Confessions of an I-Phone addict.

Confessions of an I-Phone addict.

Hello, my name is Paul and I have a problem.

I've always been prone to trying new things: I get a new computer almost every year, I download the newest versions of favorite applications as soon as they're available (I haven't missed a new version of Quicken in 20 years!) and have seldom had a cell phone for more then a year. I 've tried every new phone and feature as they become available. Invariably they're a disappointment. High speed 3G? There's nothing to download and it eats up your battery. I had a 3G Nokia and it was so bad that it would die overnight if it wasn't plugged in. The internet interface was so clunky it took a minute to load before you could start to download. Then if you got a phone call you lost everything on the browser.

Cell phones are not accidentally bad. They're designed that way by telecom carriers who are schizophrenic about control. They want to advertise cool features but are afraid of losing control and force them to work through their proprietary networks and interfaces. They're designed to work for the carrier not the user. The phones generally work well to make phone calls or get messages; but stink for everything else. The problem with that is you don't need a $500 telephone (which they would like to sell you) to make phone calls. Microsoft colludes with this strategy by making the "smart phone" software clunky and focused on Windows. Blackberry's do a good job in the important, but relatively narrow, realm of email but that's all.

Apple broke the mold by forcing ATT to accept a newly designed phone that would be elegant in design and focused on usability. Everything is big and bright and easy to understand. Apple decided to sacrifice FEATURES to focus on usability. When you look up a phone number on the built-in directory it knows where you are and automatically brings up a map to show you where the address is and asks you if you would like to dial the number. Afterwards it will give you directions to get there from where you are. When you're looking at the internet it automatically re-sizes the page to highlight whatever item you tap on. If the phone rings when you're browsing it lets you answer the phone without losing what you're working on. You can also browse the internet or look up a contact without disconnecting your caller. There's message on the screen reminding you to go back to the call. As great as the phone is, it was still pretty limited in it's uses. After a while, you really don't need to look up addresses all that often or check weather or stock prices.

About a month ago Apple did it again. They introduced the Applications Store that allows you to download I-Phone-specific applications directly on your phone. Within a month there were at least 2,000 applications for the phone - almost all of them free or a dollar; almost none over $10.00. Many of them are devoted to a very small dedicated audience or are really stupid - but some are so elegant and useful it's amazing.

Some of my favorites:

Now Playing - Knows every theater near where you are and what's playing there. You can go either from the theater to the movie to the showtime or from the movie to where it is playing. Includes reviews from two sources. You can array all the movies playing in the area by rating and then find where it's playing. It even has the movie details and trailers. ALL FOR FREE!

Shopping List Manager - One of Chris' favorites. Allows you to maintain multiple shopping lists (Otis and NY!). Includes a dictionary of standard items sorted by store sections that you can add to. It also allows you to email a shopping list to your husband's phone while he's in the store.

MLB At Bat - Has all the baseball games for a three day period. For games underway it shows you the box-score, who's on base and and the status of the at-bat by pitch. Also has video clips of highlights of ongoing games. It ties into MLB and has all the key statistics by team and player. This was expensive at $5. There's nothing free from MLB.

Bloomberg - A great financial site. It has Financial headlines and news stories; On-line market info including Stocks, Commodities, Bonds and Currencies; stock prices (delayed) including charts and summary info. A real powerhouse of financial info when we're travelling. It's also free.
Weather - Current weather and forecasts for a number of locations. Let's us keep track of Toronto (mother), San Francisco (Scott), NY, Otis and Paris. All the essentials. Also free.

Games -A whole slew of games for any taste. Most free or a dollar.

Does it sound like I'm hooked??? You bet. Chris complains that I would be in withdrawal without my phone--she's right! At a recent dinner in Toronto, three I-phone users enthusiastically shared their 'favorite' features! It quickly became clear we were all equally 'in love' with this new technology. Someone pointed out that right there at the table we had our own little 'i-phone' addiction support group! Not a bad idea.