The Technophobe Reader - Technology Help

[ginny]

Welcome to The Technophobe Reader

Cartoon used by permission of the artist

Confused about Ihpones, Ipods, Ipads, Itouch, Androids, or anything else electronic? Don't know what a "text" message is? Don't have a Nook or a Kindle and don't know the benefits of an e reader?   Feel left out of the rush of the new technology and wonder  what all the shouting is about?

Have a new Iphone,  Ipod, Ipad, Nook, Kindle,  or I headache or are considering same?

Ask your question here! Other sufferers may be able to direct you to a source for help or help with their own experience.

This discussion has no "expert" moderator, we  offer here no professional advice but we may be able to answer out of our own experience, like the cartoon above, the blind leading the blind,   or list places you CAN find help.

[ginny]

I  enjoy reading on the i phone, too, Larry. Like you I love the compactness of it, and the fact it's always with me, that's powerful in today's world.  I did NOT know ATT offered Droids, too, and I seem to see that there are different APPS for the Droid than the I phone, are you missing any essential ones? Are there some you would want you can't get?

Mary,  did you ever get your...was it an ereader? Back from the plane? You are not the only person to do that, I know several people who have lost I Pads, I phones and a lot more in the seat pocket of a plane. I once left something ON a plane and pretty much demanded to be let back on but they pretty much said no, we'll go in and see.  Nothing came back out.

________________________Games:

I must admit to being kind of hooked on some of the games, I find them relaxing and enjoyable and like to play them in sequence tho am always on the look out for new ones.  I like Angry Birds and the Ludo Pro Parcheesi, Hearts (a very good Hearts game is available), Labyrinth 3D, QuizQuizQuiz, and the newest one for me  is Cut the Rope. These are cute (I'm not sure if Angry Birds is only  for children, Pedln hahaha) but I love the commercials on Cable TV for some product which keeps repeating," and you'll have more time for Angry Birds,"  hahahaa.

All of these I can play against a computer. Last night I found a Checkers game called Checkers Free which I hope to install in a minute.

Cut the Rope is probably the most childish of the APPS I have for adults, but it's so cute, and  devilishly difficult. I  love games, they are harmless and fun and funny diversions. There are several versions of backgammon, chess, Yahtzee, Uno, and lots of other things.  And when my 2011 trip is over I'll sweep all my travel stuff from this year into its own group called Travel 2011,  and it will always be there unlike prior trips stuck in boxes somewhere in my junk room.



Some of these games can be played against live opponents just like we used to do. I like a computer opponent hahahaa.

__________________Weather:

One problem we have here is,  in a storm, which we've had pretty much daily so far, in the evening, my computer of course is turned off so the fancy interactive radars are not available for me,  and we must rely on NOAA Weather Radio. You can get that, too on an APP and yesterday I was able to watch on a radar APP the storm approaching (and going by us to the West) on radar on the i phone.


____________________Battery Life:

I do hope they can do something in the future on the battery life. They have a whole page on it on the ATT site, and what drains it and what to turn off and how to fix that.

____________________Wifi:

I am not sure I understand the part about the WiFi and the ATT. You can turn on WI Fi. If you DO, and the WiFi logo and whatever one is close appears on the top, then does ATT stop charging? Do you then have to turn OFF ATT3G also?

I can get Edge out here which is amazing to me, and all over just about anywhere else. Does this mean if I see Edge that I am using ATT or not?



I think this thing is going to revolutionize the world as we know it. I love the voice notes you can make to yourself.

[LarryHanna]

Ginny,  the only app that I would really like to have on the Droid that I had on the iPod Touch is the one for Netflix.  However, I know it will be available before too long as is already available on a few models of smart phones.  The Droid will play flash video where the Touch would not.

I read where Angry Birds is the best selling game in the world at this time and it certainly isn't just for children.  The higher the level you go the more difficult it becomes.  I don't play many games but occasionally will play a few card games or do a word find puzzle.  I do not like the timed or action type games.    I agree with you on preferring the computer as an opponent. 

