by Technophobes;the Kicking;Screaming Is This Thing On?: A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers
IS IT HANDY?
Pick up a smartphone. Put it to your ear. How does it feel to talk on it?
The smartphone is a bit clunkier in the hand than a cell phone, but the large screen and keyboard may be worth it to you. As buyer you are both judge and jury.
• Two different smartphone designs, both from BlackBerry. On the left, the Bold. On the right, the Torch, which has a touch screen and a slide-out keyboard.
Apps (or applications) are programs that can be added to your smartphone. Some are free and some are not. You can get a compass, a flashlight, a calorie counter, a movie theater finder, a tide chart, an international translator, a flight tracker, a dictionary, and games, games, games. You’ll shop for apps using the “store” provided by the manufacturer. For example, there are more than 250,000 apps available for Android phones at Android Market and over 425,000 apps for iPhones available in Apple’s app store. You can access these stores from your phone and download whatever you choose. Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and LinkedIn are all available as free apps. Ask your friends to recommend apps to add to your phone.
DIFFERENT STYLE STYLUSES
Not every stylus works on every device. Be sure to inquire about the proper stylus for your device at the time of purchase.
The Scoop on the BlackBerry
Let’s discuss the features of a smartphone using the BlackBerry as our example. At present, there are a number of models of BlackBerry on the market. The standard design has a smaller screen than the newer ones—2.8” measured diagonally—with a keyboard at the base of the phone, as well as touch-screen capabilities. The newest model has a touch screen with a slide-out keyboard. Some people have difficulty with the size and manipulation of a touch screen, especially when typing a lengthy e-mail. A stylus is a wonderful option if you have dexterity issues with the touch screen or the screen doesn’t respond well to your touch. (My sister-in-law has a quirk that doesn’t allow her to use a touch screen. No matter the device, it won’t respond to her touch. I kid you not.) When testing your smartphone choices, ask the salesperson if you can play with a stylus, too.
• The BlackBerry was among the first brands of smartphone.
• You can use a stylus to control some smartphones along with the keyboard.
The main menu on the BlackBerry allows you to access all the various applications of the device. To access the features, you use the track pad or on some models, tap the screen with your finger, or use a stylus. On some smartphones, there’s a button with a house on it that will return you to the main menu (also referred to as the Apps Page). On the BlackBerry, you use the back button to return to the main menu. It does not look like a house, but instead it looks like this .
• Not all of the applications on the BlackBerry Bold can be seen at one time. You can use the scroll bar to reveal them all.
There will be an envelope like the one on a cell phone that you press and release to hear your voice mail. Use your instruction manual, or your instincts, to figure out what you press to make a call and end a call. Were you right? I thought you could figure it out!
IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL
Do you remember Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn from Chapter 19? Well, all four of those forms of communication can be accessed and enjoyed on your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android. Over 150 million Facebook users access Facebook through their smartphone. Amazing!
A smartphone should be able to sync information you’ve input into the phone with information on your computer, and vice versa. (Sync is an abbreviation for synchronize or to make exactly the same at the same time.) This means you can input your addresses using the standard-size keyboard on your computer and sync that information to the smartphone. If you put a date into the calendar on your phone and you go home and sync it with your computer, the date you booked will be on both the phone and your computer. You sync information either by placing the phone in a cradle attached to the computer by a cable or by linking the phone directly to the computer via a USB cable. Some smartphones use wireless technology and don’t require that you actually plug the phone into the computer to sync your information. Some even sync without your having to do a thing—you can set it up to be automatic. You’ll want to be sure that your computer is up-to-date enough to take advantage of this feature. It would be a good idea to have the make, model, and year of your computer (as well as the version of your operating system) with you when you are shopping for your smartphone. I can’t guarantee that salespeople will know your computer, but they should have some idea of which ones would and wouldn’t be compatible for syncing.
TAKE THE BITE OUT OF BLUETOOTH
Bluetooth technology offers a cable-free connection among cell phones, computers (desktops, laptops, and handhelds), and other peripherals (such as printers). It allows all of these devices to speak to each other without any cables attaching them, and it works with virtually every new model of cell phone.
The iPhone, Ta Da!
An iPhone functions as a cell phone, a camera, a TV screen, a connection to the Internet, a music source (see iPods, page 390), and whatever else you can think of in one easy-to-use, very sexy unit. An iPhone’s screen is made of glass, which makes the images remarkably clear. That’s why photos and video are very compelling on an iPhone. A glass screen offers far superior resolution to the plastic screen on other smartphones. An innovation that was original to the iPhone but is now available on Droids and the BlackBerry Torch: You can view things vertically as well as horizontally. All you have to do is turn the phone horizontally, and the screen will adjust the image automatically.
