iPhone 3G Portable Genius

Introduction

We define technolust as an overwhelming and unstoppable desire to own some new
gadget or high-tech toy.The iPhone 3G with its built-in GPS receiver, App Store,
flush stereo jack, improved battery life, and, at long last, fast 3G network support, takes technolust to a new level. That’s probably why you have one, and chances are you’re as thrilled with it as we are.

However, lust is a short-term state, and inevitably those feelings fade as you settle into the daily
routine of calling, surfing, e-mailing, texting, and scheduling.That’s when you take a step back and say,“Whoa,dude, this is one fancy phone; it’s gotta be able to do more than that!”It’s also about this time when you begin to notice the iPhone 3G’s flaws. The Home screen icons aren’t arranged in a way that makes sense for you; getting a Bluetooth headset to connect is a bit of a mystery; you’ve downloaded some applications and sometimes they just freeze up on you.

Yes, the iPhone 3G is mighty simple to use out-of-the-box, but some of its most useful and powerful features are hidden away in obscure parts of the system.Sure, the iPhone 3G doesn’t get in your way when you’re trying to be productive or creative, but sometimes it does something (or forces you to do something) that just makes you want to scratch your head in wonderment. Sure, the iPhone 3G’s robust design makes it a reliable device day after day, but even the best-built machines can have problems.

iPhone The Missing Manual

Introduction

In the first year of the iPhone’s existence, Apple sold 6 million of them;
brought the thing to 70 countries; and inspired an industry of misbegotten
iPhone lookalikes from other companies. By the end of Year
One, you could type iPhone into Google and get 229 million hits.

Now there’s a new iPhone, the iPhone 3G. More importantly, there’s a new
version of the iPhone’s software, called iPhone 2.0. And then there’s the
iPhone App Store, which offers thousands of add-on programs written by
individuals, software companies, and everything in between.

This is huge. Remember how mystified everyone was when Apple called
its music player the iPod—instead of, say, iMusic or iSongs or something?
The reason was that Apple had much bigger plans for the iPod—photos,
videos, documents, and so on. Maybe they should have saved that name
for the iPhone.

Yes, the iPhone is still an iPod. And it’s still the best Internet phone you’ve
ever seen. It shows fully formatted email (with attachments, thank you)
and displays entire Web pages with fonts and design intact. It’s still tricked
out with a tilt sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and
that amazing multitouch screen.

Therefore, it’s still a calendar, address book, calculator, alarm clock, stopwatch,
stock tracker, traffic reporter, RSS reader, and weather forecaster. It
even stands in for a flashlight and, with the screen off, a pocket mirror.

But now, thanks to the App Store, the iPhone is a fast, wicked fun pocket
computer. All those free or cheap programs can turn it into a medical reference,
musical keyboard, time tracker, remote control, voice recorder, tip
calculator, e-book reader, and so on. And whoa, those games! Hundreds of
them, with smooth 3-D graphics and tilt control.

All of this sends the iPhone’s utility and power through the roof. Calling it
a phone is practically an insult.

iPhone for Dummies, 2nd edition

Introduction

Precious few products ever come close to generating the kind of buzz
seen with the iPhone. Its messianic arrival received front-page treatment
in newspapers and top billing on network and cable TV shows. People
lined up days in advance just to ensure landing one of the first units. Years
from now, people will insist, “I was one of them.”

But we trust you didn’t pick up this book to read yet another account about
how the iPhone launch was an epochal event. We trust you did buy the book
to find out how to get the very most out of your remarkable new device.
Our goal is to deliver that information in a light and breezy fashion. We
expect you to have fun using your iPhone. We equally hope you have fun
spending time with us.

About This Book

Let’s get one thing out of the way right from the get-go. We think you’re pretty
darn smart for buying a For Dummies book. That says to us that you have the
confidence and intelligence to know what you don’t know. The For Dummies
franchise is built around the core notion that all of us feel insecure about certain
topics when tackling them for the first time, especially when those topics
have to do with technology.

As with most products coming out of Apple, the iPhone is beautifully
designed and intuitive to use. And though our editors may not want us to
reveal this dirty little secret (especially on the first page, for goodness sake),
the truth is you’ll get pretty far just by exploring the iPhone’s many functions
and features on your own, without the help of this or any other book.

Okay, now that we spilled the beans, let’s tell you why you shouldn’t run
back to the bookstore and request a refund. This book is chock-full of useful
tips, advice, and other nuggets that should make your iPhone experience all
the more pleasurable. So keep this book nearby and consult it often.