I’ve been pretty resistant to cell phones. Actually, I just got my first (and only) one about 3 years ago!
And even then, I went for a basic slider phone with a standard keypad (no keyboard), no data plan, and pretty much no frills. All I used it for was making calls and sending text messages.
But since the beginning of this year, I’ve been contemplating upgrading to a smartphone. Well, I finally bit the bullet and went for it just on Friday evening!
I chose the iPhone 4S because although I was tempted by a lot of the Samsung smartphones, I really liked the design and shape of the iPhone. And there are so many functions that I know I can ‘grow into’.
I’m definitely not a phone junkie. When I get a phone, I stick with it for years. We go out to dinner. I shun tradition and offer to cover the tab. We have a budding romance. And then we commit. 😉
However, I needed a phone that would ‘grow’ with me. That’s why I chose to upgrade to a smartphone. And I didn’t feel the need to wait for the iPhone 5. It’s going to be extremely expensive when it comes out, and I really can’t see myself using all of its features anyway.
This is what I had before:
It has a regular keypad. I was actually a pretty fast texter despite this setback!
This is what I upgraded to:
(The fingerprints really showed up when I photographed it with the camera’s flash! But at least I have a screen protector on it, so the oils aren’t right on the phone.)
Here’s what the back of the case looks like:
Yeah, yeah, yeah…some people may have issues with my immature devilish case. I’m not a satanist. I just think it looks quirky and that it has attitude. It’s fun!
Originally, I wanted to get it in a hunter green, but the only green they had was a lime green, and although I like wearing that shade on my nails, I didn’t want to see it on my phone all the time. (Yeah, my logic is off…) They had purple, but I didn’t think it would contrast enough with the black iPhone, so I opted for the bright pink. Although I’m not really a ‘pink gal’, I really like how it looks. *Checks forehead*
Sooo…this iPhone opened up a whole new world of possibilities, one of which is that I’ll be able to Tweet anytime, which will be fun.
For a newbie like me, can you please make some recommendations for good apps that you think I should get? (Preferably I’d like to stick with free ones, but if they’re really good and inexpensive, I’m also interested.)
Also, do you have any iPhone tips for me on extending the battery life?
What phone do you have? When did you switch to a smartphone? Or are you still using a phone for just the basics?
Congrats on your new acquisition! Hope you’ll get accustomed to it as it gets accustomed to you.
Have fun with Siri when you’re bored, connect with people around the world all day and be driven crazy, and clog the memory space with photos and random apps you think you need. LOL! Ok, in all honesty, all smartphones has its kinks, but you’ll learn to work with it.
Have fun making it work for you!
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Hey A Lacquered Affair!
Hahaha, thanks! 😉 I’ll no doubt be taking lots of photos with it. this camera is way better than the one on my old phone.
First thing to save the battery life, is turn off the GPS! As for apps, OPI has an app, although I don’t know if it’s free, Pinterest, Instagram and if you play, Words with Friends (or any games you play to pass the time!)
PS I love the cover! The bright colors make it much easier to find your phone in your purse!
Hey The KnitMaster!
Ohhh, good idea. I’ll turn the GPS off. Not like I use that daily anyway. Oh, how cool that OPI has an app! I’ll check it out. Thanks for letting me know. Hehe, any polish apps are of interest to me.
Yup, I got Instagram! Can’t wait to start using it.
Thanks! 🙂 When I saw this cover, I knew that it had to be mine. The hardest part was picking the colour. They were all out of red, so I got pink. And actually I’m glad I didn’t get the red. Pink is a little more fun and less traditional. Hehe, you’re right. It’s very easy for me to find my phone now. My old one, I didn’t even bother buying a cover for it because it was so cheap. (Cheap = Inexpensive. It was actually very sturdy.)
Mary: Love the case! It’s screams SASSY ATTITUDE! I’m a real gadget maven, and have been on the fence for a long time about the Iphone, but we (my daughter and I) will probably jump at the chance when our contract is next up. Enjoy the phone, and let us know how it goes!
Lisa
Hey Lisa!
Glad you like the case, too. They also had it in black, white, purple, neon green, and yellow.