What Is That Cute Box?
A QR code (quick response code) is similar to a barcode. It can contain lots of information—pricing and product information, addresses, a weblink – encoded and condensed in the box. The information is deciphered by a QR reader or a smartphone camera with a QR reader app. You scan the code with your phone and the embedded information comes up. You’ll notice QR coding in magazines and sometimes by the cash register. My guess is you’ll be seeing these little boxes more and more. If you scan this code it’ll take you to my website.
• All of the pre-loaded applications on an iPhone can be seen on the Home Screen: Text, Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps, Weather, Clock, Calculator, Notes, Settings, Phone, Mail, Safari, iPod. There is a Home button on the iPhone that will return you to the Home screen.
Also, there are no keys to speak of on the iPhone. Instead it is all operated through a touch screen that allows you to tap on the screen along with dragging your finger across the screen to activate programs or move items stored on the iPhone. Visit apple.com, click on iPhone, and then click on Watch the Video (you may have to scroll down to find it).
Along with all of the other functions of the iPhone, it also is a substitute for your iPod for listening to music. The iPhone’s capacity for storage and viewing of videos, movies, and songs is extraordinary. But if you aren’t interested in any of those features, the iPhone (no matter how “it” it is) may not be for you. If you don’t need the cell phone feature, but everything else on an iPhone sounds appealing, you may want to look at an iPod Touch. If there isn’t an Apple store near you, visit the company’s website (apple.com) to window-shop all of their toys. If you choose to buy an Apple device, buy it either from an Apple store or from their website. It is the only way that you can ensure Apple’s tech support, if you need it.
Take a Tour
There are websites with very informative and easy-to-follow video tours of these amazing devices. I highly recommend that you check them out.
• www.mobileburn.com, an independent resource for comparing smartphones and watching informative videos about them
• http://us.blackberry.com/support/blackberry101, “how to” demos for each BlackBerry model
• apple.com/iphone, video tutorial for the iPhone.
The tours are interesting, even if you won’t be adding any of these smartphones to your communication arsenal
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Hot on Its Heels, the Droid
When the iPhone was introduced, there was nothing on the market like it. Now the Android (often shortened to Droid) is giving the iPhone a run for its money. An Android can do pretty much what an iPhone can, but at the moment the iPhone remains the “it” phone and is still outselling the Android. One issue is that iTunes offers almost twice as many apps as the Droid Market. Still, if you read my description of the iPhone, and change a few words, I could be talking about an Android.
Driving + Chatting/Texting on the Cell Phone = Danger Alert!
Using a cell phone while driving is a hazard, whether the phone is handheld or hands-free (using a headset rather than a handset). Cell phone use is a proven cognitive distraction to drivers. Unlike other driving distractions (e.g., conversations with passengers, radio listening, etc.), phone conversations can cause a kind of “tunnel vision” in which the driver’s brain is not actually registering what the eyes are seeing. A 2009 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) report sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) labels cell phone use as the most frequent behavior distracting drivers. Simply said: Hang up and drive! If there is something so important that you must make a call or send a text, pull over and then do it.
HANG UP AND DRIVE
Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent (Carnegie Mellon). A NHTSA study concluded that cell phones are the cause of nearly 1,000 deaths and half a million injuries each year.
Phone It In or Out, but Please Don’t Shout: Cell Phone Etiquette
Mobile phones can be a lifesaver or a public nuisance, depending on whether you’re in control of the phone or the phone is in control of you. We’ve all encountered cell phone rudeness—don’t be a perpetrator.
First and foremost, keep your conversation to a dull roar. A quiet purr would be even better. Every day on the street, in the grocery store, or on a bus, many of us overhear personal conversations that we should not be privy to and, frankly, probably wish we had never heard. There are also countless cell phone users who’ve decided to conduct their business dealings alfresco, and we have no choice but to hear what a lousy boss they have or are. My only explanation is that Loud Larry and Shouting Shelly seem to think the cell phone is a paper cup and a string without a mechanism to project one’s voice to the person on the other end. Wrong! I have tested the microphone built into my cell phone, and whispering is just as effective as shouting; no one is subjected to my conversation.
• Turn off your cell phone at public performances, please.
In addition, keep in mind the following cell phone civilities:
• When choosing a ringtone, remember that those around you are hearing it, too, especially if you are slow to pick up. There are only so many times we really want to hear the Macarena.
• During public performances (yes, even at the movies) turn your cell phone off—not on vibrate, so your purse seems about to take off when the phone rings, but off. And refrain from text messaging on your phone. We may not be able to hear your conversation, but your typing gyrations and the lit-up phone screen are a distraction nonetheless. Why did you come to the performance anyway?
