|
 |
|
iPhone: The Missing Manual: Covers the iPhone 3G (Missing Manual)x$14.94
  (25 reviews)
Best Price: $24.99 $14.94
The new iPhone 3G is here, and New York Times tech columnist David Pogue is on top of it with a thoroughly updated edition of iPhone: The Missing Manual. With its faster downloads, touch-screen iPod, and best-ever mobile Web browser, the new affordable iPhone is packed with possibilities. But without an objective guide like this one, you'll never unlock all it can do for you. In this new edition, there are new chapters on the App Store, with special troubleshooting and sycning issues with iTunes; Apple's new MobileMe service, and what it means to the iPhone; and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync compatibility. Each custom designed page in iPhone: The Missing Manual helps you accomplish specific tasks with complete step-by-step instructions for everything from scheduling to web browsing to watching videos. You'll learn how to: Use the iPhone as a phone -- get a guided tour of 3G's phone features and learn how much time you can save with things like Visual Voicemail, contact searching, and more Figure out what 3G means and how it affects battery life, internet speed, and even phone call audio quality. Treat the iPhone as an iPod -- listen to music, upload and view photos, and fill the iPhone with TV shows and movies Take the iPhone online -- learn how to get online, use email, browse the Web, and use the GPS Go beyond the iPhone -- discover how to use iPhone with iTunes, sync it with your calendar, and learn about The App Store where you can pick from hundreds of iPhone-friendly programs Teeming with high-quality color graphics and filled with humor, tips, tricks, and surprises, iPhone: The Missing Manual quickly teaches you how to set up, accessorize, and troubleshoot your iPhone. Instead offumbling around, take advantage of this device with the manual that should have been in the box. It's your call. Written by New York Times columnist and Missing Manual series creator David Pogue, this first-to-market update shows readers and tire kickers everything they need to know to get the most out of their new Apple iPhone. As beautiful as the product it covers, this full-color book helps readers accomplish everything from Web browsing to watching videos. Author David Pogue’s iPhone 2E Tips The beauty of the new iPhone 3G is that you don’t need one. Almost all of the juicy stuff actually comes with the iPhone 2.0 software and the online App Store, both of which run perfectly well on the old iPhone as well. That, incidentally, is also the beauty of iPhone: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition. It covers both the old and the new iPhones, because it covers the 2.0 software, the iPhone App Store, and so on. Here are a few of my favorite tips from the book: 1) At the top of the screen, little icons indicate how you’re connected to the Internet: an E for the vast but dog-slow AT&T Edge network, a 3G icon if you’re on the faster but limited-area AT&T third-generation network, and radiating signal bars if you’re on Wi-Fi. The tip here: The two cellular icons (E and 3G) disappear whenever you’re on Wi-Fi. That’s not a mistake. The iPhone assumes that Wi-Fi is faster and better than any cellular network, and if you’re on it, you don’t care about E or 3G (and it’s right). 2) Unfortunately, 3G is a battery hog. If you don’t see a 3G icon on your iPhone 3G’s status bar, then you’re not in a 3G hot spot, and you’re not getting any benefit from the phone’s 3G radio. By turning it off, you’ll double the length of your iPhone 3G’s battery power, from 5 hours of talk time to 10. To do so, from the Home screen, tap Settings->General->Network-> Enable 3G Off. Yes, this is sort of a hassle, but if you’re anticipating a long day and you can’t risk the battery dying halfway through, it might be worth doing. After all, most 3G phones don’t even let you turn off their 3G circuitry. 3) More ways to save power: turn off more features. In Settings, you can turn off Bluetooth; Wi-Fi; GPS; "push" data; and the cellphone radio. Each saves you another bit of power. 4) When typing on the on-screen keyboard, you can save time by deliberately leaving out the apostrophe in contractions like I’m, don’t, can’t, and so on. Type im, dont, cant, and so on. The iPhone proposes I’m, don’t, or can’t, so you can just tap the Space bar to fix the word and continue. 5) To produce an accented character (like é, ë, è, ê, and so on), keep your finger pressed on that key for 1 second. A palette of accented alternatives appears; slide onto the one you want. (Keys that sprout these alternative versions: E, Y, U, I, O, S, L, Z, C, N, ?, ', ", $, and !.) 