Thanks! 🙂 I only got it on Friday evening, but I’m already getting used to the virtual keyboard. Although I’m not used to typing with both hands yet. I’m pretty fast using one finger on the iPhone. Need to practice using the keyboard horizontally with two hands. Bet I’ll increase my speed. Haha, compared to my old phone, texting is WAY easier on the iPhone. I don’t have to press a button 3 times to get the last letter on the number keypad! 😛
Congrats on your new iPhone!! I have been considering taking the iPhone plunge for awhile but the one thing I can’t get past is the lack of keyboard, as I hate typing onscreen. I currently have a Droid 2 and it has a pullout keyboard and I’m just not sure I’m willing to give it up yet. But when I see all the awesome stuff iPhones can do….it’s not so easy to resist lol.
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Hey Jacqui!
Yes, the virtual keyboard is something you need to get used to. I got it on Friday, and I’m already getting more used to it. At first, though, I would keep pressing the wrong letter!
Do you have friends who can let you play around a bit with their iPhones? I don’t think it’s for everyone. If you don’t think you’ll get used to the virtual keyboard, maybe just get something with an actual keyboard.
Soon there won’t be any phones but on pre-paid plans that even have a real keyboard over a virtual board. Last time I was in the V store – they only had 3 phones without a virtual keyboard.
Wow, so for those who don’t like virtual keyboards are going to find it pretty tough…unless they go for a Blackberry. I wasn’t keen on virtual keyboards, but now I’m getting used to it, and I like how they’re easy on my fingers.
Go to http://www.iosnoops.com and set yourself up for an email subscription. You get a daily email summary of apps that have gone on sale, gone free and are newly released. Every app has a summary and a rating (pass, meh, okay, good, and hot). I’ve found some great apps with this site.
Congrats and have fun with it!! 🙂
Hey Karla!
Pretty cool – thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Love the case is soooooo cute and cool
Hey Icequeen81!
Thanks! 🙂 Glad you like it, too. Some people have very classy cases, but this type of case is something that will always put a smile on my face. I don’t think I’d like a ‘serious’ case quite as much as a fun case. And I don’t think I’d like it as much if it didn’t have the horns sticking off the top.
Welcome to a whole new world! I didn’t have a smart phone or iphone until two years ago and I sometimes wonder how the hell I functioned without it before. Life must have been so boring. Photo apps are my favorite to use ie. Instagram, hipstamatic, toon camera, snapseed, diptic. I can’t recall which are free off the top of my head. I also remember you love food so I suggest Foodspotting and Urban Spoon. 🙂 My boyfriend actually works for Apple, he teaches people how to use their new phones, computers, programs and does phone repair too. So if you have any questions I can relay them to him for ya! 🙂
And again….Welcome 😛
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Hey Frosso!
A lot of my friends who have smartphones (hehe, all of them except for one!) said that once they got a smartphone, they could never go back to a regular phone. Hmm…I like the convenience of the iPhone because I can go online and get information plus tweet and check blog stuff, but if I had to ever go back to a basic phone, I think I could. The thing I would miss the most is the virtual keyboard. Haha, it wasn’t fun having to press the same button more than once to get a certain letter on the numerical keypad on my old phone. Texting on the iPhone is like zip, zip, zippppppp! 😛
Oh, thank you so much! If I run into any problems, now I know who to ask for tech support. Thanks! 🙂
If you’re a big (in theater) movie watcher like me, RunPee is a must (and it’s free!). It tells you when the best times to go during the movie, how long you’ve got (even has a timer), and what has happened while you were gone. My favorite part is that it tells you if there’s anything worth waiting through the credits for. Shazam is also awesome for music – I use that one so much I eventually bought the ‘upgraded’ version. Now… where did you find that case? I just love it!
Hey Mandy B!
Yes, I love watching movies in the theater! 🙂 Hahaha, “RunPee” – funny name. And I’m sure it’s VERY practical…hehe! I usually go to the washroom right before a long movie (especially if I’ll be eating popcorn and drinking iced tea while watching the movie) just in case. 😉
I got Shazam. Haven’t used it yet, but I’m sure I will because I’m a HUGE musicphile. Other than nail polish, blogging, and writing, music is my biggest passion. I have over 4,000 tracks on my computer, I have more on my iPod, and I’m constantly seeking out new, popular, and niche music.
The case I found randomly at a mall kiosk that sells just phone cases. Funny how despite there being TONS of different designs and even louder designs, this was the one that caught my attention.
