matthewthornton.info

A Couple Months With an Iphone

Jess and I got a bunch of money for our wedding.  We have a savings plan, etc. so we decided we were going to spend the money on stuff we wanted, rather than needed.  We bought our new couch, which was the big ticket item that she wanted and we also got iPhones. At first I thought this was going to be something where I had it, I liked it, but would otherwise just be a gadget that’s fun to show off at parties.
Boy was I wrong.
While it is something I certainly lived without, it has rapidly become indispensable and it was and is certainly money well-spent.

• The GPS in DC is just as good or better than our dedicated GPS receiver.  On our way back from Puerto Rico, I made a wrong turn on the way back from home.  I played with the iPhone GPS while Jess fished out the GPS receiver.  While I didn’t manage to find my way home with either and went on instinct, if I had stuck with the iPhone, I would have probably not had any problem because I could see the whole map, while the GPS receiver required me to follow the directions more than reading the map and the directions were, frankly, bad.
• At work, Jess and I are able to text message back and forth.  Instead of getting a call and having to stop what either of us are doing, we can finish up and reply at our leisure.  We can check up on each other if one of us wasn’t feeling well in the morning, coordinate pickups in the evening, and things like that that are so convenient.
• I did not take my laptop on my most recent trip.  I just took my cell phone.  Aside from the obvious issues of size and trying to type on a small keyboard, I didn’t feel like I lost anything.  I still had e-mail and I could check on news whenever I needed or wanted.
• Instead of having to fumble with an extra camera (and mine is a slightly big and clumsy camera), I can just pull up the iPhone and take a quick snapshot and with the Darkroom program that steadies the shot, I can get shots that are just as good and sometimes better than my real camera.  I used to think I didn’t like taking photos just ’cause.  Now I’m always clicking away with the camera.
• I have an e-book reader and it’s a nice once.  I currently use Stanza and read books off the Project Gutenberg website.  It does an excellent job of formatting them and making them easy to read on the screen.  Amazon has also created a Kindle program for the iPhone, which means I can buy Amazon e-books, as well.
• Oh, yeah.  It’s also my iPod.

Am I saying that the iPhone is some kind of transformative technology?  Yes.  That’s what I’m saying.  When I look at it and use it during the day, I can’t help but remember the PADDs from ST:TNG (Personal Access Display Devices).  They were little handheld computers that interacted with the main computer.  Sound familiar?  I’m not necessarily saying that everyone should go out and buy one (the barrier to entry is still too high for most, unfortunately) but as Apple begins getting competition from the other carriers and phone companies begin producing competitive phones, I think more and more that that is the direction things are going to go.  I know this has obviously been already said by others but I just thought I’d add my voice.