Ginny, I agree with you on battery life.  I have a charger next to my easychair, my bed and in my office since if you use the display it really drains the battery.  This phone doesn't seem to recharge as quickly as the iPod Touch did but you can use it while plugged in and always leave it charging overnight so start the day with a fully charged battery.

On the Wi-Fi, yes if you have a wi-fi connection (such as at McDonadl's) it turns off the 3g or 4g feature and has no effect on your minutes in the data plan.  In the setting I can control whether to allow the 3g or 4g or wi-fi to work or not.  Thus I have some control over the minutes used on the data plan.  The Edge is the 2g version on the AT&T system and work like the others but just isn't as fast.  I read that it is also less draining on the battery.  Sometimes I can get 3G (don't have a 4G type phone) but often it shows the Edge network.  The voice feature is great but I have to remember to use it or it doesn't do much good.  The Touch didn't have a built in microphone but the later version does have it and the Droid has the built in microphone so it is always available.

[maryz]

ginny, I never heard anything from Southwest about my Kindle.  I wound up getting myself a new one - and then our girls got John his own for Father's Day.  I really expected the old one to show up as soon as I got a new one - but it didn't happen.  Oh, well....

[ginny]

Mary: oh well, I'd like to see sometime a heap of what's been left behind in an airplane, do they ...what do they do with it?

Larry, that's a bombshell to me! E is ATT? Edge?  So if I'm traveling somewhere and E comes up, and it's ATT am I paying for that or not? (In other words, if I'm trying to do email or the internet and it says E, then does this count on my ATT data plan?  Now here you seem to be saying, turn the 3G off? In the setting I can control whether to allow the 3g or 4g or wi-fi to work or not.  Thus I have some control over the minutes used on the data plan This data plan roaming thing info I really need to know about.

Edge is all over everywhere, I found, and I did not know it was ATT, thank you! I thought it was like WiFi out of the blue free.

I am shocked to see I have E out here, maybe I should turn off the 3G all the time.

The Checkers Free turned out  to be super! It's  a wonderful fun game once I adjusted the level! hahaha I started out overconfident because I'm used to winning checkers, and it took one very  VERY short and snappy  game for the computer to put me in my place, so I put it on  the lowest level to see if I could even win ONE and am happily winning right along and feeling smart. hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa It's probably on a first grade level.  hahahaa

Angry Birds is amazing. The never repeating sequence of how things fall and the sound effects alone and the thinking you have to do are out of this world. I was interested when I got stuck on one level and my youngest, a structural engineer, came over and nailed it right off the bat, without ever having seen the game.  He then showed me where I  needed to aim on that level due to the angle where the "building" would be weakest, who knew?   It's a lot of physics which is not my strong suit. But there's another Player you can get to help: the Eagle. The Eagle costs more but they ask if you need it (obviously one of us loses a lot!)  I did need it.  If you get stuck the eagle will do it for you, but only once an hour.  hahaha It actually has a counter and counts down. Otherwise you might be tempted to use the Eagle all the time.  They have a new one out about gas guzzling, but I think this one will occupy the rest of my days. I can just see the nursing homes of the future resounding to the birds and music. hahaha

The Cut the Rope  when you finally manage somehow to win one level, then rates your performance. Here you are so proud of finally getting the stupid piece of candy into the mouth of the whatever it is, and it IS timed, cute little Tribble or something, and it says FAIR! Any victory on that thing is a good one.

On the battery, my oldest said just carry a spare like I do (he, however, is talking about his  Blackberry). This option so far as I know is not available on the i phone?  I don't think I have even seen the battery. And I also leave it in pretty much charging wherever I am, just as you've said.

And as you said somewhere one could also take the I Touch and alternate,  it's amazing how fast it runs down. I am getting kind of tired of having to double load everything on the ITouch tho and am leaving it for my grandbaby,  it seems to have even less battery life, actually.

I left the i Phone on just displaying normally and used it to call and play a game or two  once and from 9-3 it stayed on but barely by 3. Does the Droid have a good battery life? I have heard they do?