I’ve gone from a Blackberry to Android and just this May got my first iPhone (4s – white). I love it! Just a couple ideas: to save battery life, you can turn off Push Notifications and Location Services. There are TONS of tips and lots of info on sites like iMore.com and iPhoneForums.net so when you have a chance, check them out! I love your little devilish case! I’m kind of a purist and just have a pink bumper on mine. I enjoy your blog very much and I follow you on Pinterest and G+ and now on Twitter! Have fun with your new, awesome device!
Hey Lu!
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve turned off the Location Services since I won’t really use that all the time. I’ll be sure to check out those sites. Thanks for letting me know!
Aww…thank you for the sweet words about Swatch And Learn! Although it’s a lot of work, it truly is a labour of love for me. I enjoy getting to know my readers, learning from all of you, and sharing my (sometimes crazy) thoughts. 🙂 I appreciate you supporting me on those social-media avenues!
You only need the locations turned on if you post to FB a lot and want to include your location. You can also turn off your wi-fi connection when you go to sleep…that saves hrs and hrs on the battery ever week. I only seem to miss a rare contact auto back up – but if you remember to go in and do the auto back up each time you add/change a contact, you are fine…or you can force and update when you are home on your computer. I left my phone wi-fi on all the time and needed to re-charge it every day if I made more than about 5 phone calls just from the wi-fi drain at night…but you will get used to turning off your computer, saying goodnight to peeps on twitter/fb – whatever your vice is…curling up, grabbing your cell, unlocking it, and looking at twitter or fb! Agree with turning off anything that is pushed at you for notices…like everynight if on to wi-fi it will look at all your apps and push you a message as to which ones have updates. Do you really NEED to know that every AM? You can ask anytime you want for your phone to search all your apps and look for updates.
Oh, when I post on Facebook, I never include my location, so that’s not an issue.
Thank you for the great tips! I’ll need to remember to do this!
Congrats welcome to the world of apple! I have the same phone you have and I love it so much Siri is so awesome she can do everything for you on phone that is. The only apps I have are the ones that came with the phone and I added Kindle and Skype other than that I don’t know.. Sometimes I just go into the app store and see what they have but it is usually stuff I won’t use all the time so I don’t download. It’s a fun phone I learn new stuff about every day. You are going to love it:)
Hey Samatha!
Hehe, I haven’t even used Siri yet, but I’m sure I will!
Yeah, some of my friends download apps that are just weird. There was one where you literally just slap a person’s face with a huge balloon-like hand. Haha, what’s the point of having that on your phone? I mean, if I want to slap someone, I’ll just do it in real life, and it’ll be more cathartic. Haha, KIDDING! But…I just think my friend was really bored, and he seems to not get bored of that app. :S Totally don’t understand it.
I’m sure you’ll be wondering very soon how you were able to live without a smartphone! I got the iphone 4 back when it came out and I can’t imagine not having it! A Flashlight app will always come in handy. I don’t use Shazam often, but I’m always happy to have it when I quickly want to know what song is playing. Bejeweled is my fave game app (not free but only .99c I think. I also have some Angry Birds apps and while they were fun, I can’t remember the last time I played them. Words with friends is great too. I also like the ringtone app I have (you can choose songs from your library and cut them into ringtones). I bank with TD and like their app.
Enjoy your new phone!
Hey Amanda!
Ohhhh yeah! Thanks for reminding me. I need to get a flashlight app. That’ll come in handy for sure!
I actually suck at most games (except for something like Jumble – hmm…wonder if they have an app. I’ll need to check!). I remember playing Bejeweled – I’m awful at it…haha! My friend let me play Angry Birds on his phone, and I was terrible at that, too. The ringtone app you mentioned sounds cool!
Congrats! I also just finally got my first data plan. My old fav phone died…it looked like I had a smart phone as it was all touch screen and no flip or slide out keyboard. But I really never wanted to pay the $ for data – then either find I did not use it or used too much and went over my plan amt! Well, I went with a data plan 2 months ago only because I could not find any phone at verizon that would work like my old one did – they don’t like to even sell the sort of cool phones without a data plan now…and the other phones were really fat and heavy with their big old keyboards.
