Customer Reviews

My iPhone (Covers iPhone 3G and 3GS) (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had been using the basic features on my iPhone intuitively... flipping once in a while through the thin booklet and the PDF file that Apple provides as a user manual. After a month, I decided that to make the most out of my purchase I had to more proactively learn about all the features.

The presentation in this book is clean and stylish. It's also very clear -- THE INSTRUCTIONS are detailed and ACCOMPANIED BY SCREENSHOTS, which are LABELED WITH NUMBERS that correspond to each step. There's no way to get lost.

It's comprehensive. For instance, there's a section on iTunes and iPod, which is especially useful for the complete novice who need step-by-step instructions about building playlists, finding podcasts, etc. (The Dummies book is limited in this area; there's a separate "iPod & iTunes for Dummies" book.)

If you're already familiar with certain features or there are some you're not interested in learning about, the book is arranged in such a way that you can skip ahead or hop from one section to another. There's an index, of course, but the Table of Contents is as helpful because the headings and subheadings are straightforward, instead of cutesy titles.

The only thing that the Dummies book has extra is a list of ten web resources at the end. They probably have more informational nuggets spread around, but I personally found it unencouraging to wade through all the text. In this book (My iPhone), every page has screenshots and you can see every step illustrated -- it's very visual.

I found a typo on page 94 ("Inlcude" for "Include"), and the iPhone seems to have added a few modifications to the map functions since it first came out. You can find out about those on page 81 of Apple's PDF guide. No biggies. The traffic icon is no longer a car, and there's an icon for finding your approximate location on the map you're looking at.

Thumbs-up.

This book has 419 pages, including nine pages for chapter contents at the front and almost a full 12 pages of indexed items at the back. The soft cover is glossy and stiff with an attractive and colorful iPhone, bigger than life-size, on the cover.

The book uses high quality slick paper and bright colors to denote chapters in the contents section that correspond to page number tabs of the same color within that chapter appearing deeper in the book. This makes it easy to find what you want to know in the chapter list and jump right to it, visually.

Especially well done is the ">>>step-by-step" feature in almost every chapter relating to how to program your iPhone. These are against a sky-blue background with numbered instructions appearing in easy-to-read black type. Additionally, as you work your way down the numbered instructions, a red circled number corresponding to that instruction appears in the crisp iPhone screen shots so you can follow along, fully oriented. This is exceptional, clear and professional.

The book contains 12 chapters that cover everything from "Getting Started" through managing your phone calls, contacts, text messages and emails to some of iPhone's unique features, such as listening to audio and watching video, connecting with the Internet and surfing the Web and taking and storing photos

Especially unique to the iPhone is the use of downloadable free or low-cost applications that allow your iPhone to do some pretty amazing things, like a voice Google search, or the Wall Street Journal mobile edition (allowing you to read this business newspaper for free, while their Web site charges a subscription fee), or the iTalk app that lets you record interviews and download them to your computer via wireless (just to name a few examples of the multitude of applications.)

Let's take a look at that chapter on apps. It clearly lays out the two different ways to obtain them. One is by linking up to iTunes from your computer, selecting the app of your choice available in the Apps Store, placing it in your library and then selecting it for syncing with your iPhone when it is connected to your computer.

But the iPhone also has an App Store application, allowing you to select apps right from your iPhone connected to the Apps Store, and load and install them right to your iPhone. Both methods are clearly spelled out with easy instructions.

The chapter on how to use iPhone applications smartly has a section on maintaining them, and deleting the ones you end up not liking. The book offers some sage advice if it was an app you paid for. You can delete it from iPhone alone, leaving it on your iTunes for future use should updates improve it and you decided you once again want it on your iPhone. (The book clearly describes how you can allow updates to happen your apps, meaning at some point, and improvement might make you want that app on your iPhone again). If you follow the writer's advice, you'll never pay for that app again.

The book smartly advises readers not to use the iPhone direct connection to the App Store unless you do so via Wi-Fi or a 3G network. Using the more standard E cellular network will be too slow and frustrating, explain the writers. (Actually, I've tried it and it wasn't so bad.)

There is an excellent chapter on iPhone's GPS application, called Finding Your Way with Maps. Clear instructions walk you through fully utilizing it. You can easily find a route between two locations, and get walking, public transit or car route and street-by-street directions. I hadn't used this default app (comes with the phone, not one you install on your own), and the directions in "My iPhone" made it easy to play with and recognize the amazing features in the GPS.

But here's why I like this book even more. The writer is really looking out for consumers, manifested by his willingness to call out the inefficiencies or ineffectiveness of an iPhone feature. These sections are sprinkled throughout the text as the author found the need. They are easy to spot, with a rust-colored background, white type, and the heading "It's not all good."

In the GPS chapter, this consumer-oriented section pointed out that the iPhone Maps app doesn't give directions audibly, meaning a driver could be in a real and dangerous fix if he's trying to follow the route and directions on his iPhone while driving. In some states (Alaska!) this would be illegal.

