Well, my new iPhone and I are in that phase.
For the past few months, I’ve bee saying I’m going to get an iPhone. But I was worried that I wasn’t tech savvy enough. Everyone talked about how easily it synced, but even just the idea of syncing made my stomach hurt. The thought of setting up accounts, figuring out how everything worked, dealing with what was sure to be one headache after another—I just didn’t want to take it on. And changing cell phone plans (I had T-Mobile)—surely that was a huge pain, right? Plus, I’ve barely had time to do anything the past few months with the big project I was involved in.
But then on Tuesday, with all deadlines met, I finally found myself with a free afternoon. I went to Caribou Coffee to chill for a while, and saw that a Verizon store was right next-door. It must be fate, I decided. An hour and-a-half and like a million dollars later, I walked out the door with my iPhone! My number was transferred, just like that.
What really surprised me is that having never used a smart phone before (or even paid attention to them), I immediately understood how to use it. I started downloading apps, taking pictures, and (with my breath held), plugged it into my MacBook Pro. And, somehow, it just knew what to do! All of my music and email just synced, and I didn’t have to do anything.
So, in the past five days, here is what my new iPhone and I have done together:
- Taken tons of pictures, like these:
- Played tons of Words with Friends games with my husband (I’ll never be able to beat him because he plays Scrabble obsessively and knows more stupid words than I care to ever know)
- Took a picture of the penguin backpack from Little Things to Sew, made a list of the supplies I needed with the notes function, downloaded the Jo-Ann’s app and coupons for my shopping trip, and headed with Max to Jo-Ann’s to get all of the supplies.
- Downloaded a running log app to keep track of all my workouts (so I can stop using paper logs—I’ve got piles of them).
- Texted with friends and colleagues, without it taking half an hour to compose a text message. (My previous phone was a 5-year-old flip phone and texting was a major headache.)
- Downloaded an e-copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw from my library’s e-pub collection. I’m reading now. I heart Malcolm Gladwell.
- Kept up with friends and groups on Facebook, and posted pictures and videos that I had just taken with the phone.
- Downloaded some free kids’ apps—one makes farm animal noises and one is a coloring book (Max already grasps how to use them).
- Sent and received emails in random places, like while in the car (as a passenger, not a driver!) and at the playground.
- Lots more (seriously, I'm a terrible example of being attached to your phone for my kids. But I'll chill, I promise).
Anyway, an iPhone is an investment (I paid $200 at Verizon—maybe you can deals, but searching for deals isn’t my thing), and the monthly plan is slightly painful. But not awful. For the convenience and connecting power, it’s worth it. And even for tech novices like me, it’s unbelievably easy to use!
Next on the list: searching fabric and pattern apps!