Ye gods, I'm one of THOSE people now.

[kv0925]

So I've probably mentioned my cell phone situation before. I never had one at all until my job issued me one years ago. The first one was a Nextel flip-phone, dumb as they come even for its day. Little monochrome LCD screen with amber illumination. Yes, THAT bad. Eventually they replaced that with a BlackBerry--the old kind with physical keyboard and teensy trackball. The trackball died after a few years, and so I got a newer BlackBerry, same basic form factor, just a newer version (with the pressure pad thing instead of the trackball). A year or two ago I tried to angle for a different smartphone, since BlackBerry was long since surpassed by Apple and Android phones in terms of.. well, everything: speed, power, app selection and support, you name it. I got shot down pretty roundly that time, and told that my BlackBerry was JUST FINE. So I was hesitant to try again, but when my BlackBerry's battery life recently started going downhill, I thought I'd run the flag up again and see if I might have better luck.

So I sent off an e-mail, which got passed to someone else, who dropped my boss an e-mail for approval. My boss is notoriously bad about his e-mail. He's a busy man with lots of irons in the fire, so often an e-mail will linger in his mailbox and eventually get buried by newer e-mails, and that's that. But in a one-on-one call with him last week I asked if he'd seen an e-mail about my cell phone, and explained the situation. He dug through his Inbox and said "Oh yeah, here it is. Must have missed that one." Heh, really? Anyway, he said the only choice they gave him was to switch me to an iPhone 5c. I said I'd really prefer an Android phone if that's a possible option, so he said he'd reply and ask. And that was the last I heard about it--even though I spent the last 3 days sitting next to him in a training class.

Until yesterday, anyway, when I got an e-mail saying there was a package I needed to pick up in the mailroom. I had no idea what it might be, but thought maybe--just maybe--he'd come through for me on the phone thing after all. So I got the package today, and.. it's an iPhone 5c.

I was a little disappointed, to be honest. I consider myself a Google guy, I like the company and their products for the most part, and I like my Android tablet (for which I have lots of apps), so I was really hoping to stick with that ecosystem. More to the point, I am really not an Apple fan. I just never felt that attracted to their products, and basically regard them as overpriced badges of hipness. Without even getting into their business ethics and whatnot (not that Google are angels either, of course). No offense to any Apple fans in the audience, I hope. :) The first and only Apple product I've owned is my PC monitor, which is a fine monitor indeed--but it was given to me, and I know I never would have spent the money on it otherwise. The phone is pretty much the same--since it's from work, I don't pay for it, so really whatever they give me is groovy, right? If I REALLY want a specific device, I should pony up and pay for one personally. But I don't want to have two phones to keep track of, and why foot another bill for something I already get for free?

Anyway, I'm babbling because it's almost time to go home. So far, though, I must admit I like the iPhone. It seems pretty slick, good interface, good performance. The case they gave me to protect it leaves something to be desired, so I might go looking for a better one this weekend. I really don't mean to look this gift horse too squarely in the mouth, and I know a great many people would be thrilled to get a surprise iPhone. I just don't want to become one of those Apple cultists. ;)

And okay, iOS users--any must-have apps you recommend, or tips I might appreciate?

UPDATE: Rather than make a new entry on this somewhat silly topic, I thought I'd add to it here with some initial thoughts after my first weekend with the iPhone.

Positives:
-As expected, the iPhone's camera is very good, and while I'm sure I'll prefer to offload the pics at home and edit them with my usual workflow, the option of editing on the phone and uploading immediately will be handy.
-I do love the speediness of the device--it's quick and responsive, and so far I've noticed no lag whatsoever.
-Great app support. I think iOS still has the edge over Android in that respect--the vast majority of apps support both, of course, but it seems like most of the things that are one or the other are iOS and not Android, for whatever reason.
-The iPhone will be SO much more useful in the car--navigation is the first thing that comes to mind, of course, but there's also the thought of using it for music via Spotify, SiriusXM, and Pandora. I should inquire about whether there are data limits on the company's contract, though!

