Am I the only iPhone Grinch?

I'm curious Eorl....

How often do you need to be shown a music cord, view storm radar, or go on Facebook? How far do you drive with your kids that they need entertainment? How often do you settle down to read the complete works of the Bard, or have to see what's showing at the movies. How often do you book flights?

Not being sarcastic. If you travel regularly through areas that are going through rough weather, on your way to a location where you'll need to know a new guitar chord, while your kids need to be entertained in the car while you drive to the airport, either by watching cartoon, reading Hamlet or seeing where the latest movie is playing, then a device that does all that is a must have.

It's just that, to me, those items seem more like excuses to buy something.

I remember when the internet was just catching on. I was working an extra part time job at a phone survey place. We were conducting a survey on what people would do with the internet, if they had it.

People in general had no idea. I sure didn't know what I'd do with it at the time.
What was funny was that to get the people talking, we would put forth various uses, and ask if they would be interested in that.

The one that always got the most positive response........?

looking up recipes.

oh yeah, today I'm contantly on the internet collecting recipes (not).

but at the time, that's all a lot of people could think of using it for.

My opinion is most of the applictions for the iphone are just gimmicks to get you to buy one, and a few generations of the iphone from now will be offering apps with more meat to them.

Then, people will be chuckling over the fact they used to have to find stuff to do one them, like study the weather radar or look up a movie time.

My friend had hers on the table today -- I definitely see the appeal. Beautiful design. (She let me hold it -- weightier than I expected -- and play with it a bit.) I think I'd prefer a non-virtual keyboard though. We'll see.

Halleluljah! Praise the lord!

dunno, i use it a lot. it's easy to get used to once it's there. i find it very handy. i wasn't shopping for iphone when i bought one...it one me over with functionality i wanted. suits me well.

oh, don't get me wrong dag.

I'd get one if I needed it for work. I just wouldn't be looking at storm radar or such all that often.

i don't either. didn't even know i have one.

i do use mostly music, maps, videos when waiting at airports, emailing, calendar and tasks... sort of a PDA but with a better screen.
my work and much of my life is online, since my people are scattered over the world. before, i used to be constantly glued to a computer or in search of one.. this in fact liberates me a bit, at least in terms of movement. but i can definitely see how it's not for everybody. for myself, i get a lot out of it.

eorl

you're not the fellow playing the bagpipes the other day in Brett Park, Drummoyne, are you?

Well yeah, I use it a lot. Lately we have had major storms every other day, and I commute through the worst of it. (My friend the lightning chaser photographer is certainly interested) I use a tuner every time I play anything ('cept the piano), I look up chords often enough (I'm a noob on guitar), I don't fly that often but my family do, I find out on the way to the airport if the flight is on time. I use the GPS. I enter the address I want, tell it to get me there from wherever the hell I am..and there's the route with me moving along it. Magic! When I get gmail or facebook notifications, a little number shows up and the phone beeps, I check on the phone or computer.

I didn't even mention the stuff that's just pure fun. Like PacMan (giggle) and Mahjong and "More Cowbell!" (cause you never know when you'll need more)

I'm surprised to say it's been a radical change, rather than just a bunch of justifications. I would have been happy if it was just an iPod that could make phone calls!

I know hype like this causes a mostly negative reaction, but I'm sorry, I just love it.

Nope. I'm way better than that guy!

I looked at one today.

No Eorl, that's cool.

From what you say, you show you get a lot of use out of it. You as an individual use a lot of the apps that to a lot of others would be bells and whistles.

If I had one, I'd get excited about a whole 'nother set of apps.

More cowbell?

I'm in!

oh? what did you think?

<pupils dilate...senses a potential convert>

pssst...

ask her what she thought about the prospect of having more cowbell at anytime she desired.

that'll get her.

pssst...

yeah I know! I just mentioned it in passing, like it was no big deal. It's my Cunning Plan in action...

suavecito

Yep, that's the point I was trying to make really. 10, 000 apps available and growing every day.

By way of bookmarking -- with access to the internet, shouldn't mobile devices actually remind you more of the Guide itself (which may or may not be a really neat idea)?

Dunno yet.

Not so much.

Ok. This is a little weird.


I lost my mobile phone last night.