Now Larry, when you talk about the Netflix APP, do you stream the movies then? I don't have that  kind of speed out here, tho ATT has volunteered to send me a sort of standing sort of modem  thing that will make the reception super here in this marginal area. But it works OFF your current broadband or satellite connection apparently. I dunno, I am wary of those things, just like we hear the phones should not be against your head for long periods of time.

And then there's RSS. What IS RSS, does anybody know?

[LarryHanna]

Ginny, yes the Edge would charge to your data plan.  If you have the unlimited plan then you wouldn't need to worry.  I have the $15 plan that gives me 200 whatevers.  Yes, the Netflix streams the movies to the iPod Touch or iPhone.  You could give it a try and see if you have enough strength of signal.  It is just like watching them on your computer.  I really miss that feature on the Droid.

The battery life isn't great but found that I wasn't using the charger except at night when I thought I was with a data cable.  It recharged fully last night in an hour or less with the right charger.

I found this on RSS:  RSS (most commonly expanded as Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, ...  This came from Wikipedia.

[maryz]

Ginny, haven't you ever heard of the Unclaimed Baggage Store in Scottsboro, AL?  (not too far from Chattanooga).

http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/

We've been there several times.  It's amazing to see what's left on airplanes.  You expect to see suitcases, books, raincoats, umbrellas, e-devices (nowadays), clothing, cosmetics, etc., etc.  I guess what got the biggest laugh from me was the number of crutches!!!!!!  I guess folks got healed while on the flight (or something).

[pedln]

An interesting site, MaryZ.  I checked it briefly, not sure I can find my way around, but got a good laugh over in "Interesting bits."

Barbie bonus. . .
A woman bought a Barbie doll for her little girl who promptly pulled the head off. Probably the only thing that kept her from a sound scolding was the roll of $500 in bills hidden inside. (Business was brisk on Barbie dolls for weeks following this incident!)

[ginny]

Mary, nooo, I never heard of that. I don't know why they just can't give you your property back if you ask for it? They know you were in the seat.  Funny interesting bit, Pedln! hahaha Wow, somebody was definitely moving money!

Larry, thank you for the Edge information, AND the RSS! Now that I know what it is, I don't need it. hahahaa

On the Netflix,  I am sure I don't have the connection, I do well with one bar. I wonder what that means for download stuff, I would think it would really ramp up your 200 whatevers (I also don't know what they are talking about but I got a special deal once from ATT on a mobile card... (no longer offered)... and just coming here to SL  I exceeded it in no time which scared me).

I am loving the Checkers free, it is SO fun  and in looking at the logo it seemed there was a smiling  little guy standing there in sandals wearing short toga (tunic/ chiton)  with Greek border and it was only then that I noticed the name of the Company: Optime hahaha The Best!

I like their stuff. I downloaded their free Crack the Code. I don't know if any of you remember the game Mastermind, but that's what it is, an electronic Mastermind, lots of fun to figure out the sequences of only 3 colored balls. Took me half of forever to do, the first one.  No Eagle here.

[Fran]

Hi, I have a Kindle and would like to know if there is any way I can delete books that are

listed in the Archived Items?

Fran

[maryz]

Fran, if you select the item, and push the 5-way to the left, I think that will delete it, or give you the option.  You'll still own it somewhere in the bowels of Amazon storage, though. 

[Fran]

Thanks Maryz, I'll give it a try after lunch.  Fran

[HaroldArnold]

Regarding Book reading from digital; devices, there is an interesting article in the Personal Journal section Wall Street Journal this morning on digital book readers.  More specifically it addresses summer reading at the beach in day light and particularly in full sun light.   Not surprisingly versions of the Kindle and Nook that feature the so called E Ink Pearl display are the most recommended for this purpose. 

The back lit devices such as the I-Pad and Nook color are most inappropriate for this purpose.  I was surprised that B&N now has a Nook E- Ink display device with a touch screen.  This preferred navigational technique is not yet available on the Kindle leading to the article currently recommending the B&N offering over the current Kindle.  The release of a Kindle touch screen device is planned later the year that may alter this conclusion.