Cons:
-I was used to having the BlackBerry on a belt clip, at least when I'm at work. The size and weight of the iPhone sort of precludes that, I think. I don't mind carrying it in my pocket too much, but I worry about the wear and tear of doing so, and of course there's more of a chance of absentminded me leaving it lying around somewhere.
-Also as expected, there are things in the OS that Apple chose to restrict or not offer that I don't like. The ability to delete certain apps, or even hide them, for example. The Stocks app is one I have no use for, and yet all I can do is stick it in a folder and ignore it. With my BlackBerry I had the ability to create a number of sound and ringer profiles, so I could have a completely silent mode, a vibrate-only mode, and an audible mode. There doesn't seem to be any such functionality for the iPhone, and there don't even seem to be any apps to add anything like that. Seems silly.
-I've never been particularly good at typing on tiny mobile keyboards, but I seem to have a high miskey rate on the iPhone. I dunno if it's a combination of my big hands and the non-adhesive screen cover my case has or what. I'm learning to aim just a little to the left of the key I want, that seems to help.
-Speaking of the keyboard, I don't like that it always shows capital letters, whether Shift/Caps Lock is engaged or not. On the Android, the on-screen keyboard switches to lowercase when appropriate, and I like that since I know at a glance what I'm going to get when I type. Maybe there's a setting in iOS? Looks like not. Another bit of Apple silliness!
-Perhaps a minor quibble, but my Blackberry and Nexus tablet (not to mention my wife's Kindle and Hermione's Kindle Fire) all use a micro USB port for charging and data transfer, which made it simple to have a single charger and plug in whichever device needed a charge. The iPhone uses Apple's Lightning connector, so that's another cable required, or at least an adapter. Universal ports and cables=good!

Overall though, it's nice to finally have a true smartphone, even if it's an Apple product. :) I've ordered some cables and adapters this morning to scatter around so I can charge at home, in the car, here at work, etc. I think I'd like to look into a car mount as well, and whatever adapter makes sense to connect to the handsfree system I have. It does phone functions via Bluetooth, of course, but with a hardwired connection to an iOS device there are some other bells and whistles that become available, I think, like navigation instructions through the stereo. Worth checking out, anyway.

Comments

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

I'm not crazy over Apple. I don't like the Macs or the phone. The ipad is OK. I've seen it and it's pretty good.

I don't have a smart phone at all. We have FIOS bundle with two land phones (two numbers) very fast internet with a million channels on our TV. As it is, we pay over $200.00 a month. We can barely afford a smart phone. So we have to make do with dumb phones. We just have basic cell phones.

The only Apple I've worked is the Ipad. So I can't help you with the phone.

[cp.livejournal.com]

All this is tongue-in-cheek, of course--I'm not really trying to complain about a free phone! It's just not what I'd have picked. Of course, if I were footing the bill myself, I probably wouldn't have a smartphone either. Though it certainly does come in handy, I have to say.

Do you need two landlines for business or something? I am lucky to work for a cable provider, so our cable, Internet and phone all cost next to nothing. I couldn't happily live without broadband Internet, but if we had to pay for the cable TV we wouldn't have it, and if I had to pay for any phones I'd ditch the landline and get a decent cell phone instead.

[girlspell.livejournal.com]

Nope it's my husband. He refuses to have the same phone number I do. It's always been like that. :( So we split the cost of both landlines. With the internet too and the TV. It starts to really add up adding two smart phones! So we got the very basic jitterbug phones (for both of us) We get 50 mins free. But we don't use the phones that much. So we never go over the limit. The phones are only 10:00 a month each. They are not Verizon but we pay a separate bill for that. I like FIOS a lot. Good fiber optics outfit. They run that line straight in to you basement. They are owned by Verizon. So their customer service is excellent. I think by internet 75 up 35 down (something like that)

[liquidmistletoe.livejournal.com]

Hey, I like my iPhone but I'm not a fanatic and I'm certainly not offended by people not preferring them! I do acknowledge how finnicky they can be (as I mentioned before) and sometimes I get a little frustrated at the inability to change certain things/settings/inner workings, but I know Apple does that intentionally to keep people out. They do it on their computers too - makes it much harder for people who only think they know what they're doing but really don't to get in there and screw things up :) Unfortunately it keeps those who DO know what they're doing out, unless you want to void your warranty and jailbreak it, but I just never saw it worrthwhile to do all that.

Apps! The Google Maps app is by far the one I prefer for traveling on foot. I use "Waze" for traffic and GPS usage - it is updated by users (both automatically, like when you're traveling slowly, or manually, by entering broken down cars or police or hazards, etc.) and I find it to be really accurate. The LJ app kinda sucks in my opinion, but it'll do. If you're still browsing reddit, Alien Blue is the app for that. For music, there's Pandora, Sound Hound for when you hear a song and really want to know what it is and/or buy it, there's Spotify to listen to whatever you might want but don't own. The Weather Channel app is much better than the installed weather app, and google earth is fun. There's also a geocaching app - I know you've said in the past you guys like to do that. I've been meaning to try it - I downloaded it but have never looked for one! It also might behoove you to get a scanner app - I use QRReader, but that's what you'd use whenever you see those little symbols on everything saying "Scan for more information!" or whatever. I also like the Reminders app, though it took me a while to break down and actually use it. I like that I can tell Siri "Remind me to ______ when I Get home" and since I've told it where home is, when I get to my parking lot it lights up with that reminder. Siri is also not QUITE as easy to use as I thought it would be - or maybe I'm just not used to it, but I don't use it much.

