I suppose it had to occur sometime; my LG Vu phone tanked. We discussed the situation for a while, then my wife and I decided to give Apple’s iPhone a try.
We were able to keep our current plan (which AT&T no longer offers), keep our 5,000 rollover minutes, and our monthly bill decreased by $5 a month. Instead of phones that had, essentially, nothing more than calling and texting capabilities, we have two 3GS iPhones connected to just about everything. It appears that this is a small computer having the adjunct ability to make phone calls.
Again, like most of Apple’s products, you’re not just buying a device, you’re buying a design concept. The box in which it rested was a gorgeous display of simplicity and creative thought. It came with a charger and iPod-type earphone set. The charging cable does double-duty, insofar as the phone can be charged via USB, as well as a wall plug. What simplicity. What a thing of beauty.
I acquired the 32-gig 3GS because I plan to stack the iPhone with tons of music albums to use whilst I walk or hike, at work and at home. My wife only wanted the 16-gig.
I have much to learn about the iPhone. I can make a phone call. That’s about it at this point.
So, for all of you who may already possess iPhones, do you have any words of wisdom, suggestions, comments, warnings or recommendations?
Please weigh in.
BZ
I still have a Razor… 🙁
I’d still have a Razor today if work hadn’t repossessed it last year. . .
BZ
Ok I LOVE my iPhone!! I do not know what I did without it. Here is my biggest tip to you-power it off completely at least once a day. Not just the idle mode but by holding down the home button until the slide button that says “slide to power off” comes on. I used to leave my phone on all of the time, and it started acting up. When you power it off completely, it allows it to reset itself which is GOOD. There is no silent ringtone that you can assign to contacts individually but you can download one for free from
http://www.richardkmiller.com
The site tells you how. The only other thing I can say is that you will get used to it very fast and it is very user friendly.
Enjoy!!
I just “upgraded” to a new Pantech Breeze cell phone with ATT. So did my wife. Rolled over all my credit from our ATT Go Phones. I am also getting rid of my “hard line” house phone. The list of taxes and charges for things dated back to the 1800″s finally got me so pissed off, that I finally did something modern about it.
Ok, you can laugh now.
I rode in the backseat of my old friend’s new Caddy, using his IPhone gps map to get us out of South Dallas,in the middle of the Fair Park ghetto area.
Wrong turn off of Central Expressway in the downtown area, landed us in an area that reminded me of the 1965 Watts riot area that I worked in controlling check points where we were attacked, and responded with deadly force, oh so many years ago.
Never saw so many blacks just standing around with a bottle or can in a brown bag, glaring at us as we drove thru their “hood”.
I didn’t help any by giving the 1 finger salute continuous.
What an example of failed welfare.
That is one area that will be a census taker’s nightmare.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my iPhone!!! I’m not sure I could live without it anymore. There are so many things you can do!! Start looking for cool apps that catch your fancy. Just type anything in the application search bar that you like…and WALLAH!! hundreds of free applications just waiting for you to play with them! For example: you like photography…there are so many free apps to make your pics fun and easy to use stuff!!
As for advice BZ, just play with the phone. Tap buttons, see where they lead you. You cant hurt it and thats the way your going to learn. If you know anyone at work or a friend with one…show them you got it…they’ll want to show you cool stuff that they know about it!
I’m still learning and I’ve had mine for a year and a half!!
Yay!! Your going to love it so much once you figure out all the cool shyte it does!
Congrats!!!
Just Me: first, thanks for visiting and thanks for taking the time to comment! Question: is there a way to just have the phone vibrate when a call, text or voicemail comes through? Or, were you saying that the iPhone can’t go total vibrate for input, and that I have to go to that site?
Mr Chuck: don’t laugh at ME; I still have a landline at the house and, further, I have TWO landlines. One for calls and one dedicated solely to my DIAL-UP for internet access! THAT’S archaic!
