Succumbing to the iPhone

Image by Lyn Millett via Flickr

Technology Thursday

It's time for me to switch. I'm just about ready to declare that I'm done with my Blackberry and am switching to the iPhone. I like Macs generally and enjoy my iPod Classic a lot. But for a long time I thought I would not be able to cope with a touch keyboard.

Then I got an iPodTouch. (Credit where due: it was my Valentine's Day present from my husband this year.) A friend of mine says the iPodTouch is built to just be a gateway drug to the iPhone. And it's true.

The current version of the iPodTouch does not have a camera or a microphone. And, of course, it's not a phone. But otherwise, it can do most of what the iPhone does. I've downloaded a bunch of apps -- mostly free, but I've paid for a few. I read my email, surf the Web, browse my Twitter-feeds, and listen to baseball games on the iPodTouch.

For you nursing moms out there, I've found the iPodTouch superb to use while nursing. I can scan a lot of feeds while nursing my kid to sleep. He's happy, I'm not bored witless, and it's all good. (Yes, yes, nursing should be a deep, bonding metaphysical experience. And I should spend it gazing into my son's eyes. I know, I know. But someone might be saying something funny on Twitter!! Seriously, my kid totally zones out when he nurses, so it's fine. Really. I've even *gasp* responded to work email from my iPod while nursing! Shhh! Don't tell! Boobie-cooties!)

ANYWAY, the iPhone. So yeah; the iPodTouch is excellent. I highly recommend it. But it needs wifi access. And I now use OmniFocus (desktop and app versions) as my task and project manager. OmniFocus syncs across my laptop, desktop, and iPod. So that means I need the iPodTouch with me more often than not. So now I'm carrying my Blackberry and my iPod around. I need a cellphone and the ability to txt, which the Blackberry gives me. (There are free txting applications that work, although not as reliably as I'd like - and of course they only work on the iPod if I'm on wifi.) I've noticed over the past few weeks that there's nothing I do on the Blackberry that's specific to the Blackberry. Moreover, in contrast to the iPodTouch, I now feel positively crippled when dealing with the clunky Blackberry interface. And I find that I'm able to deal with the touch-keyboard on the iPod, after all. Another potential downside to the iPhone for me is that there isn't great AT&T coverage on Metro. But, it recently occurred to me that the Metro route I take most often is mostly above-ground.

My cellphone contract has been up for awhile. (Don't get me started on the ridiculous contracts the rapacious cellphone companies lock people into.) It's rumored that Apple is going to be announcing new iPodTouches in September. The new ones are supposed to come with cameras. So I thought about just upgrading my iPodTouch. But I really think I'm going to bite the bullet and switch to the iPhone. My son can inherit my old iPodtouch. He's already figured out the interface to it, scarily enough. I'll wait until after the September product announcements in case they bump up the specifications on the iPhone or reduce the price a bit. But I think I'm going to do it. Now the question is: will my husband switch too so we can get on a family plan?

Comments

[Katherine]

No No! Not another defector to iPhone.

I am resisting the iPhone because I had AT&T Wireless for a while and HATED the intermittent reception. I couldn't even make or receive a cell phone call in my own home! With my Blackberry on Verizon, I can even get phone calls and access the Web underground on the Metro.

[Lyn]

You make a good point. I knew about the Metro issues, but I guess there's no way to really test AT&T coverage in my house. Hrrmm....

[Cathy P.]

I can completely relate. I, too, was struggling with the Blackberry/iPhone decision. The issues you bring up are right there with the ones I was thinking about (see www.misadventuresofasupermommy.blogspot.com). I really don't like AT had been with Verizon my whole cell phone life (does anyone else remember when it was Core Comm?); let my contract lapse while I lived in indecision. Worried about the touchscreen...

I got an iPhone in late July. It is awesome!! I have no idea how I functioned before without one. Completely practical and so much fun. I even recently went on a getaway with my mom and left my computer at home because I was able to manage all my communicating on the iPhone (I know, I should be setting all that aside on a getaway, but really, c'mon). Also, I have a four-year-old and she loves playing games on it. It is literally like being able to carry around your Mac everywhere you go. Oh, and the video capability is very cool!

The touchscreen does take some getting used to. And, if you are worried about reception, my mother-in-law bought a booster for her home which has very spotty reception- she now gets 5 bars. I know, it's another expense but if you need it, it works. Likewise, rumor has it that the AT&T deal terminates in two years and there might be broader based carrier flexibility... I hope.

Go for it! I think you'll love it...