iMail

I was one of your original subscribers to Pocket PC then Smartphone magazine. I was disappointed when you closed the magazine for what I’m sure were sound reasons, and have traveled without you with an ATT Tilt for some time.

Well, my Tilt died at the same time my wife and daughter upgraded to their iPhone 3Gs. I was blown away with the interface, so I bought one for myself. I’m very pleased with my switch. Wow....what apps!

So I went to the local news stand, found your summer issue, and it was like visiting an old friend. I just subscribed for two years today. I VERY MUCH look forward to the next issue!

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Ron Zellem, MD

Wants a special “Best Of” issue

I started reading the previous incarnation of your magazine when I was using a Dell Pocket PC. I was disappointed when you switched over to the iPhone. I do have an iPod touch and find myself using it more often because of iPhone Life. However, I still use Windows Mobile devices and would love to see Smartphone magazine come back. One last suggestion: Could you please consider doing a special “Best Of” issue of iPhone Life? Thanks for writing a great magazine. Keep up the good work.

Lance Gross

We have been pleasantly surprised that many of our Windows Mobile Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine readers have appreciated iPhone Life. Unfortunately, there are no plans to do any more Windows Mobile issues at this time. We are exploring the possibility of doing iPhone Life bonus issues in 2010, similar to what we did for Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine. One would be a “Best Of” issue, which would include best apps, best accessories, best Web sites, etc. The other would be a “How-to Guide” that would include the best short tips and step-by-step how-to’s. Our newsstand sales for the magazine have been terrific, and we now need to increase our subscription base. So, if you’re reading this, please subscribe and tell your friends about iPhone Life. Once we reach certain subscription milestones, we can increase the frequency of the magazine.

Hal Goldstein; Publisher, iPhone Life

Lack of available FM frequencies in large cities

I have a comment about Todd Bernhard’s response to a letter in the iMail section of the summer, ’09 issue of iPhone Life. In it, he said he had a positive experience with Griffin’s SmartScan FM Transmitter that lets you play music stored on your iPhone through the FM stereo system of your car. I purchased the same model in late May and quickly returned it to Best Buy. You see, we live in the Tacoma/Seattle area, and it seems that virtually every FM frequency in the area is taken, or close enough to other frequencies to interfere. I’m glad it worked so well for Todd—Griffin has good products—but watch out if you live in a very large metropolitan area.

Patsy Walker

Todd lives in Rochester, New York. Its population is around 207,000, less than 10 percent of the population of the Tacoma/Seattle area. There are fewer FM stations in the area and has more bands available.

iPod touch or Windows Mobil PDA?

I’m currently using an old (but good) Dell Axim X5; I only use it for home use (Outlook and Microsoft Office documents). I’d like to get a newer device so that I can access the Internet. Which device do you think I would like better: the HP 211 (a Windows Mobile PDA) or an iPod Touch? I would want to transfer all my current information to the new device and be able to sync both devices with our notebook computer (our computers are all PC’s, not Macs). I would really appreciate your input on this matter.

Kent Holst

Kent: I have both the iPod touch and the HP 211. In all honesty, I like the touch better. However, your needs may be different. The main plus for the HP 211 is that it has built-in apps that let you view, edit, and create Office documents. In addition, you are already used to the OS and user interface.
The iPod touch (and iPhone) does not have any built-in apps that let you work with Office documents. However, there are two third-party apps that will let you do this (see “Turning the iPhone into a Mobile Office” on page 22). In addition, the iPod touch provides a great Internet experience and is a wonderful platform for viewing video or listening to music. You can sync the touch with Outlook on a PC. Finally, through iTunes, Apple offers regular, automatic updates to the OS and applications.

Hal Goldstein; Publisher, iPhone Life

Geeks and non-geeks like iPhone Life

I was reading your magazine on the plane and picked up several good tips, which led me to download several applications. I shared the magazine with our most tech-savvy guy in the office and he got all excited. You’ll probably get a subscription out of him. I thought you’d like to know your magazine was well received—by geeks and non-geeks alike.

Tom Scott

Issue: 
Fall 2009
Department/Section: 
Regular Departments
TOC Weight: 
8