How can you live without an iPhone and/or an iPad?
by Marco Tapia
May 10, 2011
I have been an early adopter of mobile and smart technology all my life. I am a strong believer that mobile devices provide a professional with huge productivity gains, access to information, efficiency, mobility, accessibility, and after all of that, profitability.
I started using Palm Pilots back in the early nineties with a Nokia mobile phone (as big as a brick). Then moved to a Windows mobile device + Nokia (smaller this time), then an O2 (a disaster) then a Blackberry bold. She was good, fast, effective, great for Calendar and eMails, Tasks and Notes. A hopeless device for internet access though. I switched over to a BB Torch in 2010 and that was a disaster. What a waste of money. It tried to be an iPhone without been one and didn’t any longer behave as a Blackberry. You couldn’t search notes, slow, crashed frequently, lock button a major issue, etc . So, I cut my losses (sold it on eBay) and moved to an iPhone4. My wife has been using an iPhone for a while and I was not keen on it although I used hers a lot.
Now, after 6 months of using my iPhone4, I wonder how I lived all this time without it.
The GPS on Google maps got me out of trouble when overseas and when on holidays in WA. The browser gives me great access to information anywhere I am. The business tools are great (email, tasks and notes). The Calendar is poor and I need to find an App that operates better.
For those who trade or invest in stocks, share trading and monitoring is fantastic. Even better if you have an iPad – or that is a great device!. Access to my bank online facilities is also fantastic.
The Apps on the iPhone and the iPad are just fantastic. Pity you can’t try them. Once you buy them, you can get stuck with something useless but the description read well. Glad they are not expensive.
So as a business tool, I give the iPhone a 9 out of 10. It misses the 10 only because of the poor Calendar. As far as the iPad goes, for business I give it a 9 as well, missing the 10 because of the lack of Notes. Silly Apple, great integrated Notes App for the iPhone but not for the iPad??
On the family/personal front, Facetime on the iPhone4 is fantastic plus all the other Apps that keep kids and myself entertained. The iPad is even better. A 10/10 for the iPhone and the iPad for personal use.
I forgot the last time I have taken my Laptop when on trips. I now just take my iPad and iPhone and I have an almost complete life. I only struggle if I have to edit a document or XLS stored in my office… but I work around that.
In other words, life is good, productive and profitable with an iPhone4 and an iPad (better if it is an iPad2). I wonder how could have I lived without them.
Marco Tapia