I’m a small business owner. I also like to think I at least have my eye on the latest technology and applications for that technology, particularly when it helps my business. One of the things that has helped my business the most is Google Voice.

If you didn’t know, Google Voice is, basically, Google version of a phone system. Except it’s free. And you can pick your number. And they have a lot of cool features. And it’s awesome. But, one of the things that was holding it back was its limited capability with the Iphone. If you didn’t know (or couldn’t guess), Apple didn’t exactly want Google putting an app on the phone that would allow people to bypass their phone system.

I’m a Seattle DUI lawyer. And I don’t have a large staff (I have no staff). So being mobile is important for me. I don’t want to give out my cell number, but I want to be able to access my clients whether I’m in the office or on the road going court. And if I’m not available, it’s hard to talk to potential clients, who aren’t particularly fond of leaving messages.

Up until recently the Iphone and Google Voice were two passing ships in the night. I could get to Google Voice if I absolutely had to through the internet browser, but it was cumbersome, took forever, and was too much a pain to really deal with. And then last week I stumbled upon the new addition to the Google suite on the Iphone. It allowed me to use Google Voice easily and quickly on the Iphone. It has now made the Iphone everything I want it to be in a business tool.

Whether you are a Seattle DUI attorney, a plumber, an electrician, or any other service professional that wants to keep one number for their clients but needs access to that number at all times, then Google Voice and the Iphone are the perfect tool for you.

The iPad is more than just a tablet PC. For many people it could well replace their laptop or desktop computer as their main way to stay connected. A lot of people have criticized tablet computer, which had a brief spell of popularity in the last decade, because of the lack of hardware to make it truly useful. For the people who think that they can’t survive with just a touch screen, there are a range of ipad peripherals which are guaranteed to make life easier.

If you want to type on a proper keyboard there is a dock to do that. In fact there are both official and unofficial ipad docks which make it very easy to interact with your device.

Let’s look at the official dock announced at the launch of the iPad. This comes in two flavors, both a pretty much the same it’s just that one has a keyboard and one doesn’t. The dock allows you to easily charge your device and sync it up to your computer. There is also sound outlet so that you can hook your ipad up to an amplifier to really rock the tunes. You can get a dock with all these features, which is the standard one, or you can get the same dock but with an attached keyboard. The keyboard dock is sure to be a big hit, and enables people to have a full sized keyboard to write emails, and do work on their iPad. This is something that Apple have done well to identify, as without the ability to add a keyboard there are sure to have been a lot of critics and people sitting on the fence when deciding whether to buy one.

The criticism of the official Apple docks is the fact that they aren’t collapsible to make them portable, but there will soon be lots of unofficial docks on the market for you to choose from if you require this feature.

Apple Corp. has been putting out a lot of innovative products in the last decade. Most recently, they announced the iPad, and we do not know yet if that will be successful, but if it sells anywhere near as much as the iPhone has, Apple executives will be happy. The roll Apple has been on started with the iPod, which has completely dominated the market of MP3 players. There are dozens of accessories sold for it, ranging from the ridiculous (the iBoom boom box) to the very ingenious (the TuneBuckle belt with a holder for the iPod in the buckle). However, one of the ones that make the most sense is the iPod docking station. There are a lot of different models to choose from. Here are some of the main things you should do in order to be sure to get one that is right for you, at a good price.

The first thing you should do is go online and look for iPod docking station reviews. The Good Housekeeping website has a collection of brief iPod docking station reviews in three different price ranges, and CNET Reviews also has a good selection. When reading the reviews focus on the features you are most interested in and take note of how well they work. For example, a remote that does not work well will be a serious drawback for most people. For the less expensive models, how well they handle the bass is a key question. Many docking stations are very similar in terms of features and performance so it may come down to the best value for the money, or you might just really like how one looks.

After your research of the iPod docking station reviews helps you to decide on one, compare prices, return policies, and shipping charges across multiple websites before making your purchase.

]]> http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/2010/03/01/ipod-docking-station-reviews/feed/ 0 http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/2010/01/30/how-i-run-my-business-from-my-iphone/ http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/2010/01/30/how-i-run-my-business-from-my-iphone/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:27:50 +0000 Vincent Polisi http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/?p=78

In truth, the various ways that I run our multiple businesses from my iPhone cannot be totally cataloged in one post so this will be more like a series of posts on the different functions and apps that help me release the leash from my laptop and still get things done.

