually, I am finding the phone fun to use. It's enough like my iPod Touch and iPad that the whole "app" thing and iTunes sych has been easy. I love the GPS that works like the one in my iPad. I like the MoblleMe "Find, Lock and Wipe" features if the phone ever goes missing. Pogue's book was great - buy it if you get one of these devices. It's playing nicely with my personal Google account with and GoogleApps for Education's e-mail, calendar and contacts. The wifi connects easily. What's not to like?
I suspect the iPod Touch will go to the grandsons. The iPad will be used a little less. I don't see reading books on this although the Kindle App is installed. Looking forward to figuring out the latest trendy QR Code phenomena.
But best of all, my new toy addiction has been satisfied for a while.
Taking a picture of myself taking a picture of taking myself taking a picture...
Below, Paul Musegades from Apple -the subject of the first photo taken with my phone. Appropriate, I thought, since he's been my longest running associate with Apple.
Reader Comments (3)
Doug, you are going to LOVE everything you can do with your iPhone! I use mine for virtually everything including reading books! It has practically replaced my computer.
Check with your local public library to see if they have an ebook check out program such as OverDrive. I put books on my phone for free & read them while I'm waiting in line, at the doctor's office, etc.
@Nikki - What a great idea to get ebooks from the library! How do you do that?
Hi Nikki,
I am already finding it a nice tool. While it might work as an e-reader in a pinch, I prefer my Kindle or iPad. That small screen thing!
Doug
Hi Galvin,
Our public libraries are using a product called Overdrive. They don't work with Kindles, but other e-readers including iPads and iPhone have apps that work with the product. Probably just one of many vendors.
Doug