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First iPhone setup

I helped setup an iPhone for the first time today. Here is a quick summary of my findings:

Pros

  • Amazingly easy setup on the Windows XP machine we installed it on. No disks or CD’s ship with the iPhone at all. The only requirement is that you have the latest version of iTunes installed. The activation and installation were SIMPLE…the way all installations should be.
  • Nice form factor. Felt like a large candy bar and had more heft (a good thing) that I anticipated. Curved edges allow for easy pocketability and feels good in your hand.
  • Amazing screen clarity and color.
  • Web looks good and the ability to switch from portrait to landscape and zoom in and out of a page all work to make it a good experience overall.
  • Synchronizes bookmarks and editing bookmarks is easy on the device.
  • Out of the box, the phone is very responsive. Very little waiting when switching between applications.
  • Large screen makes it easy for folks who use reading glasses to see and use a smart device.
  • Sound clarity seemed good on both ends of the call. Did not try a headset with it yet. 

Cons

  • Cut, copy, and paste not available. This is a huge omission, in my opinion.
  • Typing isn’t nearly as fast as on a keyboard smartphone like a Treo or Blackberry, but I have to admit that it was easier and more accurate than I anticipated.
  • No one should ever use a cell phone when the drive, and the iPhone will make for some awfully distracted drivers if their owners attempt to use this device while driving except for maybe answering calls.
  • Navigating contacts is really slow. With practice, perhaps an iPhone user can access their contacts at maybe 2-3 times that of a

iPhone Research

I have a friend who I’m going to help setup his new iPhone next week. He will be syncing it with Microsoft Outlook and needs tasks and memos(notes). Out of the box, the iPhone will only sync contacts and calendar information, but I’ve discovered that enterprising souls are already finding solutions to overcome this oversight:

A nice little site is starting to form called iPhone Applications which is a must have bookmark for any iPhone user.

My last post….

Today will be my last post from a Windows machine for at least two weeks. I decided that in order to really test out Ubuntu Linux (which I have been glowing about for the past few months), I will use the machine as my sole computer for the next two weeks. I’m going to leave my Windows machine cold turkey and rely soley on my laptop running Ubuntu. I will access files, as needed, on my Windows’ machine, but only via my network through Ubuntu.

All Q&A Session – July 2007

I don’t do it too often, but this month I decided to hold an all Q&A (2 hours) user group meeting. It truly is amazing how many questions 30 or 40 ravenous computer users can generate. Sometimes one question leads to another, and an entire “topic” can take up a half hour. You have to be at one of the meetings to truly experience the type of knowledge and information that gets shared and explored. Some of today’s topics included:

E3 Excitement has begun!

I love a good trade show and this week is the big E3 video game conference. As I write this I am watching the live feed of Microsoft’s press conference. It is pretty amazing what the web allows you do do.

Several people have expressed their apologies that Rick and I will no longer be doing the show on the radio. Actually, we are choosing to move the show from a radio show to an online multimedia extravaganza! Radio is very limited and very limiting.

Our online program will only be limited by what we are able to do, and what we are able to do will continue to grow as we learn. In reality, we are only limited by the capabilities of the Internet. We are very excited.

Learning a new computer

I have spent more than 10 years helping computer users get the most out of their computers. Without hesitation, I can say that the biggest obstacle any computer user encounters is change (which is precisely why I can’t figure out what Microsoft was thinking with Vista and Office
2007).

Set a startup password for Microsoft Outlook

Outlook PasswordSome computer users who work in an office or on a PC with other roomates or kids would like to password protect their email, calendar, contacts, etc in Microsoft Outlook. Until today, I didn’t know how to do that. As you know, when I learn something new, I pass it on to you. Remember, this tip is for OUTLOOK users NOT Outlook Express users:

  1. Start Microsoft Outlook
  2. RIGHT Click the Outlook Today icon on the left or the "Personal Folders" icon
  3. Click Properties
  4. Click the Advanced button
  5. Click the "Change Password" button
  6. Leave the "Old Password" box blank since you never had one
  7. Type the password you want to use in the "New Password" box
  8. Type the password again in the "Verify Password" box
  9. DO NOT check the "Save this password…" option
  10. Click OK on all three open screens

The next time you open Outlook, you will be prompted for the password you just set thus protecting access to your Outlook data.

Microsoft Outlook not saving password any longer

I found this answer at this site:  Optimizing your PC   So, I haven't tried it or  had to use it, but the process seems plausible.

In some cases Outlook doesn't save your password, even if you enable the option to save the password. This error is caused by a malfunctioning of the Protected Storage Space from Windows. To solve this problem, run the registry editor and navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System Provider. You will find a key with a long name starting with S-1-5-21 which you have to delete (probably it's save to create a back-up of this key by File, Export). In most cases the problem is solved and next time the passwords will be saved. Be carefull: by doing this you will lose all stored passwords. Read the back-up page how to recover these passwords.