Because we run numerous web based businesses, apps related to every aspect of setting up and managing websites is of vital importance. Few things are more frustrating than having a web site down or needing to add or correct something while you are away from your laptop. Thankfully, the iPhone App Store has solved that problem.

As an example, recently GoDaddy upgraded their iPhone App to have much of the functionality that you get from their website. This is huge!

Sure, it was nice to have an app to easily search for new domain names to purchase, but this new upgrade solved many of the frustrations with their freshman offering. The ability to easily handle Domain Management from your iPhone in an easy and intuitive interface is truly incredible.

With the GoDaddy iPhone App, you can search domains, check your mobile mail, view their Product Catalog for new products and services to purchase, watch their upcoming (and BANNED!) Super Bowl 2010 commercials and handle virtually every aspect of domain management including DNS Management, Forwards, Nameserver management, locking, renewing domains, updating contact information, you name it.

For those of you who don’t have your own websites or domains (YOU SHOULD!) and don’t yet run Internet based businesses (WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?!), some of this will sound like a foreign language. Those of you who do run Internet based businesses understand that you now have the ability to tune-up your Ferrari from your iPhone through one simple iPhone App.

This app, in conjunction with other apps that I will be discussing, reviewing and rating in future posts, helps me truly manage my Internet based businesses from my iPhone. GoDaddy did a phenomenal job in updating and improving this application for web developers and publishers beyond their initial offering which wasn’t much more than a domain search portal so they could sell you a new domain name.

If you don’t have or run Internet based businesses, it is time to get on board because the train is leaving the station. The Internet represents unparalleled opportunity to market to a global audience 24 hours a day. You don’t have to be a professionally trained programmer (I’m not). In the time you waste watching TV or mindlessly surfing the Internet, you could be developing your own websites, monetizing them and earning money doing something you love.

With an iPhone and apps like the GoDaddy app, you can truly run your entire business from your iPhone.

What’s On My iPhone:  The GoDaddy App

& Why?:  It works! It helps me run my websites from my iPhone with a seamless user interface and increases mobile efficiency without creating headaches and frustrations

The one thing the App Store has provided me is the ability to handle a myriad of things from my iPhone that previously I could only handle with an Internet connected laptop. In addition to the myriad of other projects I am involved in, I run a real estate investment firm. When conducting real estate deals, timing is everything. In sales, they say, “time kills a deal”. This has been my experience. So, as a result, we do everything possible to keep deals moving forward constantly.

On this particular day, I was running errands and had a client who was ready to go to contract on a deal but wanted to do her due diligence on our contracts prior to committing. Though I should, I did not have the contract I needed saved on my iPhone for easy access to email. So, I began thinking, how can I get her the contract before I get back to my laptop 4 hours later?

I have two different Microsoft Office based applications on my iPhone, Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite and Docs To Go by Dataviz both of which now natively support the storage of frequently used documents, images, PDFs, txt files, etc. The problem is that they can only store what the user manually stores and I hadn’t done that yet.

So, I put my thinking cap on. They both have an ability to extract attachments from an email if you are using a hosted Microsoft Exchange account for email, which I do. Earlier that morning, I had actually emailed the very document that this client was requesting to yet another client from my laptop. So, I located that email and forwarded it to myself, then pulled it up in Quickoffice and forwarded it to files@quickofficeconnect.com .

This then gave me the ability to extract and save the individual attachment of that contract for storage on my iPhone from within Quick Office. Once saved, I was then able to immediately email the document to my client. The ability to do this remotely using a document not saved or stored on my iPhone was huge. It also earned some professionalism points with the client for the alacrity with which she got the document she requested while I was not at my home/office.

Now, obviously, this was the long way around to make this happen and a few ounces of prevention of adding all of my frequently requested documents to the iPhone prior to leaving the house would have made the task much simpler and been the pound of cure. The key point here is that despite lacking having the actual document with me, I was able to quickly use a workaround and keep a deal moving forward with the Quickoffice app.

Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite-Why It’s On My iPhone

Enables me to get the job done despite my lack of prior planning

OK, I admit it. I am an App Store and iTunes junkie. As ashamed as I am to say it, I actually look forward to every Tuesday. For the unacquainted, this is the day that new media is released (books, CDs, DVDs and as it turns out, Apps).

Having purchased and/or downloaded hundreds of apps, it is interesting to see which ones get used, which ones stay and which ones get deleted to the Doom Dimension never to return. iPhone real estate is at a premium and you want your most used apps on the main screen or just a few swipes away.

In my opinion, the very best kept secret in the App Store is for an app made by Apple called Remote. I use this app literally every day.

What does Remote do?

Where do I begin?

Well, for starters, Remote allows you to control your iTunes library from your iPhone without the files being on your iPhone. So, for example, if you listen to music on your computer, if you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can control the music from anywhere in your house, adjust the volume, create Playlists, use iTunes DJ, search through artists, albums, collections, music videos, Genius suggestions, Genius playlists, you name it.

But, let’s face it, you may not always want to listen to music on your computer or on the stereo in the living room. Sometimes, you want to sit outside or have music play in all of the rooms in the house. Conventional whole house audio systems aren’t cheap and once installed, they don’t offer a great deal of flexibility. After all, who wants to adjust everything on the wall in each room or have to roam the whole house trying to find the remote? Not me.

That’s why when the Sonos Mesh Network Whole House Audio Player came out, I began scheming to get one. (and, oh, by the way, in case you weren’t aware, the Sonos Player…….there’s an app for that). The Sonos Player connects to your Wi-Fi network and through a proprietary mesh network enables you to place speakers anywhere in your home and control them via a cool iPod Touch like remote control. Very cool. Not cheap and it has singular functionality (streaming music).

You can enable the same type system easily and inexpensively with a very little known feature that is enabled using the Remote app and an Apple AirPort Express Wireless Router.

Here’s how it works:

On my network, I use an Apple Airport Extreme Wireless Router.

I also have an Apple AirPort Express Wireless Router.

Through the Apple AirPort Utility Software, I can connect the two or extend the range of my wireless network. For my setup, they are connected.

The AirPort Express has the ability to stream AirTunes which is iTunes wirelessly over the air.

There is a port on the AirPort Express that enables you to connect it to a powered speaker like the ill fated Apple Hi-Fi (which I love despite its bad reviews and discontinuance) or the Bose SoundDock with one simple cord.

Once connected, using the Remote app, you can now stream music wirelessly to the speaker(s) and control it with a visual interface. This replicates the abilities of the Sonos system for a fraction of the cost. With this setup, you can have AirPort Expresses in any location within range of your wireless network with speakers connected to it. Through the Remote app, you can select which speakers are active and have sound.

It is fast, affordable and fun. I’ve used this setup for years at home and on vacation. It enables me to place speakers anywhere in range of an electrical wall outlet and stream music to them all controlled by my trusty iPhone running the Remote app.

Want a whole house audio system?

Simply buy additional AirPort Expresses and speakers and place them where you want them. You can control all of them with your iPhone and the Remote app.

AT&T More Bars in More Places

Having had wireless service from nearly every major cellular service provider, I can accurately reflect on the pros and cons of each provider and my experience with them. Being happy with a wireless provider these days goes beyond just the caliber of the wireless service. It can be argued that they are all pretty much the same but in practice, we find that that simply isn’t true.

To put it in perspective, over the years, I have had service with Alltel, Nextel, Cingular, Bellsouth Mobility, Verizon and AT&T.

By far, my favorite has been AT&T Wireless.

With all of the commotion recently over whose map covers a larger area, all of the attacks at AT&T over delayed MMS functionality with the iPhone and the dropped call issues, you may wonder how anyone could be happy with AT&T. Allow me to explain how from a satisfied AT&T Wireless customer.

There are three essential elements that combine to formulate our opinions on a wireless provider and they are:

1. Quality of Customer Service
2. Quality of signal (call quality)
3. Product selection

Honestly, it all began with my initial experience many years ago. It has since compounded from there. Simply put, the level of customer service provided by AT&T is simply unmatched by any other wireless carrier and by very few other companies, period. If you want to experience true Ritz-Carlton level service, start dealing with AT&T. Apple and AT&T must share the same trainers because the quality of customer service at an AT&T Wireless store or 800 number is on par with the caliber of service you get at an Apple Store.

