As the capabilities and applications of hand-held devices escalate, they demand active study to keep abreast of the advances. I write some notes here to help me keep track of who is doing what to whom.
I first bought a Gen1 iTouch. Then we got Debby a 3GS iPhone, a transformative event. It has improved her quality of life, a significant achievement for such a tiny device. She loves her iDude.
I use a cell phone only a few times a week, so any old cell phone will serve me well. But Debby lives on her phone and requires email/texting access at all times. That was the deal clincher. And since our extended family all had iPhones, and I had my iTouch, she had begun to feel left out. Since we were together most times while traveling, one iPhone for the two of us id more than adequate. We became a two iDude family.
Update: Debby moved up to the 4S and I inherited her 3GS, essentially retiring the iPod touch from active life, although it still sounds great. Since, she has upgraded the 4S to a 5S. The 3GS purrs along slowly after 5.5 years, still going up to 2 full days on a single charge. But I have my eye on an iPhone 6 Plus. (It’s been pointed out to me that I am paying for regular upgrades whether I use them or not.) Owen gifted us a G1 iPad mini, functionally a bigger iPod Touch, which became my e-reader, our breakfast counter news and stocks reporter, and our master music remote control. It also can keep the grandkids entertained. We were now a 4-iDude family, not bad for a senior citizen couple.
Until recently, the 3GS still ran the latest iOS. It provided GPS utility (TomTom app), rendered speech to text for field notes (Dragon Dictation app), provided a birding field guide database (iBird app), supported my genealogy research database (Reunion app), and served as a handy remote for my iTunes server (iPeng app). Then there are all the social living apps that attract most people to the platform, and a decent camera for when you need one and the SLR is not around. We also use FaceTime connectivity on our iPhones.
Update: Debby traded up for the 6S and I traded an older camera for a 6 Plus and donated the 3GS. The iPod and iPad still work, but are Apple-limited to older IOS versions and are seldom used now.
Update: I was having screen problems with the 6 Plus and got a great deal on an 8 Plus. Debby traded her 6S for an 8. Trying harder not to drop mine. I got 256 Gb, an ginormous amount of storage for a mobile device. But I have a large music library and a taste for video and still photography, and have already exceeded 128Gb in just 2 months with only some of my music transferred. I needed to add a dongle to my headphones cord for connection.
Update: Debby traded in her 8 for a 12 Mini, and traded in her iWatch 3 for a 5. She adores her connectivity and the quality of her photographs. I muddle along with the 8 Plus, which still has decent battery life, does everything I need, and runs the latest iOS after 4 years.
We are fully invested in the “there’s an app for that” generation of mobile device aficionados. Apple Maps, Apple voice dictation, and AppleTV have obsoleted some earlier third-party apps. Texting by voice is addictive. Our world of contacts are all in the next room, just a shout away. Debby’s iWatch has been a further life enhancer. And full integration with our cars via CarPlay puts our music library on wheels and removes all the concern regarding finding our way when out and about. I had to wait my entire lifetime for a Dick Tracy future world of 2-way wrist communicators, but I have lived to see it fully arrive.
areas of interest 