6) Even if you’ve engaged the silencer switch on the side, the iPhone still sounds any alarm you’ve set. Good to know. 7) You probably already know that you can rearrange your Home screen, and even set up multiple Home screens (up to 9). Just hold your finger down on any one icon until they all begin to wiggle. Now you can drag them to rearrange them (even onto the Dock of four special icons at the bottom), or drag off to the right to create a new Home screen. And what if, in the process of downloading and then deleting new App store programs, you wind up with unsightly gaps on your Home screens? Here’s a quick way to consolidate them onto a smaller number of full Home screens, without gaps: tap Settings->General-> Reset->Reset Home Screen Layout. If you’d put 10 programs on each of four Home screens, you wind up with only two screens, each packed with 20 icons. Any leftover blank pages are eliminated. 8) If you come to the iPhone from another, lesser GSM phone, your phone book may be stored on its little SIM card instead of in the phone itself . In that case, you don’t have to retype all of those names and numbers to bring them into your iPhone. In Settings->Contacts, the new Import SIM Contacts button can do the job for you. (The results may not be pretty. For example, some phones store all address-book data in CAPITAL LETTERS.) 9) If you’ve indulged yourself by downloading some goodies from the App Store, then you may find yourself wondering where you’re supposed to adjust their preferences. Turns out they often get stashed away in a completely different program—in Settings. That’s where Apple encourages software authors to locate their own setting screens. For example, here’s where you can edit your screen name and password for the AIM chat program, change how many days’ worth of news you want the NY Times Reader to display, and so on. 10) Don’t type http://www or .com when entering Web addresses. Safari is smart enough to know that most Web addresses use that format—so you can leave all that stuff out, and it will supply them automatically. Instead of http://www.cnn.com, for example, just type cnn and hit Go. 11) Don’t type .net, .org, or .edu, either. Safari’s secret pop-up menu of canned URL choices can save you four keyboard-taps apiece. To see it, hold your finger down on the .com button. Then tap the common suffix you want. 12) The iPhone can now geotag the photos you take with it. Geotagging means, "embedding your latitude and longitude information into a photo when you take it." After all, every digital picture you’ve ever taken comes with its time and date invisibly embedded in its file; why not its location? So the good news is that the iPhone can geotag every photo you take. How you get to see this information, is a bit trickier. Once the photos are synced to your computer, you can view the geotag information in iPhoto (the Get Info command reveals latitude and longitude), Preview (the Inspector window shows a map), Picasa (use the Tools->Geotag menu to see the photo’s location in Google Earth). Unfortunately, the iPhone strips away the geotags whenever you send a photo by e-mail. That’s a good argument for using the free downloadable program AirMe instead of the iPhone’s built-in camera program. It avoids that geotag-stripping problem and many others.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Incredibly good
By AHROSV6WJOEGY on 2008-09-06
This is to a good manual as the iPhone is to the Blackberry Pearl.
Really.
I'm a geek. I rarely buy manuals. When I scanned this in the bookstore, however, I quickly found four important things I didn't know. I gritted my teeth and paid my $25. At $17 with Amazon it's a bargain.
The only manual I can recall that was this good was Pogue's original Palm manual.
It's clear Pogue doesn't write these things any more -- he credits a large technical team and support from several members of Apple's iPhone 2 development team. It's also clear that his hand is on the tiller, and that he's chosen strong people.
I'd compare it the iPhone, but really, the iPhone is much buggier and is missing more features. From the layout, to photographs, to prose to the terrific index this is more like what we hope iPhone 2.2 will be like.
The companion web sight is very well done, and the book comes with directions on a private newsletter subscription.
Buy the book, you'll be happy.
VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
By A14SRPGP0XBL0G on 2008-08-28
Do you have an iPhone 3G? If you do, then this book is for you. Author David Pogue, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is designed to serve as the iPhone manual.
Pogue, begins by covering everything related to phone calls: dialing, answering, voicemail, conference calling, text messaging, and the Contacts program. Next, the author covers the iPhone's ability to play back music, podcasts, movies, TV shows, and photos. Then, he explores in detail, iPhone's third talent: Its ability to get you onto the Internet, either over a Wi-Fi hot spot connection or via AT&T' cellular network. Finally, the author describes the world beyond the iPhone itself--like the copy of iTunes on your Mac or PC that's responsible for filling up the iPhone with music, videos, and photos, and syncing the calendar, address book, and mail settings.
