Tag Archives: iPhone

iPhone Test Update

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Traveling with the iPhoneThe iPhone came back around to me after being evaluated by a couple other IT staff members just in time for a little traveling.  The first thing I did in preparing for my travels with the iPhone was to download a couple TV shows and some music from iTunes.  Syncing the iPhone with iTunes is straight forward and works just like an iPod sync.  The iPhone has a setting called Airplane Mode that is turned on when stewardess asks that all electronic devices must be turned off.  The Airplane Mode turns off the phone and bluetooth, allowing the other iPhone functions to work normally.  Once in the air, I turned on the iPhone and enjoyed the shows and music I had downloaded.  I also used the camera function on the plane, taking several shots out of the window.  I actually used the camera throughout my travels, easily emailing pictures of the sun and sand back to cold and gloomy Illinois just to rub it in a little.  E-mailing a photo is very simple, you can also add a message along with the photo.  Using the iPhone for Internet access was great to check on flight schedules, the weather, etc.  I used the iPhone to keep up with my IWU e-mail while I was away, so I did not have to spend a day catching up when returning to work. Another feature that I use more and more, and used while traveling, is text messaging.  I find sending a text message with the full keyboard much easier than on a standard cell phone.  With the iPhone I can easily send text messages using correct spelling and full punctuation that is usually not done when texting on a standard cell phone.  (U no what i m talking about if u send texts 2 others)

Vacation So, the iPhone worked very well for me while traveling, and it allowed me to travel without the laptop computer I normally drag along. The iPhone provided me with all of the communication and computer functionality I needed.  With all of the positives, the iPhone does not yet work with the IWU wireless network. The other down side is that the iPhone is not supported by our shared calendaring system.  These are two significant support issues for campus use.  If you are currently looking for a wonderful and easy to used mobile device for your personal use, I can highly recommend the iPhone. Integration with campus services should improve as upgrades to both the iPhone and campus systems are rolled out.

IT Testing – Apple iPhone

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Apple iPhoneInformation Technology is looking at the ever increasing number of smartphone devices, and how to best support the devices on campus. The trick is to find a device or two that we can standardize on that work with the campus wireless system, shared calendar system, and e-mail. IT is currently testing the iPhone from Apple. Here is Trey’s impression of the iPhone after two days of use.

  • First impression – I have been using a handheld device of some kind (Apple Newton, Handspring Visor, Sony Clie, Treo, and currently a Palm T/X) for many years. The iPhone interface is excellent, and very intuitive. I find myself trying to use the iPhone touch commands on my Palm after only two days of testing.
  • Text input – I have not mastered the keyboard on the iPhone. Poking at the keyboard with my finger gets tiring on a long e-mails or notes. I find using my thumbs to be a bit clunky, but I am getting better with practice. The autocorrect function saves me quite a bit.
  • E-Mail – works very well with IWU’s e-mail system. Very easy to navigate, automatically checks mail every 15 minutes, and can be adjusted for manual, 30 minutes or 1 hour.
  • Calendar – for Mac users the iPhone can sync to Meeting Maker, which is used in many areas on campus. The iPhone does not sync to Meeting Maker for people using a Windows computer. More testing to take place.
  • Network connectivity – The iPhone uses the AT&T Edge Network for Internet access, and also supports Wi-Fi networks (like the ones found in Starbucks, etc.). AT&T iPhone plans all come with unlimited Internet access. The Wi-Fi connection is much faster than the Edge network. The Wi-Fi works great at my home, but the iPhone does not currently have settings to allow it to work on the IWU Secure network or corporate networks.
  • Battery Life – Seems pretty good. I am recharging the phone for the first time today – day three.
  • Audio Quality – The phone calls sound good. The speaker phone is okay.

I entered the iPhone evaluation with no expectations. I must say that after using the iPhone for a couple days that the “cool factor” is extremely high.There are many more features to investigate so more will follow.