Just Another iPhone Post

Monday, December 3rd, 2007 | Posted by Jan | 8 Comments

      

In my quest of topics to blog about, I thought I would wax poetic on my little best friend, the iPhone. So, if you don’t have one, this is a warning! Reading further may force you to part with $400 and may make you an Apple lover!

I don’t really talk about my iPhone much but it’s been a pretty integral part of my life for the last 6 months, so I thought I could shed a little light on how I use it beyond its basic tools. Besides the basics of up-to-date email, synchronized calendars and address book contacts, which is AMAZING and pretty much what my personal life & business revolve around, I’ve also managed to squeeze out some fun out of the iPhone. The other things that get me through many a waiting room and traffic jams are surfing the web, games and other 3rd party apps.

Surfing the Web

There are more and more iPhone optimized websites out there and they are all pretty slick. The ones I used the most and find super functional are Google Reader (mobile) and Facebook. There are also a bunch of new sites that I’ve visited more and more: Tomatometer (movie reviews), Movies.app (movie times/locations), Poptakeout (tech stuff and news).

iPhone1

1. This is what my home screen looks like after installing a theme to change the look. More on this below. 2. My most used website: Google Reader. 3. The best implementation of an iPhone optimized site: Facebook.

Third-Party Applications

Don’t get me wrong, watching YouTube clips using the built in application is great, but you can only watch “Chocolate Rain” so many times. And if checking stocks and the weather isn’t enough for you, there is hope. So, to extend the functionality of the iPhone, some brilliant programmers out there have found a way to install custom made applications. Apple is set to open the iPhone to 3rd party developers, but this is not happening till next year. To make a long story short, I have been able to install over 30 different applications on my iPhone. There are apps that change the look of the home screen, help me manage my Netflix queue, an instant messenger client and most fun of all, games. To do this, just go to jailbreakme.com on your iPhone.

iPhone2

1. This is the Installer main screen, where you can install a ton of different apps. 2. Before Madden, there was Tecmo Bowl. 3. Not too shabby, either: MarioKart!

Get Nostalgic with Games

I’m not much of a gamer these days. I don’t have an Xbox, PS3 or a Wii and don’t think I’ll get any one of them anytime soon. But, when I found out that I could install a NES (Old school Nintendo!) on the iPhone, that was reason enough for me to “hack” it. I’ve been able to download almost a hundred games from my pudgy childhood years and I’ve had a blast playing most of them. I grew up on Tecmo Bowl, Contra, MegaMan, Double Dribble, Baseball, Golf, etc. So, I’m seriously in gaming flashback heaven…I can almost feel the zits growing on my face as I’m playing!

iPhone3

1. Solitaire, my life long addiction. 2. Tetris, a family tradition. 3. Tap Tap Revolution. Think Dance Dance Revolution, but with your fingers. Pretty awesome!

Bad thing about these “cool” things is that they can consume you in your so-called free time. And can make driving a little hazardous if you are a phone-driver like me. Just ask Tey. She thinks, the iPhone is my WORST purchase ever! :) Oh well. Now, I can play Tecmo Super Bowl on the same device that I can check my RSS feeds and my email. For me, that makes it the BEST purchase ever!

iPhone lovefest is complete.

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