Cingular Go Phone: Taking Your iPhone to the Max (Technology in Action) [Paperback] Review

Taking Your iPhone to the Max [Paperback]

So you've taken the plunge and bought an iPhone.You've read what passes for an instruction manual, and you're amazed that everything just seems to work.But you *know* there's more that you're missing.Taking Your iPhone to the Max by Erica Sadun does a very good job in walking you through all the major parts of the iPhone interface, explaining how they work, and giving you plenty of "hidden tips" along the way.I changed a few ways I do things on my iPhone after reading...

Contents:
Selecting, Buying, and Activating Your iPhone; Interacting with Your New iPhone; Placing Calls with iPhone; iPhone Messaging; iPhone E-mail; Browsing with Safari; Preparing Your Media in iTunes; It's Also an iPod; iPhone Photos; Google Maps and Other Apps; Hacking the iPhone; Index

Since the "instruction manual" included with the iPhone is about eight panels of a fold-out piece of paper, you're not going to get much in the way of instruction when you buy the thing.You can download the PDF guide from Apple's site, but how often did you ever read the manual of your prior cell phone?Thought so...Sadun presents the information in a much more relaxed and understandable format.Rather than a simple "do this, this, and this", she explains why things work the way they do, as well as some things that aren't common knowledge.For instance, there are a number of service shortcuts you can use to get information about your AT&T account.*225# will give you the balance of your bill, *646# will give you the remaining number of minutes on your account, etc.I'm sure you can dig up that information somewhere, but it's all nicely formatted and presented here in a logical, cohesive manner.Personally, I hadn't known of (or remembered) about punctuation dragging, where you touch the .?123 key and then drag your finger over to the punctuation characteryou want.Since it's a single character action, the keyboard immediately returns to the alpha setting.I find myself doing that all the time now.

While the book is well-suited for the non-techie phone users, there's also coverage of the jailbreak process and how that works.She references that technique in a number of places, and explains where you can find certain directories and files if you've got command-line access to your iPhone.As this came out before the official Apple API release, you won't get any coverage of it here.But when you get down to it, the people who will use the jailbreak method probably won't want to play by the restrictive rules of the official API anyway.:)

This wasn't the first iPhone book I've read, but it was no less valuable than the first one.I find myself picking up new tips and tricks that I didn't remember or that didn't stick the first time.And given the size and style of the book, it hits a nice blend between pure tech and hand-holding newbie.Nicely done...

Click Here to see more reviews about: Taking Your iPhone to the Max (Technology in Action) [Paperback]

Product Description:

Unleash your iPhone and take it to the limit using secret tips and techniques from gadget hacker Erica Sadun. Fast and fun to read, Taking Your iPhone to the Max will show you how get the most out of Apple's iPhone. You'll find all the best, and undocumented, tricks as well as the most efficient and enjoyable introduction to the iPhone you'll ever find.

Starting with a guide to iPhone basics, you'll quickly move on to discover the iPhone's hidden potential, like how to connect to a TV, get contract-free VOIP, and hack OS X so it will run apps on your iPhone. From e-mail and surfing the Web, to using iTunes, iBooks, games, photos, ripping DVDs and getting free VOIP with Skype or Jajah, you'll find it here. You'll even find tips on where to get the best and cheapest iPhone accessories. Get ready to take iPhone to the max!