A Kimist with an IPHoNe

I have used iPhone’s camera some, and found it to be decent but not stellar. The quality of the picture is heavily dependent on lighting, and motion gives it problems. I found it very useful, however, the day that a large grass fire was moving toward my house. When I was certain that my house was out of danger, I went to the edge of my property and took a few shots of the blaze as it blew down my road. Within seconds, I emailed them to my administrative coordinator back at work and to a few family members. This ability to take and send pictures with a phone is certainly not new, but iPhone’s camera is pretty good compared to my last camera phone, and with all of my contacts synced automatically from my Mac, it was quick and painless to share my experience with others.

I must say I love the Google maps feature of the iPhone. I’ve used this countless times to show someone how to get to a departmental dinner or a friend’s house. Last December, when I took my nieces to the airport, I used the iPhone to find their gate information and then a map of the airport showing the gate location. From there, I determined the latitude and longitude coordinates of their gate using trial and error with the map program. Finally, I used the coordinates for their gate to get directions from my house to their gate. In an often-confusing large airport, this worked out very well for me. This demonstrates the ability to discover exact locations and plan routes using the iPhone.

I am addicted to an activity called “geocaching.” In this activity, my family and I search for caches that have been hidden by other geocachers. Clues to the caches include latitude/longitude coordinates and sometimes a description or other clues. When I started this activity, I had to check the website for information and often print an aerial photo of the location before going out to look for it. Planning was very much required. Now, in addition to my iPhone, I have a gps device. The device obviously makes it easier to get to the location, and the iPhone allows the search to be spontaneous. For example, a couple of weeks ago on the way home, we needed to stop by the store and pick of a few supplies. While one parent went in to get the supplies, the rest of us pulled up a couple of caches on the iPhone, plugged the info into the gps, and found three by the time the shopping was done – much better than five people wandering through the store or four of us sitting out in a hot car. This is another demonstration of near instantaneous spontaneous retrieval of information without traditional Internet connection.

Other features I use often include the notepad and the iPod. I occasionally measure gas mileage on my aging gas-guzzling vehicles. The notepad makes a great place to easily store and retrieve small amounts of data like mileage or what the kids want from the local fast-food joint on Friday nights. I have also used it to make notes to myself about where a buried water pipe terminates, so I’ll no where to dig when I get to build that garage someday. The registration process makes it easy to transfer music and other audio files to the iPhone. I have about 5 days worth of my favorite tunes on my Mac, so there is plenty to choose from when I sync my iPhone. Recently I was in a group that committed to read a book and discuss it over a period of several weeks. Not being much of a casual reader, I bought the audio book and loaded up my iPhone. There is a lot of time during the day when I might not be able to read but I can easily listen, so this was a nice feature that worked well for me. I also have many photos on my iPhone, but have rarely used them. If I had to give up a feature, that would perhaps be at the top of the list.

To summarize, I have really enjoyed the ability to retrieve information nearly anywhere I go for many different purposes. This is not only enjoyable, but often very useful and efficient. I particularly like using iPhone for geocaching and Bible study. Despite its limitations, I like the camera and the ease of sending photos to anyone in my contact list. I love the maps and aerial photos, though I can’t figure out why it consistently puts my address in the wrong place on the map. Google maps, using the web browser, puts my address in the right place. I like the phone feature, too. I don’t text message very much, but it is nice to have when I know the recipient is not in a position to answer the phone.

To be improved or added

There are a few features that are either absent or don’t work for me very well. First, many folks have complained about the lack of support for websites that use Flash content. If Apple is going to claim to provide access to “the real Internet,” then they have to enable Flash content. The locator feature on the mapping program is cute, but not terribly useful where I live. I’ve heard about being able to access WiFi locations to pinpoint location. However, where I live, all I seem to get are cell towers, which means I know the general neighborhood where I am, but not the house or even the block. If I were truly lost, this could tell me the city where I am, but not the building where I am. I’m looking forward to having gps ability with my iPhone, and I really miss it now. I’m not sure if I would change the shape and size, but I am sure that this shape and size is not natural to my hands. Even after six months of daily use, it often feels awkward or difficult to hold. For example, trying to hold it in one hand in landscape mode while simultaneously touching/moving the screen with the same hand’s thumb is possible but not natural, especially with my off hand. I feel like the phone is always about to fall out of my hand.

After six months, I can honestly say I have enjoyed having my iPhone, and I hope I don’t have to go without it anytime soon.