This most excellent book describes everything you need in a pocket computer. More importantly, this book provides updated and expanded information on how to use the new all-in-one (cellphone, iPod, Internet and wireless syncing) iPhone 3G.
Top notch reference source for iPhone
By A1U9G3269KXB6C on 2008-10-03
For those who already know of David Pogue's Missing Manual series there is hardly any need to read a review of any of the latest publications, like "iPhone, the Missing Manual, Second Edition." For those in need of a written guide to the iPhone, you just buy the book and enjoy it, without wasting any time with comparisons, reviews, or undue deliberation. You can trust the author and publisher. For years, Pogue Press', the Missing Manual series, has been a benchmark of quality for the genre. In an era where manufacturers provide skimpy support materials, the Missing Manual series acts as a great substitute.
For those unfamiliar with the series, I'll elaborate on the iPhone book. It is a great book. It is designed to tell you in an objective casual, easy to follow fashion, all you need to know about using your iPhone. It is lavishly produced in heavyweight glossy paper with high resolution full-color graphics. The text is larger sized and organized in a very easy-to-read layout. There are many dozens of sidebar "Tips" which break up the text and make learning about the iPhone very easy.
The best part of the book is the content where you get a very thorough, comprehensive, and well-organized presentation of the iPhone hardware, software, and services. In six parts and fifteen chapters, Mr. Pogue covers nearly everything an average user needs to know about the product. There are plenty of sections covering advanced topics, as well, including use of the iPhone in a business setting. Part One is a guided tour to the hardware and how to get started making calls and texting. In this chapter and throughout the book, Mr. Pogue gives more than mere description and explanation of features, he provides step-by-step instructions and practical guidance on use. In the first chapter, for instance, he provides an experienced user's perspective on how to be more efficient using the virtual keyboard.
Part Two discusses the music and video features and the camera and photo capabilities. Part Three explains how to get online using the multiple means - 3G, 2G (Edge-ATT's older, slower system), and WiFi using the web browser and e-mail programs. The author provides handy references to useful websites and third-party applications which can run on the iPhone and extend its capabilities, like the Zoho suite of productivity applications and RSS readers. The next part covers the third-party software now available for downloading from the Apple site. The App Store is explained and a lot of the applications are briefly reviewed and evaluated. Pogue also describes how to install custom ring tones as well as making one's own using Apple's own Garage Band.
In the "Beyond the iPhone" section, Pogue covers the all-important syncing features and options, the Mobile Me support services provided by Apple, the iTunes symbiosis with the iPhone, and the customer settings options. Three appendices cover setup and signing up, suggested accessories, and troubleshooting and maintenance.
A Must Have for IPhone Owners
By A35907KDVT4XTC on 2008-09-08
Excellent and well laid out book. Provides much needed information to get the most out of your IPhone. Apple does provide a manual but it is on-line and does not come with the phone. This book fleshes out the rather sparse Apple provided manual and gives many tips not found elsewhere. Definitely a Buy.
Why doesn't Apple hire this guy?
By A3MLKJ1HHA2SX0 on 2008-09-20
There was a time when everything under the sun came with large manuals, sometimes more than one, that nobody read. Then we entered the era of sticking the boring manuals on a CD -- and nobody read them. Today, we are lucky if we get a slip of paper telling us how to turn a product on. Thank heavens for people like David Pogue who has finally written a manual that is useful, entertaining and should have been in the box with the iPhone!
You are going to learn so much about your iPhone that if you don't buy this book you are actually going to get less of a value out of your new toy than you could if you did buy the book. So just go ahead and buy it already!
Everything from the basics, such as managing your contact list, to the most advanced, such as setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN), is covered. Every page will have you holding the book in one and your iPhone in the other trying new things out. For example, I had no idea in the iPhone 2.0 software I could now snag my favorite graphics right out of my email and save them. Coolness!
What makes this book so darn good, outside of the material covered, is the sense of humor and ease of reading. The author knows how to keep your attention and knows how to present technical details in an entertaining way.
In short, Apple if you are reading this -- hire this guy to write your next iPhone manual!