So far I have found I don’t d/l anything but free aps. I took classes after I had it 2 weeks to play with it. Class was good as it answered questions I had. Plus I found I was helping others and reinforcing what I knew by explaining to others in class how tos.
Most things you think you need an app for you won’t – you have the app pre-installed or your phone ‘does it’ already like taking a screenshot capture to share the temp where you are or something like that.
I found a good uninstall that was better than the one I had. I go by the # of post ratings on the d/l app store. Folks will usually be right on how apps are rated.
I insalled things like instagram I heard of but never could use. QVC app that mine does not work right – ends up my entire QVC acct is messed up and it’s not the app. I d/l Adobe Reader, Solitare (many versions out there), Yelp, Spotify for my music, IMdb to look up my movie trivia, Yellowbook, Flash player to be sure my Flash was up to date always. I also d/l’ed the weather.com app as that one was better than the one that came pre-installed. The Bloat-wear (pre-installed apps) don’t come off most phones and that is irritating to have them take up space and tell me every day they have updates when I don’t have them installed or would ever use them. Enjoy…I try hard now not to be one of those folks standing in line at the grocery store with my face in my phone vs. being social!
Hey beachgal!
YAY! Congrats on getting your first data plan! It’s so cool what you can do on phones these days. (Haha, I sounds like a granny, but up until a couple of days ago, I really just used my cell as a phone and for texting.)
Haha, yeah, I also don’t want to become a person with my face glued to my phone. However, ever since getting it, I’m finding that I tend to check my Twitter account a lot. Right now, it’s a novelty to me. Before I’d have to wait to get home from work or during the weekend when I was at the computer. Now being able to tweet any time is very tempting! Plus I also got Instagram, so hopefully if I see cool nail polish in stores, I can tweet photos.
Hey Mary, congrats for the new iphone 😀
I have the same cover for my blackberry :p but I had to take it off, since I observed that my phone had started draining battery and getting hanged every 5 minutes 🙁 so now its become my nephew’s teether !!! You keep an eye on your phone for such things too, since I have seen this happening to iphones as well !!
Hey Dhara!
Hmm…that’s weird! I haven’t noticed my battery draining fast, and it hasn’t hung yet. When you removed the case, it automatically helped your phone? Strange…I wonder why that happened.
Do you use a different case now and this case was what affected the phone? Or do you have this issue with any case you use?
Enjoy your phone! What GB did you end up purchasing and how much did you have to shell out? I’m still thinking of switching to an iPhone.
Hey Lisa!
I went with just the 16GB iPhone and paid less than $75 CAD.
Congrats on your new phone!! If you’re looking for games, try Angry Birds!
Hey maddy!
Thanks! Now I don’t have to ask others to look stuff up for me online when we’re out. 🙂
Oh boy…I suck at Angry Birds. Played it on my friend’s phone before.
Yayy!! Congrats on your smartphone upgrade! hahaha! I have an android and a blackberry (yess, a busy person, one is mine and the other is from the office)..
I need to change both phones asap, they’re all messed up for the use.. I’m thinking on a Samsung to replace the android and an iPhone to replace my bb, still thinking.
My recommended apps for you are:
-Aging Booth (it’s funny to take pictures of everyone and making them look old)
-where’s my water (i love that game)
you can also try to find if the platform where your blog is based has an app?
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Hey maria emma!
Wow, you have two phones. Yup, I’ll bet you’re really busy!
Hahaha, one of my co-workers used the Aging Booth on another co-worker during lunch. We were howling with laughter because it made her look like she not only aged, but turned into Freddy Krueger! 😛
Interesting…I never heard of Where’s My Water. I’ll look into it. I have no idea what it’s about.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Where did you get your phone case?! I love it!
Hey Jamie!
I found it at one of the mall kiosks that only sells cell-phone cases. I wasn’t even looking for it, and as my friend and I walked by, I immediately saw the devil case!
hello! i love posting pics of my nails and have found the following apps to be great –
1. line camera (the “clear” effect works really well to make your nail polish shots clearer)
2. phonto and labelbox, if you’re in to captioning your pics
3. instagram! 🙂
4. pixlrmatic, photoFX, lo-mob, magichour – great editing apps
5. multi-lens – great and convenient way to combine shots of your left and right hand when posting pics
Hey leejing!
