You are here: Home / Archives for iphone

My Kindle & My IPhone: I don’t leave home without them

June 14, 2010 By 8 Comments

Two items you will always find in my Vera Bradley purse: my Kindle and my IPhone. I cannot promise you I will have my wallet, checkbook, or lipstick. I do not double check for those before leaving the house. I triple check for my Kindle and IPhone.

So, you ask, what’s the big deal with the Kindle? Besides walking around with 200 books in it, I  can  reply with an appropriate title when asked “What are you reading?”

Sometimes I may be reading Chris Brogan‘s Social Media 101 or Jeffrey Hayzlett’s The Mirror Test. Regardless, I can answer the question with any title I want. Unlike Oprah, I do not care to have my reading list public. Yes, I imagine you would love to get your hands on my Kindle.

I do not know how I functioned without my IPhone. LT has suggested I get velcro sutured to my forearm to keep it handy.  Blackberry snobs frequently resort to this mindless banter in an effort to compete with the IPhone.

Although he purchased it, LT said I was on my own navigating Apple land. I think this was part of the Blackberry sabotage plan in motion. I accepted the challenge.

All I really needed to do was select a ring tone and remember to slide to the right to answer. I had these down pat within the first week. I chose a barking dog as my ring tone. Absolutely no one thinks a phone is ringing if I forget to turn it off when I am supposed to.

The feature I have used repeatedly is the camera. I have taken pictures of my primitive doll collection, my quilts, antique tobacco tins and my family. I readily admit this is an area I could use some technical assistance. I have 650 pictures in my IPhone. I have not a clue how to delete them.

As must be obvious by now, I am able to keep myself amused for hours on end by just having my purse with me. You see, when you are traveling with a ‘big dog’ police LT, you never know when you might end up on a 10 hour call-out. If you happen to be in a vehicle (if LT is driving, it is a vehicle, never a car) and the hostage negotiator team is activated, you go too.

Now, when the pager vibrates, tones go out, or whatever in the hell goes off, I am sitting on go- my Kindle is packed and my IPhone is charged (well, kind of)

I may need to submit a request for an external battery

So there you have it- the story behind the scene.

Just the facts, maam.

Filed Under: High tech (for me) Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Privacy: Facebook vs. Iphone

June 4, 2010 By 2 Comments

“Facebook unveils new privacy rules.” Three weeks ago, if I read that headline I’d kick LT off the laptop immediately. Seriously, how many gas grills do men need to compare before making a selection?

Now, pshaw- LT can google, yahoo and bing away. Since then, I have reevaluated my privacy settings. I wanted to ditch my Facebook account but LT convinced me to wait (yes, we know I am prone to rash decisions ).

In the interim I set ‘only ME’ on every button on my privacy settings on my Facebook account. By doing this, I will know I am  not responsible for further information  about Aunt Mabel (who is not really our Aunt, but seems like it) blasting across the Internet.

First of all, we were not supposed to share photographs of Aunt M with anyone prior to her approval. Second, we were forbidden to tell her age. Wouldn’t you know an old sorority sister of Aunt M’s would show up for the birthday party with a big sign reading, “Happy 61st, Mabel!”

That was bad enough. Little did Aunt M know that the Avon lady down the street would use the photo to launch her age-renewal campaign for Avon’s summer line. Aunt M’s age photo went out to 10,000 Avon customers. We will remain in the family as long as we keep Aunt M in good standing with the bridge club and off  Facebook.

I believed I had protected myself adequately by adjusting my privacy settings as well as monitoring my incoming e-mails. In addition, I have a myriad of back-ups, firewalls, and guard dogs on watch around savor the ride.

Well, let me tell you honey, did I get water splashed in my face when I heard this story! Facebook is not the only place you can put together a profile with information easily accessable to people in your circle.

What kind of profile would someone come up with looking at the first couple pages on your IPhone? If you are like many, the following applications are within your first eight:

  1. Calendar
  2. Contacts
  3. Phone
  4. Camera
  5. IPod
  6. Mail
  7. Tweetdeck
  8. Facebook (you’re an open book)* see above & your password auto saved

These are the eight out of sixteen spots on the opening page of your IPhone.- Now, for the sake of a good story, let’s look at Larry’s IPhone. Who in the hell is Larry, who ask? Larry is dating your best friend’s daughter. These applications are showing when you whisk the bar to the right on Larry’s phone:

  1. Drive like a Caveman
  2. Grand Theft Auto
  3. In Da Hood
  4. Texas Hold Em
  5. Karaoke Anywhere
  6. My Room
  7. Defend your Castle
  8. Bra Scan

Does Larry have a job? You could definitely fool an employer with that IPhone application resume.I choose not to find out where Larry may be singing Karaoke- better left unknown.

