Tuesday , March 19 2024
Do you want to know more about your iPhone?

Book Review: iPhone: The Missing Manual, 4th Edition by David Pogue

As far as cellular phones go, the iPhone has set the standards by which all other phones are compared. Over 70 million phones sold and over 250,000 downloadable programs on the iPhone App Store are available and still growing. The question now becomes exactly what is the iPhone and why is it so popular?

The iPhone is a much more than a cell phone. It is also an iPod, a video player, a camera, a Web browser, an email system, a personal manager, and much, much more. Remember I said there are all of those apps at the App Store? That means that it can be a game arcade, a GPS, a musical keyboard, a restaurant finder, a remote control, and that doesn’t even break the surface.

Now since Apple has unveiled its new iPhone 4, there are many more features that now need to be explored and iPhone: The Missing Manual is already to unearth the newest secrets including its visual calling, the dual cameras with flash, and the world’s highest resolution screen.

While the iPhone comes with some documentation, iPhone: The Missing Manual is what should have come with your iPhone. The goal of this book is to give you a guided tour of every feature passing along a lot of tips, tricks, and surprises. The book is 448 pages, 15 chapters and two appendixes, and divided into five parts. I will break down by part.

Part 1: “The iPhone as a Phone” begins by looking at everything that is related to the iPhone as a phone. This includes turning on the iPhone, the SIM card, the icons, fingering techniques, and charging your phone. It also includes dialing, answering, voice control, voice mail, conference calling, text messaging, MMS, contacts, as well as learning about the new FaceTime – iPhone 4’s video calling feature.

Part 2: “Pix, Flix, & Apps” next looks at the iPhone’s ability to play music and video and take pictures. Here you will examine building lists of songs and playing music, playing video, as well as working with the wireless iTunes Store. Next you will learn about the camera, how to set up photo wallpaper, taking head shots for contacts and taking both still and video images.

From there it is on to the various maps and apps that are available in the iPhone. You will examine the calendar, YouTube, stocks, weather, and voice memos. Finally, you will next look at ringtones, talking buttons, and Speak Auto-Text.

Part 3: “The iPhone Online” examines one of the other powerful features of the iPhone, its ability to get you on to the internet via either Wi-Fi or though AT&T’s cellular network. You don’t have to have an account with AT&T to use an iPhone, just a wireless access hot spot. In this section you will learn exactly how to connect without cellular access and other neat network tricks.

Then you will see how to work the web with your iPhone, how to set up your email account, how to read and write email messages as well as how to manage your email in general. Finally you will explore the world of the iPhone App Store. This is the place where authorized iPhone applications can be purchased and loaded to your iPhone. Here you will see how to set up and find applications for your device.

Part 4: “Connections” is about the world outside of the iPhone. That is, how you integrate your iPhone, to your real world of tunes, photos, videos, and more. In this part you begin by working with iTunes to load your iPhone with music, movies, photos other things you may want to take along with you.

Then you will learn how to sync your iPhone to make sure that you have copies of those things that are important to you including ringtones, podcasts, and photos. Then you will learn about the MobileMe service that you can purchase so that anything that is done on your iPhone or computer is instantly sent back to the other. The iPhone is nipping at the heels of stalwarts like the Blackberry for inclusion in the boardroom so also discussed is the use of the iPhone as a corporate phone. Finally there is a chapter on the settings. There are a lot of them.

Part 5: “Appendixes” contains three sections. The first describes getting and setting up the iPhone with AT&T, the kinds of plans they have, and what may be best to do. The second is about accessories that are available for the iPhone. These include cases, chargers, and car adaptors. The final section covers troubleshooting, maintenance, warranty, and battery information.

As with all of the Missing Manual series, iPhone: The Missing Manual covers a lot of ground that isn’t found in any one central location, and it has been updated to give you the latest information on the newest iPhone 4. The author blends information with an entertaining writing style all designed to help you learn and understand.

If you have never read a David Pogue missing manual you are in for a treat. There is a bit of training, a bit of humor, and a lot of information packed into iPhone: The Missing Manual. If you are just getting into the iPhone, or have been struggling to learn more about this complex creature, then I very highly recommend this book.

About T. Michael Testi

Photographer, writer, software engineer, educator, and maker of fine images.

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