iPhone 2.0

I'm sorry to make such a big deal about electronic gadgetry, but I think this stuff is cool. I guess I'm kind of like that kid that gets really excited about a new toy he or she has and has no problem telling you everything he knows about it. You smile, nod, say 'uh-huh' and on the inside you just want to explode. My nephew does this...he'll tell you all about Transformers whether you want to hear it or not. So here I go.

About a year ago I bought an iPhone. It was a mistake. It wasn't a mistake because it is a poor product or because I didn't have the finances to make such a purchase, it was a mistake because I committed a mortal gadget sin that tempts every one of us nerds who thinks the latest and greatest will cause great happiness. I purchased something the day it came out - I paid too much. A short time later [we're talking weeks] Apple dropped the price of their phone and all of us who stood in line that memorable Friday could be heard around the world exhaling a collective sigh. We had all fallen for it once again.

That's not to say that it hasn't been worth the money I spent. In fact, after last week the iPhone just got an upgrade that launches it back into the "my phone is way cooler than yours" category without actually purchasing a new phone. The iPhone 2.0 upgrade was release and it's like owning a new phone all over again....and thus far - it's all free [after purchase, tax, calling fees, texting fees, accessories, etc.].

There are all kinds of new features - and if you go get a new iPhone [called the 3G] you get all the existing cool stuff plus a bigger hard drive, built in GPS, faster internet, AND it costs 1/2 of what I paid for mine. Commercial over...sort of.

The part that effects me the most is the addition of "apps" to all iPhones. An app is otherwise referred to as a "program" by PC users and is simply a bit of software that allows you to do all kinds of cool stuff from oraganization, games, media, and a whole slew of stuff that you don't really need but can get a lot of enjoyment out of. I want to share with you some of the apps that I have downloaded and tried - similar to the way Xander would tell you about Optimus Prime and the Dinobots [which he doesn't really like]. The following apps are all free and are changing the usefulness of my phone. Check it out.

1. Facebook. How many different ways can I access this social networking tool? From my phone I can make a quick update, send someone a FB message, see who is online, view profiles and pictures, and chat as if I was sitting in front of my computer. It's very fast and although the iphone had a good facebook version prior to 2.0 this seems more intuitive and easy to use. Also, before you could not chat which is a relatively new feature to FB anyway. If you don't know what facebook is here is a link. Check it out - yes you too Mom and Dad. I lied when I said that I didn't think you'd get into it. I just didn't want you to see all the pictures of me drunk at weddings with the punch bowl on my head. My only gripe is that it still lacks many features that make FB a little more fun for nerds w/ too much time on their hands. I don't superpoke, play mob wars, or be a vampire, but if you really like that stuff you won't get it on this mobile device.

2. Light. This app is as simple as it gets. Ever been in a dark place and not had a light but you did have your phone? What do you do? You open your phone and use the light coming from the screen to give you some lumination. Light is made just for that. Turn it on and it simply displays a blank white screen. Perfect for giving you the light you need to find your keys in a dark room.

3. Light Saber. Nothing like Light. Many of the iPhone apps are useful, some are just for fun. This is one of them....and it will launch you into ultimate fandome [or geekdome] depending on when and where you turn it on. The app displays an image of a light saber [from star wars] that turns on when you touch the handle. Then from the external speaker comes the famous radiant glowing hum you would recognize from any of the Star War installments. Swing your phone this way and that and it will in turn play light-saber-swinging sounds. Swing it fast [like in a duel] and your ears will be delighted to hear the adrenaline pumping clash between two Jedi Knights. Ok, i've gone overboard with this, but it is cool for 15 seconds. Thanks to the motion sensors in the phone you can turn your handheld device into a Jedi's weapon of choice.

4. Remote. Turn on this application and you can control the iTunes on your computer [or apple tv] via your phone. Now, if they'd only make it remote control my stereo/cable/dvd player/wii/xbox 360 too...I'd be happy.

5. Shazam. This is probably my favorite so far. This app allows you find the title, album, artist of most songs as long as they are audible. When a song comes on the radio and you like it but don't know what it's called you just turn on Shazam and hold your phone out for it to collect an audio sample - about 20 seconds later it will tell you all the information about the song, give you an option to download it on iTunes, or watch a video of it on youtube. Its very amazing, but just how good is this thing? I tested it. Here are some fun results.

The following songs were tested one after another by simply flipping through radio stations in my car. Most of these songs were collected while I was driving down the highway [about 50 mph] with the windows down...so clarity is not a 'must.'

1. Bring You Back - Paul Alan
2. No Matter What - Jeremy Camp
3. Everything Glorious - David Crowder
4. Because of You - Kelly Clarkson
5. Sexy Can I - Ray J. feat. Yung Berg
6. I'll Fly Away - Jars of Clay and Sarah Kelly [this was a CD that I accidentally turned on]
7. Let it Die - Foo Fighters
8. In Love With a Girl - Gavin DeGraw

The only song it missed was a semi-obscure song by Shawn Groves...which I knew anyway. Very cool application and I've used it several times and found it to be nearly 100% accurate.

6. Weatherbug. It tells me the current weather of my area. Can show the maps and outside photos of that same area. Also gives the forecast for the next three days - and let's be honest nobody knows what it will do beyond that. Works exactly as it should.

7. Jott. This app allows you to speak into your phone and it will take written notes based on what you say. At least I think that's what it does - I couldn't get it to register properly. If you go with this, i recommend setting up your free account on the web first. In fact that's what I'm going to do when I finish this stinkin' post.

8. Aurora Feint. If you go to the "Top 25" paid apps [aka - ones that cost money] nearly all the top ones are games. Until now getting a game on your iPhone could not be done through any legal method. The games look great and obviously people want them b/c they are very popular right now. The only one I like so far and want to talk about [among the free ones] is a game called Aurora Feint. It's basically like Tetris Attack with RPG elements such as leveling up your character to give you bonuses as you play the game. It utilizes both the touch and motion censors on the iPhone and can easily be played for an extended amount of time. I was reading an article about it today where the writers acted astonished that the game is free. I'm glad it is.

9. Pandora. This I just got tonight and was instantly happy with it. Basically you give the app a list of musicians that you like and it scans radio stations for songs that fit that artist and genre. Then it streams them to your phone. No commercials, no lame DJs, just kind of music you like for free. The sound quality is excellent as well. The only bad thing is that if you have low reception you might get some lag between songs, but nothing serious. Its like having a bunch of random songs on my iPod that I never paid for. Good stuff.

There are hundreds of apps for the iPhone already and the longer developers have the tools they need to make them and make them work well, I'll be able to customize my phone in ways that was not really possible before. The testimony of this fan-boy should be clear - this phone is cool.