Overall, the publishing quality of this book is very high. I found no copyediting errors or oversights. I was tripped up once by reading a back-cover blurb that talked about iPhone's "visual voicemail." I went right to the index and searched for those words, hoping I could skip to it and find out exactly what it was.

No dice. That particular enticing item isn't listed in the index. I did find it as a subsection labeled Using Visual Voicemail under the Making Calls chapter in the contents section at the book front, so I wasn't too delayed. I still think if the item deserved a back cover blurb, it probably deserved its own line in the index.

Overall, this is a high quality, top-notch overview of the iPhone. It's sturdy for refreshing and referring to as your iPhone knowledge increases and you want to expand your effectiveness on the iPhone. I predict you'll go back for refinements and tune-ups all the time.

One last suggestion: Since the applications for the iPhone are a growth industry into and of themselves, it might have been fun if this author listed Web sites where readers could find reviews of new apps. If the publisher maintained a companion Web site with the author's recommendations on apps, even better! These items couldn't be in the book, but an addendum Web site might be a flexible way to handle it.

Good job, overall.

My husband purchased the iPhone for my birthday. I am not a Techie, so I was challenged to learn by reading this book. I have successfully been able to configure my phone, email, and internet, etc... The directions were easy to understand and the pictures are priceless-- very informative and step-by-step procedures are provided. I was able to follow the book and maximize the use of my iPhone. I highly recommend it.

I want to first let it be known that this book was given to me so I could give a review, myself being an iphone guru. I have no connection to the author other than we share some of the same social networks. I have had every version of the iphone since they were first released and almost every software update, I am sure I have missed a couple :). I didn't expect to learn anything new since I live on my iphone, this I was wrong about. I did learn some things about moving through time zones with my calendar events, how the photos app differed from just going to photo gallery from the camera, and it reminded me of a couple things I knew about but had forgotten. If you have never owned an iphone or just purchased one this book is for you, I think if you are a seasoned iphone user you will not be learning something new in every chapter. It doesn't stop at the iphone it covers iTunes and how to get your music, videos, pictures and other data from and to your iphone, it also talks a little about mobileme. The callouts on different sections telling you what it doesn't do is great, I think every single one I had thought about in the past. One thing this book did bring to the front of my memory is how bad I want the iphone to be offered by other providers and what AT&T does to lock us down or charge us more money since they have a monopoly on the iphone (if you don't jailbreak it of course, but that is just a pain). Being a programmer I have read many how to and technical books. This book is the best technical reference as far as layout, quality of print, and how-to's. When any of my family or friends decides to purchase an iphone i will point them in the direction of this book! Great job. I would have given it 5 stars but I feel with a book like this it will become dated very fast, and would like to see these type of how to's put on the web for everyone to share which can be updated very easy.

This book was a great resource for me, as I am in the "considering" stage of purchasing an iPhone. The book is helpful in showing the iPhones possibilities, as well as providing useful tips to make the device's use more accessible. In addition to using screen shots with numbered diagrams of each step, the author points out helpful "work-arounds" to some of iPhones shortcomings. Lastly, the author was responsive to iPhone questions I e-mailed him, which enhanced my experience of his work. Read this book if you are considering purchasing the item, or if you've just recently got your hands on one.

My iPhone 4, 4th edition, is one of the most detailed beginners' guide to Apple's amazing device, the iPhone 4. If you are a new user and looking for a book to fully understand your smartphone, this one is it!

The only reason for the missing "star" (4/5 stars) is that it is often difficult to keep up with the latest, i.e., Apple released a new firmware, iOS 4.2.1, and will have the next one, iOS 4.3, rumoured to be released this December 2010. And with every new iOS release, the iPhone becomes an entirely new device -- new added features, faster and sometimes have a new way of doing things.

I am very satisfied with my iPhone 4 book. I have read this author before and appreciate all of the pictures and easy to follow explanations.

The fourth updated edition of MY IPHONE provides a fine step-by-step series of directions with callouts to iPhone images that help any iPhone user and programmers with issues. These appear in full color throughout and cover all the basics of connecting, managing apps, configuring and syncing information, and more. From capturing photos to listening to music, this is a guide no iPhone user should be without.

I'm old (68). I'm accustomed to having a book of instruction to hold in my hand and to thumb thru, and to turn corners down where I want to get back to them, and to underline and write notes in the margins. This brings the book of instructions to life, for ~M*E~. Web-based Instructions don't do it for me. Did I mention that I'm old? I bought this book in anticipation of getting an I-Phone on my birthday this coming July. Hey, that's next month. I already have an I-Pad (with web-based instructions). This book has helped a LOT with the I-Pad, because so many of the things about both products are alike. This Book Is GREAT (especially 4 Old Ppl)

I gave this book to my new sales rep employee. He was mastering the iPhone after a couple of hours. I spent two weekends learning to use my first iPhone. This book saved both of us many hours of research, trial & error.

Wish I had it back when I got my first iPhone.