 I am now using the I-Pad for reading books, magazines, and newspapers. I particularly like the I-pad for reading Magazines and Newspapers.  This is largely because of the availability of specific app software that permits easy navigation through the various sections of the publication.  Also they allow setting text to a reasonable easy read size.  For me this makes the reading of the digital edition newspapers much easier than the print copy.   For books, I’m not sure that I don’t like the book size page display on my Nook color a bit better than the I-pad, but either are OK. 

[serenesheila]

My ipod arrived today.  But, the print on the instructions is so small that I cannot read it, even with my glasses and a magnif ing glass.  What must I do, to get it carged, and begin doing it? 

Sheila

[ginny]

Sheila! Congratulations!

In Edit: See below,  have erased the part about how to charge first because the manual has everything you ever wanted to know about them, in nice big print, with illustrations.  I'm changing this post since we have THE authoritative manual online and the 800 number as well. You'll know more about it than I do in a minute. I love the way they explain every single thing on the screen.

Here is the Apple Page for I Pod Touch and on the bottom right they have I Pod Support 800 numbers and they can help. Apple actually will talk you thru anything and they are very nice with it too.

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/

In Edit: see post below, the manual explains all, even some of the keys I didn't know, very useful reading!

Keep us up to date on  your triumphant or not progress! Such a learning curve these i things are but once you've got them down you wonder what you did without them.

[ginny]

And here is the I pod touch User Guide Manual:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iPod_touch_iOS4_User_Guide.pdf

[ginny]

And THAT is an excellent manual with great size print!  I've saved it on my computer because that screen is essentially  the same for the I Pad, the I Pod, the I PodTouch and the I phone. Of course there will be some differences but   I'm enjoying reading it myself, maybe I can learn something. This is fun!

[ginny]

And while I'm at it, I did continue to have problems with the login of the gmail account? I was challenged on the password probably 7 or 8 times in the last month when trying to access it online or by i phone. I finally found out the problem but I didn't do it by myself.

I have several types of gmail accounts other than gmail from the parent company, G-------.  You can go to the home page of G------- and see at the bottom what types of accounts they offer? When you are logged IN to one of those accounts (whether or not you are IN the account or have been in a long time, you still have to hit "logout" when you leave) or you can't access  gmail, (and vice versa). The account passwords are not the same  nor can the parent company (who DO have personnel manning the phones and will help) access your gmail account,  but you still,  on the same computer,  can't login to gmail unless you log out from both other accounts.  

Once I was told that, everything works fine.  I knew there was a simple answer somewhere but since you can't get any help by email or phone for gmail then you're pretty much stuck until somebody figures it out. I've also had about 40 emails "phishing," pretending to be from gmail and wanting to know information about the account. The last one asked "Is your account active, yes or no?" hahaha

Trash bin. I love the trash bin on the i phone for the mail. You hit the little icon, the lid opens up, the entire letter swoops in, contracting as it goes, and voila! Love it, the lid closes and everything is perfect.

Ah the modern age of technology! Are we up to it? hahahaa

[HaroldArnold]

Sheila congratulations on your new I-pad.  I'm sure you will find it an interesting and worth while instrument.  I agree that those two or three  4X6 inch instruction sheets they ship with the instrument are scarcely readable and at best not much of a start up guide.  You might Google "I-pad 2 users guide" and you will find I-Pad 2 specific  instructions material.  As Ginny said that I-pod manual will in many cases apply to the I-Pad, but I -Pad specific material is available. Also when I  registered mine, I had an opportunity to down load a free "I-Pad 2 Starter Guide."  This 210 page instructions has been my prime source for start up information. 

[maryz]

Sheila, what I'd probably do is take the small-print-instruction sheet somewhere and get an enlarged copy made.  That way I'd have a hard copy to refer to.

[ginny]

I think  Shelia got a new free i pod touch from her bank points, which sounds fabulous to me.  The manual online (and on the Itouch once you get it operating is super good. That's a good idea to enlarge that instruction, Mary, but the one online is absolutely wonderful and takes you step by step. Mine is no longer online, I  saved it and it's right here.

