Sometimes, I really wonder if agreeing to my dad’s iPhone is really a good idea. I know, its not really simple for an old guy to use the iPhone, but you know, 1000+ contacts to transfer, and ringtones and so fourth, is pretty tough to catch up.
I know, for an old guy which he own the very first Motorola Brick phone, followed by using Nokia for the past 20 years, with some crap Symbian OS, which you cant install virtually any application, except for Java Apps. And the only Java App which I thought it really worked out well is only Opera Mini and/or probably mig33.
Actually he was pretty confused when I first showed him the iPhone, there was basically only ONE physical button, the “Home” button which will lead him back to the main screen, and thats it. The most confusing thing about the whole iPhone, is the whole touchscreen interface, its way too sensitive for him and he kept hiting on the wrong buttons which is causing quite a substantial issue.
However, on my end, its harder for me as I need to patch up all the issues, the iTunes software is really a bugger, I installed it only for 3 days and uninstalled it after I managed to transfer his contacts from his old Nokia device to the new iPhone using Microsoft Outlook. As for applications, I don’t really know he wants it for now, since he is already quite amazed at the basics. However for music, I used SharePod to transfer music between my PC and his iPhone.
For my own iPod Classic, I used Winamp + pmp_pod plugin to transfer and its pretty good, with full podcast support.
A few more things still, as the iPhone doesnt come with a 300 page manual, users get really confused on how this wizzy-wacky device actually runs. And in short, I just told him that iPhone is actually powered by a Linux architecture, which is true. Although its really covered its Apple and Mac OS X Mobile trademark.
Safari to him is quite confusing, as he really likes to click on the ‘E’ icon that says Internet Explorer, but from what I see, he likes the multi-touch gestures and his 3G plan gives him 2GB worth of data usage which is really good and lots to surf on thru the iPhone. That leads him on all the edge news and information, which can be really informative.
Just introduced him to the iPod, music player application, on the iPhone itself and he seems to be catching up really well.
However, to think about it, its great to see older citizens trying to cope up with new technologies as we advance in a totally wired nation in this 21st century.
The Best.
Jeremy
Related posts:
- Apple iPod’s Refresh! | Sept09
- I Look Just Like You!
- Apple iPod Shuffle 3rd Gen
- Showcase: Gracious Singapore!
- Showcase: Binary For Breakfast / ICA09
Jeremy Goh
Jeremy is a friendly geek with a passion for Social Media and all things Technology/Design. When he is not obsessed with anything tech related, you can catch him emceeing, speaking in public or at Toastmasters, playing a quick game and coming out with some killer ideas! And yes, I offer Social Media Consultancy and Branding services. (more..)
