Sunday, January 16, 2011

Hooked


My eShelf

I never thought I'd find myself in another phase of awe after I transitioned from a "basic" phone to a Blackberry last year. Back then, playing around with the smartphone was such a novel and exciting experience. The excitement wasn't a fleeting one, like what I usually find is the case with new technology. It was just another level from which I didn't see myself turning back.

And then there's the iPhone. I'm as excited about this phone as I was for the Blackberry, which is to say that I'm very very curious to know how thin thing operates and what I can do with it. It turns out that I can do A LOT. I've had the machine for only a day and half, and I've to admit that I spent half of that time with it. Actively exploring.

It appears as if there is nothing this machine won't do that a regular computer can't (especially given that I've been using the computer mostly for internet browsing lately, and so this is not a mere exaggeration).

So far, I would say I've explored half of the functionality I need to know to effectively use the iPhone. Given the amount of stuff that I can do with it, I won't be surprised to find out later that I've overestimated what I know of its workings.

I'll have more to say about the phone -- if we should call it one -- soon, but this is what I've spent the last couple of hours doing: Filling my eShelf with books. Before I could realize my dream of having to have a great shelf-full of great books, I've virtually built one on this tiny machine and stacked it with books (picture above). iBooks is an app that allows you to purchase, download, and organize eBooks on the iPhone. If the size of the screen is going to make it convenient enough to read these volumes of books that I've already shelved is to be seen, but for now, I've a stack of books that I'll be carrying in my pocket everywhere I go.