Now Photo Apps, which get a whole separate paragraph: Up until I got the iPhone, I used the Photos app with the rainbow flower thing. However, iPhoto is, supposedly, a superior app for photo sorting. You can tag things, add geo locations, create projects, etc. I've been trying to get myself to become familiar with it so I use it more, but I still sometimes go back to the basic app just to see the pictures I've taken and delete the duds. I also like an app called Video 2 Photo. If you're trying to take a picture of something that is moving really fast - the iPhone's camera is pretty great but it's not 1/2000 - you can take a video of it and pull stills from it. I actually find them to be fairly clear, in a snapshot quality way, anyway, but sometimes that's all you want. I also use Simply HDR to edit some pics and Pro HDR to take multi-exposure HDR shots, and Photo Collage for collages. Photogene^2 is my favorite photo editing app on the phone and the iPad - it's intuitive and does almost everything editing on the computer can do. Project 365 is easy to use and has been motivating me to take at least one photo every day! And of course, the ever hip Instagram -- I'm a sucker, I admit.

I think I'll stop there, I already told you most of what I use on a regular basis, haha. Enjoy, it's not that bad!

[3ducker1culter4.livejournal.com]

Yes on the directional apps. Waze is wonderful for to the minute traffic, police traps, and hazards. Google Maps is good for when Waze doesn't work, you're traveling by public transit, or walking. I hid Apple Maps in a folder labeled "useless crap" with the stocks app and others you can't delete.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, one of my big complaints about Apple is how they tend to lock down and 'dumb' down (in my estimation) their products. That's well and good for most users, but there are people (like me!) who want to be able to have more control. It bugs me that there are apps I will probably never use but can't delete. I consider that bad design.

[cp.livejournal.com]

You have an iPad too, right? You're an Apple fanatic and don't know it, HA! ;) I kid, of course--really this whole post is tongue-in-cheek, since it's pretty ridiculous to complain that the uber-popular and amazing smartphone I just got for free wasn't the uber-popular and amazing smartphone I would have chosen for myself. :)

Thanks for the tips on apps! Since I've had my Android tablets for some time, I'm not exactly starting from scratch in terms of what I want and like. So, much of what you mentioned I'm familiar with and already installed. Google stuff, weather (though I like the Accuweather app myself), Pandora and Spotify. I also installed the SiriusXM app--my car has Sirius but the van doesn't, and I've been wanting to add it, so trying out Sirius' Internet radio over the mobile seems worth a try.

I keep meaning to get back into geocaching and I keep not doing it! Which app do you have for that? On Android I like one called c:geo, but there's not an iOS version. Most of what I saw (like the official geocaching.com app) are pricey, but I did come across one called Geo Bucket that looked good. I'll have to check it out and see how it is.

The cameras on my BlackBerry phones were truly awful, so cell phone photography is a new game for me. I guess I should eb glad for the iPhone since it seems to have the best camera among smartphones! I installed Instagram, I'll have to check that out and add you if I get it set up. I wouldn't mind a Project 365 app, since I'll have the phone with me most everywhere I go. The Video 2 Photo thing sounds like a good one to have as well. Yay for new toys!

[cp.livejournal.com]

No, it's not technically mine to do whatever I want with--it's issued to me, but it's still the company's property. Plus they're paying for the service too, so I can't really bring my own phone to their contract, if that makes sense. But I'm mainly being tongue-in-cheek here, as usual--like I said, if it was really important to me I'd have to suck it up and pay for what I want. Since it's all free, it's pretty silly to complain at all. First-World Problem for sure: my free smartphone isn't exactly the kind I wanted, boo-hoo, right? :)

Yup, my Nextel phone was a Motorola! But it was too dumb to even do custom ringtones, I think. I did enjoy the compact size and robust feel of the thing, I must say. Smartphones are nifty and all, but they sure feel fragile, and are a rather unwieldy form factor for a phone. Good thing I rarely use them for that purpose!

[cp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm really not sure what I would do if my cell phone wasn't provided for free. I never really saw a need for one before I got my first phone for work, and indeed was fairly anti-cell-phone because even back then in the pre-smartphone days they were annoying. I had an in-between job driving the water taxis at Universal Orlando, and more often than not there was some guy in the front of the boat who had no idea he was on vacation, ignoring his family to look at work e-mail on his Blackberry. And I promised myself I'd never be that guy, you know? But I have to admit, they really do come in handy when I'm out and need to look something up online, and it's a lot easier to check and reply to the occasional critical work e-mail from home (or wherever) than to feel the need to go to the office. Not that I have a job that requires too much engagement after-hours, thankfully. Plus with the kids.. my wife still absolutely refuses to get a cell phone (I made the mistake of trying to giver her a pay-as-you-go phone as a gift once, and she just wasn't having it--back to the store it went), and I rather wish she would change her mind. What if she's out and about while I'm at work and the car breaks down or she has an accident or something, you know? Hasn't happened yet, but I feel the odds are that it will sometime, and that will change her mind about having a cell. Or maybe not, she's pretty stubborn. :)

[3ducker1culter4.livejournal.com]

Any QR scanner app is pretty nifty. I like Shazaam for identifying music, MLB At Bat Lite for baseball (if you're into that), and I have a few food-ordering apps, because I can't cook and travel all the time.

