A lot of my friends think I’m way more technologically savvy than they are, so they were always shocked when I would tell them I didn’t have an iPhone. The reason was pretty simple, I’m a diehard Verizon fan. I got my first Verizon mobile phone before I had kids, when my job required me to be on a plane every week traveling to big cities, tiny towns, and very remote locations nationwide. My regular, full-time, salaried job is designing wastewater treatment plants and those are everywhere and often placed as far away from the population of a town as reasonably possible. I needed a phone that worked, that got service everywhere, that didn’t drop calls left and right. If there was anyone that truly tested Verizon’s network, it was I.
When we founded my company in 2004, my two partners and I were using Verizon and at the time we could make unlimited calls to each other and given our budget that was important. Of course competition has changed all that and now with affordable unlimited plans it doesn’t matter that we stay on the same network, but I have seen how bad the service is for both AT&T and Sprint at my house. I can even remember standing in the middle of downtown Houston on more than one occasion, talking, texting and tweeting with my Verizon Blackberry while all around me AT&T iPhone users ranted about not having service. Calling is still the most important thing to me when it comes to my cell phone and I can’t remember the last time a call dropped from my end.
Of course I was envious of all the cool stuff my iPhone using friends could do with their phones. Angry Birds? Words with Friends? Easy to navigate driving directions? Not to mention the inspiring iPhone photography from Chase Jarvis, author of The Best Camera Is the One That’s With You. My phone camera sucked, and as a photog that was a big deal to me. Plus my husband complained about the sound quality of my Blackberry. When my time came to upgrade my phone last June I seriously considered getting a Droid Incredible or X. But I kept hearing more substantial rumors that the Verizon iPhone was coming, so I waited. Last week I was handsomely rewarded.
Let me shout it from the rooftops, I LOVE THIS PHONE. The network is still incredible and the sound quality is WAY better than my Blackberry. So far I’ve downloaded the Twitter and Facebook apps, the Best Camera app and Instagram, which I am totally loving. I thought typing would be hard, but it has rapidly adapted to my typos to correct them instantly. I love the way texts are set up in little bubbles, shown as a conversation! Most of all I love the camera. The things I can do with it are mind blowing to me. So check out what I’ve got in just the past couple of days.
So glad you like Instagram – it’s my favorite! Now…to thumb through six or seven screens of apps…
I like:
The Weather Channel
Google
Alarm Clock
Cozi
Evernote
Goodreads
Hootsuite
360 Panorama – another neat photo app!
Netflix (if you have an account, your kids can watch anything in your queue while you’re on the go – this has come in HANDY when I’m in a pinch with my 3yo)
Harry Potter Lego
Bookworm
The Wheels on the Bus
Smack Talk
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Fruit Ninja
Angry Birds (of course)
I have a million more, but those are the ones I love (and use) for my kids and I!
So glad you like Instagram – it’s my favorite! Now…to thumb through six or seven screens of apps…
I like:
The Weather Channel
Google
Alarm Clock
Cozi
Evernote
Goodreads
Hootsuite
360 Panorama – another neat photo app!
Netflix (if you have an account, your kids can watch anything in your queue while you’re on the go – this has come in HANDY when I’m in a pinch with my 3yo)
Harry Potter Lego
Bookworm
The Wheels on the Bus
Smack Talk
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Fruit Ninja
Angry Birds (of course)
I have a million more, but those are the ones I love (and use) for my kids and I!
If you have a Kindle or a Nook, be sure and download their respective app. If you don’t have one, you still might want to deliver their app (esp. Nook, since IIRC you aren’t a fan of Amazon these days.)
Foursquare/Gowalla
Beatthetraffic
Dropbox
OneNote (esp. if you use this product on Office 2010!)
Hipstamatic
Urbanspoon
Instapaper
~EdT.
If you have a Kindle or a Nook, be sure and download their respective app. If you don’t have one, you still might want to deliver their app (esp. Nook, since IIRC you aren’t a fan of Amazon these days.)
Foursquare/Gowalla
Beatthetraffic
Dropbox
OneNote (esp. if you use this product on Office 2010!)
Hipstamatic
Urbanspoon
Instapaper
~EdT.
Wow, that’s a lot! So I’m a little torn on the idea of downloading apps that my kids can use. I understand the idea but until now I’ve been very strict about not letting my kids touch my phone. Not sure I want to start now 🙂
Wow, that’s a lot! So I’m a little torn on the idea of downloading apps that my kids can use. I understand the idea but until now I’ve been very strict about not letting my kids touch my phone. Not sure I want to start now 🙂
My husband got a Kindle for Christmas but I think I love it even more than he does. I am back to being a fan of Amazon since they did eventually take that book down. I know it’s not the only one, and they handled it badly, but at least they responded.
What’s OneNote?
My husband got a Kindle for Christmas but I think I love it even more than he does. I am back to being a fan of Amazon since they did eventually take that book down. I know it’s not the only one, and they handled it badly, but at least they responded.
What’s OneNote?