Harold is right that I Pad2 and I Touch and I phone are different. I think Shelia unless I misuderstood her prior post, has the IPodTouch.

How's it going, Shelia?

[HaroldArnold]

Clearly Sheila said I-Pod,  not I-Pad.  And they are two different instruments though related.  I guess I just think I-Pad.  Sorry

[ginny]

Oh not a problem, Harold, everybody with the I Pad thinks I Pad, they are really something! What amazes me is the face of it. If you look at the face, the icons etc.,  on the I Pad, I PodTouch and I phone  are the same, or very similar to each other.  I am enjoying reading what each is for. We need those here with the different ones so we can find out how they differ, because as you point out, they do.

On the I Pad (I Phone, I PodTouch), if you want to get rid of a book in their i  book (the one with the wooden shelves, not the Kindle or Nook APP)  how do you do it? I see what Mary has said here but I don't have what she described? I have a couple from their ibook store on my wooden shelf  which I would like to get rid of, anybody know?

[serenesheila]

Thanks for all of your feedback about receipt of my new i pod touch.  My housecleaner helped me to hook it up, for charging.  That is as far as I have gotten, so far. 

I have been having computer problems for about a week, and today all of my electric power went out.  It was out for several hours.  I called a Tech business and they will come out tomorrow afternoon.  They have agreed to give me some lessons on using it.

GINNY, thank you for the two websites, on getting started.  I will definitely be using them.

MARYZ, that is a great idea.  I will see if my printer can enlarge things.  If not, I will take it to KINKOS.

Sheila

[mabel1015j]

Ginny - to delete an ibook, touch "edit", touch the book you wish to delete touch "delete" and " done"........jean

[ginny]

Super, Shelia!! It sounds as if you're good to go!

Jean, it worked!! Yahoo! Many thanks!  Now to get rid of some of the Kindle APP's books and I'll be all set. (Ahem, perhaps if one  (me) got to that part in the manual herself,  it would explain, but it's so nice to ask and receive!)

Yay for us!

[serenesheila]

I have been on my computer all day.  Playing with i tunes.  Have been trying to order some classical music, but have not succeeded!  Frustrating.  Tomorrow I will try reading the users guide that you provided the url for, GINNY.  At this late time of the day, my eyes are bothering me.

When the technician was here yesterday, I talked with him about getting a new cell phone.  I have some interest in the Android (sp?).  The tech said that it would be easier for me to get a new i phone, as is uses the same apps as my i pod.  He also said that newer versions come out every late summer, and once they are out, I would be able to get last year's model, at a reduced price.  Did/do any of you know anything about that?

I have also grown tired of listening to the two albums I bought on i tunes, yesterday.  So, I will sign off now, and lie down and watch some simple thing on TV.  I hope everyone is having a nice, 3 day weekend.

Sheila

[rosemarykaye]

Sheila - I actually gave my i-pod to my son because I just could not cope with the i-tunes site.  Even my husband, who is very computer-savvy, says it is a nightmare.  I am saying this to reassure you that it is not you!  The site is - or at least the UK version is - very complicated and IMO badly designed.  I frequently thought I had downloaded things - especially radio programmes from the BBC site - only to find nothing had happened, but you couldn't tell that from the computer screen.

Husband also has an i-phone.  he loves it, but my one caveat would be that they have touch screens and the letters and numbers are tiny and very sensitive.  Whenever he asks me to call anyone on it (eg if he is driving) I nearly end up throwing it out of the window because I always manage to mistype the names, etc.  I am really not bad at typing normally, but that thing just drives me demented.  However, as I say, he loves it, and my children would give their eye-teeth to have one, so it's probably just me 

Rosemary

[ginny]

Shelia, you sound as if you're really getting in the groove! I've not downloaded any music yet, you can be our classical music expert once you master that! It's a learning curve but it's fun, and it does make you feel smarter than the average bear as they used to say. Perhaps unwisely but smarter.