[cp.livejournal.com]

I'll have to start scanning these QR things! I did get a QR app for my Blackberry, but it was such a pain to use (like everything else BB-related) that I never did. Thanks!

[musicpsych.livejournal.com]

Since it's a work-issued phone, can you buy apps, or are you limited to the free apps? I think a lot of the more common ones are available on Android, too.

I've been using some meditation apps lately, like "Stop, Breathe, and Think" and "Smiling Mind." Stitcher can be good for podcasts. I like TuneIn Radio, which allows you to stream terrestrial and online radio stations from around the world. TV Guide, AMC, and YouTube can be convenient. There are subscription streaming video apps (Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go) but the screen is kind of small for that.

I use QR Reader, too. In a perfect world, I'd use GasBuddy, which tells you local gas station prices, but I forget that I have it. There's a Flashlight app that can be helpful.

For games, I like Flow (Free), Temple Run, Dots, 2048. Social media, too, as you might expect.

Otherwise, there are guides online that can give you help with settings, etc. One thing I don't like about my iPhone is that there's no comprehensive list of features; I've had it for a year, and there are probably still things I don't know about. Some of that comes with playing around with it.

Oh, and you can set up more than one e-mail box in the "Mail" section. I have my Yahoo and Google accounts both linked there for easy access. You can do the same with the Calendars.

I tend to tell all apps "No" when they ask about push notifications, etc. There are times when my phone will flash a notification, and it's only a game app telling me it's my turn or something I was waiting for is ready.

Oh, and to move icons around, press down onto an icon and hold. After a few seconds, the icons will start to shake. You can move them into folders, or create new folders by moving one icon over another icon. A folder name will be suggested for you, but you can also edit that.

[cp.livejournal.com]

No, aside from being provided and paid for by the company, I'm pretty much free to treat it like my own, so I can get whatever apps I want. I'm frankly not sure if there are limits on data usage or not--it's T-Mobile like my BlackBerry was, and I never got any warnings on the BB that I was going over on data, but then again there wasn't much I could do on the BB that would have used a heck of a lot of data. Now that I have a phone that can stream music, I'm thinking of using it for Spotify and stuff like that in the car, but I'm a little reluctant since I don't know how quickly that would rack up the data charges!

I did initially set up the Mail app to get both my work and personal mail, but then I installed GMail (which my personal mail is) to keep them separate, and I think I'll like that. I didn't think about whether that kills access to my Google calendar, though, I'll have to look at that again.

I like grouping things into folders, so I figured out the hold-and-move thing pretty quickly (which is pretty similar behavior to Android anyway). I don't like that there are apps that are useless to me but that I can neither hide nor uninstall. Stocks? Puhleeze. :)

The meditation stuff sounds interesting, I'll check those and the games out. Thanks very much!

[loxthebox.livejournal.com]

I have no idea if this app is available on iOS, but I love it for android - Pixlr Express for photo editing has a lot of features if you want to do more than whatever photo editing comes with the phone.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Yup, there is an iOS version, I'm getting it presently! I'll have to get used to using my phone as a camera, now that I actually have one that will do will for the purpose! The camera on my first Blackberry was just awful, and the newer one was marginally better but still pretty bad, so I just hardly ever bothered unless I REALLY wanted a photo and it was the only option, or if I wanted to throw something up on Facebook real quick. The ability to take and edit decent photos with my phone does open up a whole new world!

[loxthebox.livejournal.com]

Prior to camera phones I missed most photo ops just because I never thought to bring a camera, and now I use it so much that camera quality is in my top 5 things I look for when picking out a new phone. It helps that Google keeps adding features too, like I just recently discovered Auto-awesome movies. It takes snippets from video clips and photos and creates a video complete with soundtrack so now I've been taking lots of videos too.

The whole idea of camera phones amuses me. If someone had pitched the idea of giving a camera the ability to call people, it would have sounded ridiculous. But give a phone the ability to take pictures and you've got the next million dollar idea.

[technophobe1975.livejournal.com]

There are several google apps that you can download if you want to stick with them, and in the mail section you can have gmail as your default email address.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I definitely got the Google apps--Maps, Earth, GMail, G+ (even though I hardly ever use it). At first I set the phone up so the default iPhone Mail app was checking both my work and GMail accounts, but I think I'll prefer having them in separate apps to keep things from intermingling too much.