Census takers have already been shot. I certainly wouldn’t want that job ANYwhere now. When I’m home my gate is LOCKED. I don’t want ANY “visits” from the census. And as you and I both know, federal welfare KILLED the American black family by completely devaluing the black male in a family.
BZ
peedee: thanks; the first thing I was told by the iPhone users at work is: get an Otterbox. So I hopped out and got one. Built like a tank. The watch commander on the other side, my counterpart, told me he’d dropped his iPhone at least six times from a distance of up to four feet, and the iPhone wasn’t damaged. That was sufficient evidence for me!
BZ
So, I’m on the other side of the scale here.
A phone is a phone.
I hate the do nothing cell phone I have now. I’d dump it if I could but there is one valid reason for me to have it that I can’t ignore. I walk with my dog in a lot of isolated, backwoods places. The lifeline aspect is not lost on me.
My boss now expects me to sign up for mass notifications from work… but I have to pay for the messages I get. Spam from work. How lovely.
This is not progress and I cannot help thinking about 2001: A Space Odyessy. “Open the pod bay doors, Hal.” “I can’t do that, Dave.”
Technology is lying in wait…
cjh
Yes, the iPhone as is can go to vibrate/silent mode for texts and calls. However it has to be applied to all calls/texts as a group. The only way you can select only “certain” calls to be on silent and others still ring is by downloading the silent ringer from that site. It also took me a while before I found the silent switch one the top left side of the phone. I thought it could only be put on silent from the settings menu. When your phone is in silent mode via side button, your alarm will still be audible if you plan to use your phone as an alarm like I do.
Great site you have here!
Just Me
http://www.inandaroundgarfieldridge.blogspot.com
cj: yes, you make a good point, not to mention the GPS triangulation location effect you provide when your phone is on, as the three closest cell towers can triangulate and provide your physical location from the phone’s constantly pinged ESN.
Just Me: thanks for the kudos! And thanks for the info. Yes, I’d want everything to be silent. At this stage of decrepitude in my life, I like things quiet.
BZ
BZ- They are addictive to some, but I just use mine for phone and some travel apps… Oh yeah, if you’re a shooter, Ballistics FTE is a good app.
Sorry BZ I was a Palm fiend for years. Now I’m a Droid fiend. The iphone is very very good, but I’ve always been a guy who doesn’t get what the populous gets. The Droid is king in my world. The smartphones are amazing. I have tons of very neat apps I got for free. That’s one advantage of the Droid, more freebies than anyone. But the style and feel of an iphone is impressive. Good luck and have fun with it.
NFO: great, that’s just what I was looking for, recommendations for apps!
Chris: I think I would have considered a Droid if I’d known more about it. Droid is the system, right? Not necessarily the “phone”?
BZ
That’s correct. Many phone makers have phones with the Android OS.
Ok BZ, you want app suggestions?? Here ya go:
Do you play scrabble?? There is an app called Words With Friends. Download the free version and make a screen name, then email me your name and I’ll play scrabble with you. How cool is that! 🙂 Everyone with an iPhone plays that game it seems. Always someone to play with and you can have a ton of games going at the same time. NFO…If you play let me know!!
Here’s one for you and NFO…. Drunk Sniper. Just download it. You’ll understand it once you do. lol
If you like sports, download ESPN’s sportscenter.
Paper Toss is another fun, addicting app.
There is a level app. Ihandy Level. Cool app that is a level (DUH!) Its nice because when I need a level, I can never find mine.
The first app I ever downloaded was Lightsaber. If your a scifi geek you’ll need to have this app.
If you like word games, Word Warp and Scramble 2 are good ones.
Shazam is a must have app. If your ever out and about and you hear a song in the store or wherever and you want to know what it is…use this app. It listens to the song then tells you what it is. Crazyness I tell you. I use it all the time.
Ok, that was an obnoxious amount of suggestions. =)
Oh and the Otter WAS very good advice. My kid broke two iPhones in 6 months before she got the Otter. She’s had her current phone for almost a year now. The Otter works!
peedee: THANKS for the app suggestions and the info on the Otterbox!
BZ