I spent a lot of time with Apple yesterday  on the phone, very nice woman, a reader, too, while waiting we discussed all kinds of books and stuff. She was  the supervisor, because I had messed up my I phone to the point it needed a restore. Boy did I learn a LOT, and one of the things I learned is you can customize that hideous I tunes page when it comes up not to show what you don't want. Your husband is right, Rosemary.

I found out that if you go up to the I Tunes menu on the top of the page under Edit there's a tab called Preferences and there you can select what you want to see  as choices (none of the choices which ever presented themselves to me, actually pertained to anything I wanted). It's just little boxes to click, makes a huge difference, tho.

Whenever he asks me to call anyone on it (eg if he is driving) I nearly end up throwing it out of the window because I always manage to mistype the names, etc.  Here's what I've done about that. Before I leave if it's possible I have to call somebody on a driving trip and I'm driving, I use the Voice Dial.

This is easily activated by holding down the little circular button on the bottom of the phone. Up will come Voice Control.  You then say "Call Bill" pr whoever and it will call the number you want. I have of course programmed in the names of children, husband, home, etc, but Thursday I used it to call the  golf cart shop we were taking one of the carts too and I swear it saves your life when driving.

To put the number IN, you go to the Contacts little icon, tap the plus, Type in the name like Bill Home and then put the number under the "Mobile" category. When you then say "Call Bill Mobile" it calls whoever. If you have two or three numbers for Bill (home, work, mobile) you just enter Bill Home Bill Mobile Bill Work and bingo.

Takes 1/2 second and is very fast. You can always remove it later.

You can also avoid typing lists for shopping by using the Voice Memos icon found (this is I phone) in Utilities, which only has 4 things, a compass, the clock, a calculator and a microphone. You can then press the microphone and when it comes up hit red and record away: today I need tomatoes, cheese and bread. Then when you get to the store you puress the little grate icon on the same screen and voila there you are talking, not typing.

There is also something I have not explored where it turns voice into text.

Another new thing I learned is that now the I Tunes has a new Books category and you can add it to the menu on the left and if you have purchased a book they have it there, and they will display them on the screen.  And there's a handy button on the right which will enlarge or shrink the covers so one takes up half the page if you like. So they are there always, which I like too.

I love mine, too.

[ginny]

Another suggestion, Shelia, if you don't like reading from a screen is Barnes and Noble have wonderful books, very colorful, lots of slick color photos etc, and they are  step by step directional books. I've got the one called My I phone and it covers all of the I phones out there, it's not big in size but is 528 colorful pages, and you can look things up by subject too and it will tell you step by step. This is also available free for the I phone and they have them for the Touch, too. I like to hold something in my hand when I'm fooling with a screen too, so maybe this is a good answer.

Happy Fourth, Everybody!

[LarryHanna]

I have used the iTunes program with my iPod Touch for a couple of years and did get frustrated with it as it was slow when you plugged the device into the computer cable and always had to backup and then you made your changes on the screen and resynced the device.  I now have the Android and love it.  It is simple to install programs or uninstall them, is easy to use and the data cable lets you access and download music or books or other files.  You can also use bluetooth with it to transfer files as well as over the wi-fi.  I think the Apple products are very good but the interface with the computer could be so much better. 

[ginny]

Yes I have heard the Droids are much easier and user friendly and I heard that from an ATT guy who was in charge of helping people with the I phone. hahaah He raved on and on about them.

I came back in to say if you have an I phone and your sound suddenly will not play for any games, that there are two volume controls which they don't mention in the manuals but I did find them in a Mac help forum. One is for everything else, you can press volume any time  and see how loud you have it set. But it's separate tho the same button for the Apps or games. If  you wait until you're in a game and then press volume,  you may be surprised to see THAT one turned way down. When you turn it up, the volume returns. Sometimes the games themselves have in their set up or options menu also controls for sound, so  if it still does not play you can turn it on there. That was hard won advice. I figure if I can do this, anybody can.

