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.

[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]

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.

[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.

[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.

[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.