Episdoe 42, iPhone--My Phone, Your Phone, Whose Phone?

Title: EPISODE42 -" I Phone,"-- My Phone, Your Phone, Whose Phone
02/25/2008 07:00 AM EST
Episode Notes: Techno Granny discusses some features about I phone and then open discussion of benefits and drawbacks. Should you switch to an I phone?
Hosted by: technogranny
I had some issues this morning logging on to the call and called in 4 times before we got live audio—next week I should be back at my 7 AM time slot. Most of the text that you will see here on the blog today is directly from the iPhone website except for the Techno Granny asides and the Wikopedia definition of SMS.

Show notes:

"iPhone is a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply tapping a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a Windows PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want"

"With iPhone, making a call is as simple as touching a name or number. I
In addition, you can easily construct a favorites list for your most frequently called numbers and
quickly merge calls to create conference calls."

Techno Aside:
Quickly conference calls from a cell phone, any quick conference call would be a plus

"iPhone includes an SMS application with an intelligent QWERTY soft keyboard that prevents and corrects mistakes,
making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smart phones.
iPhone also displays SMS messages as an ongoing chat, and lets you send a text message to multiple people at the same time."


Techno Granny Aside: how many times have I tried to send a text and have to exit and start all over again or wondered what a person is talking about that refers to something that went before. And that hit three times to get to the letter drives me crazy.

From Wikipedia
Short Message Service (SMS) is a communications protocol allowing the interchange of short text messages between mobile telephone devices. The SMS technology has facilitated the development and growth of text messaging.

TechnoG Aside—for some of us with old timers disease, this is a good thing in case you have forgotten the last text message that someone has sent you.

"An industry first, Visual Voicemail allows you to go directly to any of your messages without listening to the prior messages. So you can quickly select the messages that are most important to you."

TechnoG aside—I like this—when you’ve already spoken you don’t have to listen to that persons message. If it’s a private call message that’s probably a telemarketer, you can automatically delete it.

"With a 2-megapixel camera and an advanced photo management application, iPhone goes beyond anything on a phone today. It automatically syncs photos with your PC or Mac
when you dock. Displays albums with a flick of a finger. And can post your pictures directly to a .Mac Web Gallery."

Techno Granny question? That seems to mean if you do not have a MAC, forget about being able to use all of these wonderful features. Can someone help on this one?

"You can create iPhone ring tones from over 500,000 songs on the iTunes Store. Just choose a track with a ring tone symbol, and then get creative. And each ring tone is only 99¢ plus the cost of the song."

Techno aside: This is where I figure out why the kids like this phone, but as a business person, just exactly why do I need this?
Speaking of kids, the media is rife with situations where extreme harm has come to young people who would not give up their I phones.


"The stunning 3.5-inch widescreen display is the ultimate way to watch TV shows, movies, and rentals from the iTunes Store on a pocketable device. Just tap the touch controls to play, pause, view by chapter, or adjust the volume."


Techno G Aside:
Now just why would someone over 50 want to watch a movie on a 3.5 two inch screen?

"With its advanced Safari browser, iPhone lets you see web pages the way they were designed to be seen. Zoom in on a page by tapping the Multi-Touch touch screen display with your finger. Create a Web Clip that appears on your Home screen for one-tap access to your favorite websites and web apps."

Techno G aside, that sounds sort of like creating favorites on your computer and it sounds like it could be a plus for execs on the go.

"iPhone Maps application approximates your location using cell tower information and enabled local Wi-Fi networks. Drop a pin on a map, then move it to a specific location to get directions View hybrid maps that display major street names over satellite imagery. Even check real-time traffic information. All with the remarkable, easy-to-use Multi-Touch interface on iPhone."

Techno G aside: Sounds like it’s a great feature but how much can you put on one phone? Can someone tell me does this eliminate the need for a GPS or is it just a cheap imitation that will do in a pinch?

"iPhone even has widgets: small applications that give you helpful information like stock reports, weather reports, and more."

Techno G Aside: That’s just exactly what I want—the madness of my computer to follow me but busy executives may find it useful.

U-tube from your cell phone, another reason the kids would like it.

"iPhone uses OS X;. Which means you have access to the best-ever software on a handheld device, including rich HTML email, , and favorite applications including Address Book and Calendar. iPhone is also fully multitasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background."

Techno G Aside—Multi tasking is good but can anyone tell me how is the reception and how many calls do you drop doing all of this stuff? And I wonder is this sort of like packing your micro-wave to take it to the office with you? Let me know what you think?

Here it comes: The Geek info!

"iPhone uses quad-band GSM, the global standard for wireless communications. It also supports AT&T’s EDGE network, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, which links to Apple’s compact Bluetooth headset. When you move around, iPhone automatically switches between EDGE and Wi-Fi to provide the fastest data connection possible."

Techno G Aside: Sounds like a plan, but what I want to know is: are the numbers large enough that I can see them in case I lose my glasses?

You can find additional info and all of the italics info at: http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/index.html#phone

Techno G aside,
I must tell you this is a very unique site with loads of information and very entertaining.