Comedian processes after-show sales with his iPhone

Dan NainanWhat do you do? I'm a professional comedian who tours the world doing only 100 percent clean comedy.


Which device do you use? The iPad 2 and iPod Touch.


How long have you had them? I've had the iPod Touch for a year or two, and I was one of the first to order the iPad 2—in fact, I woke up in the middle of the night just so I could order it one minute after sales opened online!

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How do you use your device? The iPad is magnificent for many uses. I use it to track my travel using FlightTrack Pro (app2.me/288) and Tripit (free, app2.me/287). I love Tripit because if you forward any air, car or hotel reservation by e-mail, it automatically sorts everything out and puts it in an easy-to-read itinerary. FlightTrack Pro grabs the information from Tripit and tells you if your flight is on time. I also use Kayak (free, app2.me/285) to look up airfares, and I use MotionX (($0.99, app2.me/2821) which uses the built-in GPS to show me my altitude, speed, and location.


What apps do you use the most? Definitely the New York Times (free, iPhone/iPod touch: app2.me/277, iPad: app2.me/3290), Tripit, FlightTrack Pro, Kayak, and MotionX.


How does the iPhone and iPad help you? I use a banner application to attract people to my table when I am selling CDs and DVDs after my shows. And of course, I use Square (free, app2.me/3735) to ring up sales by credit card. It's really awesome because, not only am I making money, people think it's really cool when they see somebody else swiping their credit card. Of course, sometimes it's "monkey see monkey do," and others want to pay by credit card as well.


What would you do if you didn't have it? That would be horrible. Before, I was using PayPal, and it was such a hassle because everyone had to type all of their information in. I would lose sales because people would stream by my table. Now it's just a simple matter of swiping the credit card.


Do you consider yourself an Apple fanatic? I am indeed! I have stock in the company, I was in one of their commercials, and I love their products. I guess you could call me a bit of an Apple fanboy.


On a scale of 1 to 10, just how angry do you think those Angry Birds are? I'm sure they're pretty angry, but I have to stay away from Angry Birds because I know for certain I would get addicted.


In three words or less, what would you say to Steve Jobs? "Please live forever!"

Issue: 
July-August 2011
Department/Section: 
iUsers
TOC Weight: 
26