I haven’t heard of any of those apps except for Instagram (which I got)! 🙂 I’ll look into those – very cool. Thank you so much for the suggestions!
Congratz for the upgrade! I am still using a normal slider phone and contemplating whether I want to buy an Iphone or an Android phone. I have an Android tablet which I won from a telecommunication contest and got me to consider to buy an Iphone, since I already tried on Android. But then my boyfriend upgrade his normal candybar phone to a Samsung Galaxy S2, and had me to help him to sets it and had my hands on it, my head and my heart just can’t agree with each other to decide which one I want anymore! eeks!
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Hey NB!
My suggestion is just to do as much research on the phones you’re most interested in and that fit your budget. I know some people who hate iPhones.
both phones that I am interested in are within my budget. I just need a finger to help me to choose. haha! yeah, my boyfriend is one of those people who dislike Iphone. I have this feeling that he deliberately ask me set up his phone so I change my mind from buying the Iphone.
NB recently posted: NicaBell: Korean FOOD!!!
How clever of him! 😉
It’s really a personal preference…like how the phone feels like in your hands, how big the screen is, the functions the phone has that allows you to ‘grow into’ over time. That’s the reason why I got mine. I feel like there’s tons of room for me to grow with this phone, and I don’t plan on changing or upgrading it until it breaks down…or after 3+ years.
Yeah. I think I need more time to choose which one should I buy. I tend to spend months just to think whether I should or shouldn’t buy the gadget I fancy. While I get buy any skincare or cosmetics product in a whim! haha^^
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You know, it’s good that you don’t jump into making an impulse decision and that you really think it through. Actually, I was thinking about upgrading to a smartphone for a very long time. Then one Friday after work, I decided to take the plunge. I think I was hesitating so much because I was a bit nervous about the upgrade…as silly as that sounds.
Haha, but, yes, I’m like you in buying skincare and cosmetics on a whim. I try to sleep on it, but sometimes I just can’t be helped! 😉
I am soo happy you got an iPhone… I have had mine for almost two years now and I am addicted to it… I have three children and an iphone to tend to all day 😉 I am also happy that this might help us stay in touch better 😉 (if I can stalk… I stalk to the fullest).
Some things that can help battery life: the brightness of the screen (lower = better for batteries), screen backlight length (have your phone dim after a few seconds rather than 30 seconds), Keyboard typing sound (I have my keyboard volume off… so it doesn’t click which saves batteries), and roaming… if your phone keeps roaming all the time it is draining on batteries 😉
As for apps… I hope that with time (and a little patience) you will join the INSTAGRAM APP… it is an incredibly awesome way to interact with others (more addictive than twitter 😉 ).
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Hey Marta!
I’m really excited that we’re iPhone buddies now. 😉 Man, this phone is leaps and bounds above what I had before. When I first got it, I struggled texting with the virtual keyboard. Now I’m pretty fast on it. Zip, zip, zippppppppp!
Thank you for the numerous battery-saving tips! Very helpful!
Hehe, yup, I got Instagram…just need to use it! 🙂 More addictive than Twitter? *Gasp* 😉
Congrats on the upgrade! I recently (end of June) upgraded to the iPhone 4s in white, after having a phone very similar to yours for 3 years. I love your case choice. Where did you get it? I’m super interested in getting a case like this for myself!
Hey Megan!
I found my case at a mall kiosk. It was very random. My friend and I were just walking around the mall and we saw it. The kiosk sold nothing but cell-phone cases. They had this case in purple, black, white, pink, neon green, and yellow.
My friend (who works for Apple) mentioned every Thursday they update their top (free) apps in the app store. I usually spend a lot of time pawing through apps lol.
I use a lot of food/picture taking/games apps. Maybe I should make a post someday!
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Also, where did you get your phone case? It’s adorable!
I got my phone case from a little kiosk in the mall. There was one that only sells cell phone cases. I think a lot of malls have those. You should check to see if your local mall has one.
Hey Marie!
Ohhhhh, good to know! I’ll be checking weekly now, too.
I need to find some good food apps for recipes. A few years ago, I used to cook daily, but then I got tired of making all the same things, so I buying more takeout, which isn’t nearly as tasty or as healthy. If I’m inspired by a new recipe, I think I’d get right back into cooking.