Now let’s take a look at Aunt Mabel’s IPhone. Yes, can you believe it, Aunt Mabel turned in her Jitterbug phone for an IPhone. She said all her friends at bridge club were using them to brush up on their bridge. Aunt M left her IPhone at our house after her birthday party.

  1. Love Champion
  2. Annoying Sounds
  3. Jumbo Calculator
  4. Ebay
  5. World Series of Poker
  6. Bar Cards
  7. All in one Gun
  8. Food Network

You may think the most shocking on this list is  the All in One Gun, or Bar Cards. Not for a minute are these as condemning as the application Food Network.

Understand, Aunt M has sworn for years she never uses a recipe! She just puts a little of ‘this’ and a little of ‘that’ and voila another southern feast unfolds.

Mission:

  1. Comment on the intuitiveness of the writer for bringing this to your attention,
  2. Peruse your IPhone to ensure the applications flashing on the front page are ones you want to be known for
  3. Wonder what we used to do on Fridays

*Larry, the Avon lady & Aunt Mabel are ficticous characters. They will visit savor the ride now & then. All IPhone applications were selected from  http://iphoneapplicationlist.com/reviews/

Filed Under: High tech (for me) Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At the Post Office: may I borrow your pen?

May 13, 2010 By 2 Comments

Planning to use a priority mail package and the self-mailing kiosk inside, I pulled into the Summerville Post Office. I checked to make sure I had my IPhone in my purse as I  have not memorized my little sister’s address.  Although I am sure in the town the size she lives in, everyone in the Post Office knows her. Yes, IPhone in my purse, but no pen.

No way- a woman always has a pen in her purse. Nada- not, no pen. Must be one in my car- I then perform various contortions, looking under all the seats in search of the lone Bic… no luck. Surely I can borrow a pen from someone inside the Post Office – I mean, all we are talking about is a pen, right?

All works well at the Post Office kiosk- transaction goes smoothly and the label to “middle of nowhere” prints without a hitch. I put together the Priority Mail box- adhesive strip works like a charm- now all I need is a pen.

I stand in the alcove looking around, hoping someone will ask if I need some help. No such luck- everyone is scurrying in and out- with determined looks, destinations in mind.I tell myself I am not leaving this Post Office because I do not have a pen. I take a deep breath. The outside entry door opens, a nice looking lady walks in. I ask her if I could borrow a pen. She looks at me like I am a loon. I back away, ashamed. I repeat this scenario again with the same outcome.

I look inside the inner portion of the PO –  the line to the front is 20 deep. I do not mind standing in the line.  I just feel ridiculous standing in it only to ask if I could borrow a pen. Ah, I spot an older “friendly looking” man standing at the middle working counter writing something- WITH A PEN. My plan was to hold back, wait until he finished, then ask to borrow his pen for just a second. I waited, he wrote, I waited, he kept writing, and writing and writing- an endless speel of who knows what. I abandon this plan.

I look up- all the people in the line are looking at me- daring me to jump ahead in line. Talk about a crowd mentality. I take another deep breath, walk up to the counter, assertively asking the mail worker if I could borrow a pen. She smiled and handed me the treasured object. By then I was so anxious my handwriting was shaky- I wondered if the mail carrier could discern the numbers. I handed the pen back, thanking her profusely.

I left the post office inner alcove averting the eyes of the people in the line. I quickly opened the outer door and walked briskly to my car. Only after I was safely in my vehicle did I realize I still had the package with me! Ready to just forget it, I made myself get out of the vehicle.

I walked back into the post office to place the now fully labeled package in the mail kiosk. Clank! No surprise here. The kiosk is locked. This usually happens when it is full. What this means is I am going to have to walk into the inner post office area again to hand deliver the package to the front clerks.

I take another deep breath. With shoulders back, I  walk into the inner alcove, striding  to the front window. In doing so, my purse catches on the edge of a copy machine sitting in the corner. The paper feeder clatters to the floor, the sound magnifying inside the small office.

All eyes are on me. I desperately ask the PO matron to take my box. I turn, ready to run, only to find an older gentlemen repairing the aftermath of my wreck with the copy machine. He expresses his desire to help, as he could tell I was having a rough day! Bless his heart. Seems there’s always a good Samaritan out there.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,