Listening to more than music… Audio Books

 

Previously I carried a Palm TX (a TH from Sony before that…) which I enjoyed using to listen to Audio books. I would load up the memory cards so I could play while flying or during slow parts of the day. At the time, it was almost exclusively Audible.com providing the content. 

Audio Books should be thought of as the reading of text. Many people enjoy listening to a book rather than hauling the paper version around. Audio versions of books do lock in a amount of time to get through a book compared to print which you can skim when looking for particular parts of interest. Screens on the Palms and iPhone / Touch make it less than optimal for reading digital print versions of books so Audio just naturally fit the device’s strengths.

Depending on the provider, the audio files can be in just about any file format, the most popular being MP3. The iTunes store usually distributes MP4 since they know you will be listening on some sort of iPod device. 

Currently, you have several options, Continue reading “Listening to more than music… Audio Books”

Recording Audio bits…

The iPhone lends it’s self equally well to typing a text note as well as audio notes. The system has a notepad application to take quick notes (see another post we did on how to get notes off of your iPhone and Touch to the desktop) and a microphone/speaker for audio, but no built in audio recorder.

Audio recording applications continue to be at the top of the list of most popular Business and Productivity applications available.

I will cover two of the many options here as an introduction of what you might do with audio: QuickVoice and Note2Self.

QuickVoice is exactly what you would expect out of a handheld audio recording device. Continue reading “Recording Audio bits…”

For the Blogger that owns a iPhone

In my day job, I work with a small team that maintain many blogs on a large number of subjects. This site is my ‘fun’ side project for helping other iPhone and Touch owners that I do unrelated to ‘work’.

I carry a notebook computer with me for site set up, network interfacing and more advanced design work. Beyond that, once a person gets used to working on a screen that fits into your hand, you can get things done in the slow parts of your day. Oh, and a game on the iPhone to have fun during slow times is fine too… I’ll cover those in another post. I will also do a much deeper dive into each application listed in this post in the near future – here I will do a high level usage description for each. The images/screenshots are from the developers since mine would show actual sites and work load that I shouldn’t be showing everyone. Also, I have linked all of the applications so you can see the developer’s full description, clicking on the links will launch your iTunes and connect to Apple.

Continue reading “For the Blogger that owns a iPhone”

Keep your personal info securely on your iPhone

Two points to think of when thinking about your iPhone: The button on the top of the iPhone / Touch is a ‘sleep’ button – turning the screen off to avoid accidental launching applications – it does not ‘lock’ the device. And, these are not just phones with call records and a few photos snapped here and there – you have applications and the possibility of Personal Identifiable Information (PII) that could ruin your life if it falls into the wrong hands.

 

No would ever pick up your iPhone and look through it. You would never accidentally leave your iPhone on the counter where others could innocently take a look through it. Your iPhone is ALWAYS in your pocket or purse… and, bad things only happen to other people. Don’t play the odds game, be proactive to protect yourself.

 

The ability to use a four digit code to unlock and use your iPhone is built in. Typing in a couple numbers when you turn on your iPhone every time will only seem to take longer the first couple times. Protect those spreadsheets, personal text messages, private phone numbers and game high scores (had to throw that in, you don’t want your coworkers clearing your high scores do you?!). Continue reading “Keep your personal info securely on your iPhone”

Ring Ring… someone is calling

Your iPhone is ringing, someone is calling you… do you answer or not?

When a call comes in, slide the on screen lock slider and your talking. But, if you do not want to talk now, you can click the ‘sleep’ button on the top of the iPhone to stop the ringing. If you tap the ‘sleep’ button twice quickly, the caller will be sent right to voice mail. 

You can also stop the ringing by tapping the up or down volume button on the side of your iPhone. The flip switch just above the volume buttons is the ringer silence so no ringing in the middle of your meeting… or movie. Continue reading “Ring Ring… someone is calling”