Friday, February 18, 2011

On the iPhone

So I am one of those Verizon customers you read about on the news that flocked to the stores when the iPhone4 was released to the network earlier this month. Unlock most subscribers, though, I did not have a smartphone before. I went straight from talk-and-text to ultimate PDA. Much of what I have to say, then, will probably apply to other devices and software such as Droid and the Blackberry.

In the week that I've had the iPhone, I have downloaded 151 applications...and counting. I can read a lifetime's worth of out-of-copyright literature, keep up with all of my social networks, record my fitness routine, keep track of my calorie consumption, listen to virtually any radio station, watch virtually any video on the web, read news from sixteen different sources, check the weekly ads at my favorite retail stores, convert currencies, translate languages, edit phots, check sports scores, track packages, read blogs, play games, keep up with the stock market, and configure my drink for Starbucks so that it isn't awkward when I'm standing at the counter trying to figure out how to say it.

The point is that I can do virtually anything.....at any time! This device is revolutionary! Information is the most powerful tool for decision-making and it is now literally at my fingertips. I never have to wait to find something out. Time is always of the essence. A client of mine is talking passionately about something that I have never heard of? I have a Wikipedia App. for that. How long does that sale on DVDs last? I have a Target App. for that. What are the specs on that new BMW? I have a Car and Driver App. for that. "There's an app. for that," is becoming a cliche in my vocabulary. It's becoming difficult to find things that I can't do with my iPhone.

One thing about the iPhone that actually complicates my life is the flipside of the very same thing that simplifies it--the excess of information. As I mentioned before, I currently have 151 applications on my iPhone. However, I don't think that I can number 151 tasks that I perform throughout the day, week, or possibly even month. Why so many apps? Well, I have apps from 16 different news networks, 12 different automotive research organizations, 10 different retail stores, 7 different book collections, 5 different radio stations, 4 different search engines, and more. I have several applications, in other words, that do the same thing.

I plan on narrowing down the amount of apps I have on my iPhone as I explore each one. Which news source provides the most thorough, up-to-date information? Which radio stations most consistently play my favorite songs? Which retail stores do I actually shop at? These brings up an interesting point for applications developers: he who creates the most powerful app. can control the future. So, maybe that's a bit overstated, but I think that if there is a single application that can seemlessly organize a person's activities and interests, that person will be a customer for life.

I never thought I needed a smartphone, but I now am convinced that I can't live without it. This technology is mind-boggling. How can I do anything, anytime, from a single device? I don't know, but I'm sure glad I live in the 21st century. I'm hooked on this thing for life! I may have to sign up for a session of Appleholics Anonymous.

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