[serenesheila]

Another frustrating day with my i pod.  Yesterday, I was able to play the two albums I had downloaded, but wasn't able find/buy anything else.  Today, I discovered how to find, and buy Bolero, the 1812 Overture, and Herb Alpert.  Then, I could not find a way to play them.

GINNY, I am too tired at this point to understand, and aborb your last post, about the volume.  So, tomorrow is another day. 

Sheila

[serenesheila]

Today, my i pod and I are doing better.  I now know how to both start my music, and change the volume.  I have also discovered some new places to check out.  Each day is a new adventure.  Most of the time I am enjoying the learning.

Sheila

[ginny]

Yahoo!!! Lookit you go! When I get back I could use some instructions on the music thing, just to feel in sync with the rest of the world, I'll know where to come! I do have Four Seasons on my ringtones but I lost volume there for a bit in the APPS. It's back.


Each day is a new adventure.   YAY!

Good for you!   I'm proud of your perseverance and it's paid off.  And what a world it opens up!!  I just read a new magazine Friday with all kinds of other things it does and all I can do is marvel at this stage, till I try one. It's too bad it won't clean the house. hahahaa

The Tech person at Apple said she was addicted to Angry Birds Rio, so I thought I'd try it. I love it, and up to a point it's easier. The birds in this one are trying to save their friends in cages in Rio,  and it doesn't take as many birds and they are more powerful. Up to a point. I like it, very much, too.  My checkers game,  however,  which I was enjoying winning, albeit on the most simple level (probably for 5 year olds) is now learning my own moves, how can that be?  It  almost beat me yesterday! It's astounding really.

Whoopee!

[LarryHanna]

Ginny, very frustrating when the computer beats us in a game like Checkers but if it didn't have that capability it wouldn't be any fun or challenge.

[ginny]

I figure I can learn from this, yesterday it did THREE jumps on my own men, I guess I need to wake up a little. hahahaa

[ANNIE]

I have been reading all the posts in here about the iPad and the iPod, both touch instruments but I have to tell you what my grandson told me yesterday about his wanted iPad.  (He's saving for it but needs it for school in 4 weeks).  He is hoping to get only money for his birthday which is in August.  To me, this is amazing!  AMAZING!!
HERE WE GO!  He can get his school books online and download them.  NO MORE HEAVY BOOKBAGS!! Then he can do his home work on his iPad, take it home and make his own hard copy on the computer!  How great it that!!
Then his sister, a new freshman this year, told me about her friend who has muscular dystrophy and her special school provided her with the iPad for using instead of having to carry  books as she it too weak for that.
Talk about incredible technology, Ginny!  This just bowled me over!  Jarred me, as my grandmother used to say.

[LarryHanna]

Adoannie, I read recently that Amazon is going to be introducing rentable texbooks.  I would expect them to be compatible with all of the various ebook readers.  Sure we will be seeing more about it. 

[ginny]

Ann, isn't that amazing! What a brave new world we live in. It won't be long before they will be fitted with recording devices which can do more than a shopping list like the i phone can now, they will be able to do entire lectures, what a trip.

I'm back from my trip where I found for trying to type online I really could have used a bigger keyboard than the i phone, like an I Pad. I could not edit some of the text here for instance, the screen would not scroll,  but the i phone saved my bacon more than one time, it's truly a lifesaver. The National Rail APP in England is a must for anybody traveling by British Rail, it has all the time tables and station changes even down to the platforms, simply amazing.

They really need to do something with the battery life in the next iphone, maybe make it so you can insert one you've charged. Once the "locator services" are on the thing just eats batteries. But what an amazing little thing it is. Just love the games, have moved up one notch in the checkers which makes me feel very smart till I fail at Angry Birds, of which I now have three kinds on the i phone. hahahaa

 The little map thing APP on the front which shows an interstate works overseas just as well so you've got your own GPS as it were and locator. The program Vicinity does too, at least in the UK and will point out the local whatever you need, drug store, grocery store, etc.

I think it's an idea whose time has come. I'm trying to figure out how I could use an I Pad out here with no subscription service and no wifi.