That being said, the customer service front is simply the first impression. The service still has to work.

And work, it does.

Have I ever had a dropped call?

Sure, with every wireless service provider I have ever had. It simply goes with the territory that at some point, something is going to interrupt the wireless signal. It isn’t indigenous to AT&T. That being said, I often look to see if their slogan is right and I truly do have more bars in more places. Overwhelmingly, the answer has been yes. In addition to having service for my iPhone, I also have a cellular modem for my laptop so I can work wherever I am. Have I ever had a problem with it? No.

Once you get beyond customer service and signal quality, the next thing we look at is product availability. I read an article last year depicting how personal our cell phones have become. In addition to functionality, as consumers we now look for products with which we can identify that represent the essence of who we are.

And this is where AT&T absolutely knocked it out of the park with their strategic alliance with Apple to bring the iPhone into the fold. The Apple iPhone is the quintessential game changer thanks to the addition of the App Store. Never before has any mobile device been able to have such personalized capability or flexibility in what it could do. As the ads state, if you can think of it, “there’s an app for that”. My iPhone has enabled me to stop carrying around an HP12C financial calculator because, you guessed it, there’s an app for that. My iTunes library is more than 150GB in size. So, to have access to all of my music on a 16GB or 32GB device is impossible, right? Nope, again, there’s an app for that. I can listen to my entire music collection wherever I am without taking up the first byte of memory on my iPhone. Same thing with my 100s of GB worth of photos. All accessible from my iPhone via two simple apps, Simplify Music 2 and Simplify Photo. I can go on for days.

The bottom line is that AT&T Wireless provides the very best level of customer service, great signal and call quality and the killer app called the iPhone.

What’s not to love?

]]> http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/2009/12/01/why-i-love-att/feed/ 0 http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/2009/12/01/otterbox/ http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/2009/12/01/otterbox/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:43:28 +0000 Vincent Polisi http://www.whatsonmyiphoneandwhy.com/?p=13

As a power user of technology and especially my phones, protecting the device that is my link to making money while not in front of a computer is vital. Prior to having an iPhone, I was an avid Blackberry user. Due to my power usage and the general delicateness of Blackberry devices, for several years, I literally went through as many as six Blackberry phones per year. That’s right! Six. It tends to get a little expensive when the devices run upwards of $350 for the latest and greatest (which being a techno junkie, of course I always had to have).

When I originally got the iPhone, the biggest concern was how long it would last in my ape sized hands in my rough and tumble world. With that in mind, I began to seek out the case that provided the greatest protection with the catch being that it needed to also support the ability to wear it with a holster. There are many great cases out there but unfortunately, most of them do not have an accompanying holster. I have yet to figure out what people who don’t carry a purse do with their phones when they leave the house.

In any event, to add to the complexity of my needs, not only did the new case have to be able to survive my abuse, it also needed to be able to survive the errant and accidental abuse of my two young sons (ages 2 and 3 when I first got my iPhone) who had been known to throw my phone like a fastball in a World Series game.

Thankfully, OtterBox came to the rescue with the OtterBox Defender Series.

For the unacquainted, OtterBox has been making waterproof, water resistant, impact resistant and ruggedized cases for nearly every variant of gadget imagineable for years. Naturally, they were my first choice.

The OtterBox Defender Series looks and feels like a military spec iPhone protector that has been ruggedized for war. It encapsulates the iPhone in multiple layers of protection.

The first layer of protection is a thin clear membrane to cover up that gorgeous iPhone screen and protect it from scratches and dings. In my case, this serves as double duty because I had an additional screen protector placed on my iPhone immediately when I bought it at The Apple Store. The second layer of protection is a polycarbonate skeleton that the iPhone slides into and gets thoroughly encased in. This polycarbonate skeleton clips together and is then surrounded by a Silicone skin that acts as a shock absorber and grip aid. To top it all off, it comes with a polycarbonate holster with a belt clip swivel and built in tilt ability that allows the holster to serve as an iPhone stand for watching movies.

So, all that sounds great, but how does it rate?