• For the sake of your dinner partner, decide you can live without the phone at the dining table. An hour or two without being disturbed by the phone should be a relief, not a punishment.
On to iPods
We’re going to leave phones behind and talk about the famous iPod. Depending on the model, an iPod is a storage device and media player that can hold music, photographs, videos, TV shows, movies, podcasts, and audiobooks for your listening and viewing pleasure. (At the time of this writing, some iPods can hold up to 40,000 songs, 25,000 pictures, 200 hours of video, or a combination of each!)
Not all iPods offer the same features. A full-size iPod Classic with all the bells and whistles can store up to 40,000 songs. It can also store and show video. The Nano can store only (!) up to 4,000 songs (and can’t show video), but its compact size may be just right for your needs. Smaller yet is a Shuffle, which stores a maximum of 1,000 songs and also doesn’t play videos. But it is perfect to slip into your pocket or clip onto your sleeve while you work out.
• The iPod Family
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“I never thought I would want an iPod. My kids insisted on giving me one and now I love it. I listen to audiobooks and have lots of pictures to share when I get together with my friends.”
—Marty
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Tune In to iTunes
You’ll need to use your computer as the bridge between your iPod and what you want to store on it. iTunes is the software that speaks to both your computer and your iPod. Although the iPod and iTunes are Apple products, they can both be used on a PC.
The iTunes software can be downloaded (moved onto) your computer for free if you visit apple.com/itunes/download.
• Plug your iPod into your computer to sync or charge.
Follow the easy instructions on the screen to download iTunes. Apple offers to add you to its mailing list. You can opt out of being on the mailing list if you click on each check to remove it. When the download process begins, you must wait. Downloading could take several minutes. Be patient. (If you have a dial-up connection, this process will take a long time and may not succeed at all. It’s another reason to upgrade to a high-speed connection.) Eventually, an iTunes Installer will open on your screen. Follow the instructions step-by-step.
• Here’s how you can download iTunes onto your computer.
CLICK AND GO
1. Go to apple.com/itunes/download.
2. Do you want to receive offers and updates? If not, click to remove checks.
3. Enter your e-mail address, if you wish.
4. Click to start Download.
5. Click Run.
6. Click Next to continue.
BATTERY CHARGING
The iPod battery charges from the “juice” of the computer when it’s plugged into the computer, or it can be plugged into an electrical outlet to charge. Currently, the battery life is about 36 hours of music listening or about 6 hours of video watching.
• You can sync songs from iTunes onto your iPod.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on File.
2. Click on Sync.
Once you have iTunes on your computer, you can copy (import) your CDs to it. There’s an iTunes store on the website, which you can access from the software and where you can purchase individual songs, albums, TV shows, and movies, all of which will be downloaded (transferred) to your iTunes software upon purchase.
When you’re ready to transfer songs from iTunes to your iPod, open the iTunes software if it isn’t already open on your screen.
• Plug your iPod into your computer using the USB cable provided. In about 30 seconds, iTunes will acknowledge that your iPod is plugged in. You may have to answer a few questions during this process. If you do, take your time. There is no need to answer in haste; the computer isn’t going anywhere.
• Eventually you will be asked if you want to sync your iPod. If you are not asked automatically, click on File in the Menu Bar and click on Sync.
• Sit back and don’t touch anything while the computer and the iPod are syncing. If you unplug anything at this stage, the process will be halted midstream, and it is possible that that will cause problems later.
• Once the iPod is synched, unplug it from the computer. (Squeeze both sides of the plug that is in the bottom of the iPod, then gently pull.) Be careful not to unplug the iPod when the screen display says “Do not disconnect.” It is safe to disconnect the cable when the display indicates that the device is charging, however.
PODCAST
Podcast is the blending of the words iPod and broadcast into one word. A Podcast is an audio or video file that can be transferred from the Internet onto another device (e.g., an iPod, a smartphone, etc.) to be enjoyed at your leisure.
iPod Operations
The iPod has very few buttons to push. In the center of the Classic, on the front, there is a circle called the Click Wheel. In the center of the Click Wheel is a button.
Pressing Menu will bring you back a page, returning you to the main menu. Move your finger clockwise over the wheel to move down the list; move your finger counterclockwise to move up the list. You press the center button to choose something (e.g., an album). To play something, you press Play. You can also press the center button to play a song. Press that same button again to pause; it toggles between Play and Pause. If you press the center of the circle, it’s like clicking the mouse—you’ll have activated something. Plug in the earbuds (earphones), and let’s listen.
CLICK AND GO
