Tempted by Tantalizing Technology

Tempted by Tantalizing Technology

By

Yvonne Mastny

It all started with an old, antiquated cell phone, one that I didn’t use much, just for traveling, but I’d begun to feel a bit embarrassed when using it with friends or when putting the phone & laptop into bins as I went through security in airports. That phone spent most of its life either plugged in on my kitchen counter or dead because I’d forgotten to plug it in – funny little prongs that bent and didn’t always connect up correctly.  I was never certain how to use some features like call waiting or conference calls.   Because my contract was up, I began to evaluate new phones thinking a low cost phone with phone card minutes would be the way to go.   Of course my children all have the latest Androids, Blackberries, and iPhones and on a recent visit I checked out the iPhone.  It seemed a bit intimidating – like a magic black hat that anything could pop out of, expensive…a luxury item I thought; certainly something I didn’t “need” at 71 and retired.

By the time I was ready to make a decision I was mired in different phone plan comparisons.  At that point I thought, what the hell, you only live once, so I zipped out to an A T & T store and purchased the iPhone 4, a sleek, slim, shiny, black, futuristic, index card-sized unit that fits nicely in one’s hand and is easily operated by just 5 buttons; 4 on the outer rim and a single “home” button on the front.  Within a day I was intrigued and transformed into an Apple believer.  I quickly learned to flick, pinch, tap, and swish and began transferring my “To Do” list, my calendar, and my contacts into it.  Amazingly, while I’m traveling, it knows where I am (Maps), what time it is in Chicago, New York, and London (time), and the weather day by day for the week here, there, and at home (weather). It encounters wi-fi and then remembers the access when you return to that location.  It has a camera & video that are easy to operate.  I can watch stock reports, look up words in a dictionary or thesaurus, read my mail, and surf the web.  I can text, telephone, read a book, or play a multitude of games wherever I am. Face Time allows you to see the person you’re speaking to on the telephone if they also have an iPhone.  Ahhh, I thought I was in high tech heaven and that phone was charged nightly on my night stand, with me all day, and being used constantly.  I felt there was no need for anything else besides my laptop….then….the iPad 2 came into my life and lo, and behold, all the data  and apps on the iPhone were instantly available and updated (synced) on the iPad. It’s lightweight and stays charged all day.  

There are many apps, i.e. applications, that come with the iPad or are free, or that can be purchased for a low price.  “iBooks” are amazingly easy to read and can be downloaded free from your public library or purchased.  “Words with Friends” is a “Scrabble-like” game that can be played with people you know or with random opponents.  “Zite” is your personalized magazine with the topics you’ve selected.  “Star Walk” lets you point your iPad at the sky and it identifies the star. 

   I’ve dropped it twice on hard tile floors and it didn’t scratch or stop working.  The iPhone and iPad are useful, fun, entertaining, and so very easy to use.  It’s really like having the world at your fingertips.