For more than a year now my iPhone has been protected by the OtterBox Defender without a problem. It has survived being dropped more times than I care to remember on hardwood floors, tile, concrete sidewalks, pavement, you name it. Every time it used to happen, admittedly, I used to hold my breath as I picked it up off the ground to see if the iPhone was still functional. Thankfully, I have yet to be disappointed.

Case in point, several weeks ago while at Barnes & Noble, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and got out of my SUV without ensuring that the iPhone was in the holster. I had been charging it, unplugged it and had it sitting in my lap when I got out. As I made it from the parking lot to the front door, instinctively I felt to make sure I had my iPhone. I reached for the holster and my iPhone wasn’t there. Since I keep our businesses moving forward from that iPhone when not at my home office, I felt that, “Oh No!” feeling at the thought of not finding it. I retraced my steps, went back to my SUV and low and behold, laying on the curb next to my SUV was my iPhone. It had a big white spot on the OtterBox Defender Silicone cover from where it had hit the curb. I picked it up, dusted off the white spot, slid the slider to unlock the iPhone and, as expected, found everything to be in perfect working order.

If you are looking for the absolute best protection for your iPhone, look no further than the OtterBox Defender Series. Presently, they retail for $49.95. For me, it solved every need I had for a protective case for my iPhone:

1. Ruggedized protection from my abuse
2. Holster
3. Increases the size of the iPhone and has a Silicone skin the combination of which makes it easier to use my iPhone because of the size of my hands (I am 6′4″)

When I got mine, you could get it in any color you wanted as long as it was black. Since then, OtterBox has developed a whole line of colors and the OtterBox Defender is now available in black, yellow, pink and white.

Protect your iPhone 3G/3GS with a tough, stylish case by OtterBox. Buy yours today! Your iPhone will thank you!

It seems only fitting that the first post for What’s On My iPhone & Why should be posted directly from the game changing device that this site is about. To the unacquainted, it is difficult to adequately illustrate what an unbelievable device the iPhone actually is and the capabilities it has due to intelligent design and the integration of the App Store. The App Store is a remarkable feat in and of itself but the flexibility and options that it provided the iPhone are unparalleled.
Most of the time when reading reviews in technology magazines and websites, the reviews are done by a reporter or author who had a product submitted to them for their review. As such, in many cases you get a half baked review by a non-user.
This website is devoted to illustrating the real world functionality, options, abilities, fun and freedom that the iPhone allows from real world people using it in real world applications.
Prior to getting an iPhone, I was an avid or perhaps a better word would be rabid Blackberry user. To put it in proper perspective, I required all of my employees, staff members, friends and colleagues to get them. When the iPhone originally debuted, despite my desire to get one, unfortunately it didn’t support Exchange integration for real time email access. With the update to the iPhone 3G, that problem was solved and it now became a possibility. The next big concern was the lack of a physical qwerty keyboard. Having had Pocket PCs in the past and having played on some of my friend’s Pocket PC phones, I wasn’t sure I would be able to deal with the lack of a physical keyboard. Despite having hands the size of a gorilla, I had become somewhat of a speed typist on the Blackberry.
Thankfully, all of my concerns were unfounded.
To this day, I am amazed at all of the things that I can do with my iPhone. I have programmed websites, held WebEx’s, done deals, listened to music, watched movies, played games, checked the weather, streamed music to an Apple HiFi, taken and edited pictures, accessed my laptop remotely via Remote Desktop, used an HP12C financial calculator, driven thousands of miles using various navigation apps, checked TV listings, read the Bible, tracked expenses, paid bills, written Word docs and Excel spreadsheets, surfed the web, checked the score of the game, watched a live Florida Gators game, checked Internet bandwidth, found out what song was playing over the loudspeakers at Barnes & Noble, Tweeted, posted to my Facebook account, written blogs and posted with Wordpress, become a Jedi master, found nearby restaurants, read books, entertained my kids while standing in line at Disney World, Epcot and Animal Kingdom, and the list goes on and on…….all from my iPhone.
The Apple iPhone is more than a phone. It is more than a smart phone. It is more than a media player. It is a game changer.
Stay tuned to learn all the ways real people actually use it in their real lives…..
Real People | Real Life | Real Reviews