Taking my first iStep-Page 2: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Oct. 24, 2011 1:17 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

If I were not writing off most of the bill as part of my business I would have a hard time justifying the cost. Email/calendar/navigation/phone and tethering are business travel essentials for me. I use a DroidX, not an apple but had an iPhone before this and it was adequate for my uses as well.

The answer to the "Should I get a smart phone" is easy. Will it enable you to be $100-200 a month more productive? If the answer is yes then it is a no brainer... if the answer is no then you have to say "I'm cool with a $100 to $200 a month bill for the opportunity to play with technology" otherwise the answer is a big fat no.

Alfa... you are a runner... my only concession to app-mania is a slick app from MapMyRun that calls out pace, distance thru the headphones even while music is playing and logs your run so you can see elevation and distance, upload and share with friends, etc. Very helpful for monotony - I can set it to razz me for going slow.
Oct. 24, 2011 1:26 p.m. alfadriver SuperDork

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

The only problem with MapMyRun is GPS. Not being a smartphone, it's GPS is wi-fi network location based. The other cool thing for running apps is that many of them will detect HR monitors, so it adds that to the information. Basically, replicating the Garmin Forerunner 305 I have (which is starting to wear out anyway).

But I'm also trying to use it for documents, which may take a while to figure out how to keep them in common. Again, this is a 'planner' kind of replacement, and documents are nice to keep track of.
Oct. 24, 2011 1:40 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

alfadriver wrote:

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

The only problem with MapMyRun is GPS. Not being a smartphone, it's GPS is wi-fi network location based. The other cool thing for running apps is that many of them will detect HR monitors, so it adds that to the information. Basically, replicating the Garmin Forerunner 305 I have (which is starting to wear out anyway).

But I'm also trying to use it for documents, which may take a while to figure out how to keep them in common. Again, this is a 'planner' kind of replacement, and documents are nice to keep track of.

My DroidX can open/read PDFs, and I have QuickOffice installed for spreadsheets, word docs, presentations etc... but since it is an Android phone you can also leverage google docs easily to open and edit things without chewing up a ton of space or bandwidth if you are in a spot with poor 3G or no wireless access. The phone itself uses MicroSD cards and I have a 32G that lets me move/carry/edit whatever I need to for work. I have even used the phone and an HDMI cable to run a presentation at a customer site when I managed to break my laptop on the way there.

I do note there is incredible redundancy if you already carry a laptop - you really never want to have to work on your phone but I also never want to have to yank out a laptop in an airport to see when my next meeting is.

My opinion is that on the day they make one that can replace all the other tech I need to carry I'll stand in line for one - but until then it is a necessity that costs a lot and delivers an irreplaceable set of services that I would love to do without but cannot.
Oct. 24, 2011 1:52 p.m. alfadriver SuperDork

Well, now I'm not so sure.
Tried to sync it over, and alas, I managed to delete my entire calendar. oops.

and for some reason, after rebuilding the calendar, it won't push over. Notes and contacts are ok.

hm.
Oct. 24, 2011 1:58 p.m. e_pie Reader

Get a GPS receiver and a winddow mount for it and use it for Harry's Laptimer Pro.

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Elf-Receiver-iPhone-66-channel/dp/B0035Y7ZJ2/ref=sr_1_1?...
Oct. 24, 2011 2:29 p.m. TRoglodyte HalfDork

alfadriver wrote:

Well, now I'm not so sure.
Tried to sync it over, and alas, I managed to delete my entire calendar. oops.

and for some reason, after rebuilding the calendar, it won't push over. Notes and contacts are ok.

hm.

You will be difficult to assimilate, Stop by istore with cash for further indoctrination.
Oct. 24, 2011 2:30 p.m. carguy123 SuperDork

Someone said their GPS will do the same thing, but it won't.

Your GPS's maps may be out of date at the time you buy it.

You need to update maps periodically and any search function built into it is out of date as well.

The Maps function on an iPhone stays as up to date as possible with no effort on your part.

I've had GPS - tom-tom, in a Lexus and in a 250Z. None worked nearly as well. In the Lexus you had to stop to input or change inputs. The Z had to load new sections of the maps as you travelled cross country.

They were all expensive to do the updates.

And as I said before Maps is just ONE of the many functions in the smart device.

Separate devices and costs to go along with bulky and odds are you don't have them with you all the time (I can just see one of the luddites with a back pack stuffed full of all the different devices needed to compete with a basic smart device).
Oct. 24, 2011 2:51 p.m. alfadriver SuperDork

TRoglodyte wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

Well, now I'm not so sure.
Tried to sync it over, and alas, I managed to delete my entire calendar. oops.

and for some reason, after rebuilding the calendar, it won't push over. Notes and contacts are ok.

hm.

You will be difficult to assimilate, Stop by istore with cash for further indoctrination.

My next step... sounds ominous.

Do I need a password, or secret handshake?
Oct. 24, 2011 3:36 p.m. TRoglodyte HalfDork

You ask to many question, just bite the apple my pretty
Oct. 25, 2011 8:44 a.m. pinchvalve SuperDork

Just FYI, you can install Skype on the touch and make calls over WiFi. All the phone hardware (mic, speaker) are still in there.

Also, the new IOS for the iPhone is the first to be PC-Free, meaning you can decide to setup, backup and upgrade wirelessly right from the iPhone without ever connecting it to a computer. There are pluses and minuses to both approaches, but the option now exists. With the cloud, all of my photos, apps and music simply appear on all devices (including my computer for backup) whenever I buy something on one of them.
Oct. 25, 2011 10:21 a.m. alfadriver SuperDork

In reply to pinchvalve:

Actually, there is a Skype like app already installed on the Touch- called FaceTime- but I assume that it's a apple to apple kind of thing.
Oct. 25, 2011 10:27 a.m. alfadriver SuperDork

Ok- update of the situation.

Went to the apple store to get a dock, and ask about doing a partial sync from two computers. The first guy said no, and then asked, and the expert said no.

This after me reading on the Apple website how to do it... ok.

Anyway, on the apple site, the first suggestion that they listed seems to be working fine- which is to check the "manually manage music and videos" on the summary page on the device. I had done this already at home, since didn't want everything on that computer put on this. But what that seems to allow is a partial sync- at home I sync muisc, videos, apps, book, etc, and then here at work, I just sync information- in my case that's contacts, notes, and calendar all from Outlook.

And I am off and running using the iPod Touch as a kinda business tool.

(there are a lot of other solutions to sync'ing outlook stuff, but much of that seems to rely on the system I work on, and my company setting it up FOR the iPhone. They may have, but I'm happy with what I have now)

Did not rely on the iCloud, too.

So, the first bite of the apple has been taken. It's now a matter of if I eat the whole apple, or if I find a worm, and need to throw it away.