- Simply indispensible
By A1S1JC7LTBZAH2 on 2008-09-20
I did not buy the original iPhone and I don't have an iPod Touch, so I needed a little coaching when I decided to buy the iPhone 3G. As everyone knows, the small "Finger Tips" manual included with the iPhone covers only the most basic stuff. You need this book for everything else. It is very clearly written and includes great color pictures that pinpoint exactly what you need to tap to make whatever it is you want to happen happen.
By the way, I have experienced none of the problems that seem to have plagued some buyers of the iPhone 3G. The 3G service in my area has been great; after several weeks, I have yet to have a dropped call. I've had no trouble synching my phone with iTunes, and there were no production flaws on my phone. So, I would recomend this two step program:
1. Buy the iPhone
2. Buy this book to get the most out of step 1.
- Review of
By A13CU1O638T1XI on 2008-09-22
iPhone: The Missing Manual is somewhat misnamed. Apple does
have a manual for the iPhone. It is a 152-page PDF [...]
The Apple User Guide definitely does not replace David Pogue's
Missing Manual, not by a long shot. I can't read a page of the
Pogue book without learning two new things. I can't read a page
of the Apple manual without going cross-eyed. As usual David
Pogue is entertaining and informative. His is an excellent book.
- iPhone Ultimate Reference
By A2TVJ0YDW3QO63 on 2008-10-03
David Pogue is so good at what he does he could get hired by Apple or Google immediately and instantly improve their technical documentation department ten-fold. The Missing Manual line of books is so good that it's like candy for the tech reader that wants to learn more about nearly any technology on the market.
With 'iPhone: The Missing Manual: Covers the iPhone 3G' Pogue has done it once again, improving on the previous edition of iPhone TMM by covering the new 3G line of phones. People like Pogue blow me away, they are people that seem to be able to get 25+ hours out of every day that most people only use/get 1440 minutes. I don't know how he is able to turn around such quality books in such a rapid amount of time, it's sick.
From the writing to content to design to the total package, if you want a book that will cover the iPhone top to bottom in a fun, educational way look no further.
***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION
- Needed Help
By A1QKZNOX1MGT19 on 2008-10-18
I just got the new iPhone 3g, I had no problem figure out most of the features on the phone and the basic stuff. But I knew from what everyone said there was a lot to learn still. This book helped me so much. I learned things that I would never have figured out on my own.
And WOW was it easy to read and apply what I learned. The authors sense of humor comes out and makes it not only easy to read and learn from but fun!
If you have a new iPhone or even if you have had yours for awhile this is the book to have...even if you think you have it all figured out I bet you will find something in it that you didn't know.
- Truly the missing manual
By ANLM09AEH2JIT on 2008-10-22
You'll miss most of the fun with the IPhone without this manual. David Pogue provides a thorough review of all the features, tips, and tricks with the IPhone. This manual is a must for any IPhone owner. A feature that I would have never found without Pogue's instruction is the double click on the home button to instantly go to "favorites" on the phone list.
Since this manual is packed with information I recommend reading a chapter at a time. This gives me time to practice and play with the phone so that I actually integrate what I am reading into skills. I have found by doing this I am actually using much more of the IPhone and enjoying its magic to much larger degree.
- Brilliant
By AR65KFE7FKX8E on 2008-09-07
Pogue is a genius! And very entertaining too. This little book is packed with facts, history, short cuts, web resources, work-arounds, and humor. You need to read this book if you want to get your money's worth out of your iPhone...
- Thorough review of the iPhone--it IS the missing manual
By A1GFIU8RI1QAEL on 2008-09-13
David Pogue's "missing manual" for the iPhone is just that--the manual that Apple should have included in the box but didn't (does anybody these days?)
The manual is a very thorough, very readable overview of all of the iPhone's features (including the new 3G). The only disappointment was that the book doesn't get much beyond what you would have found in an Apple manual. This is perhaps understandable, given that the book came out within a couple of months of the release of the 3G iPhone and the introduction of the Apps Store (and, of course, the corresponding inability of the iPhone to download new programs from anyplace else). Nonetheless, while I wasn't expecting a manual on "jailbreaking" an iPhone (freeing it from Apple's restriction to the Apps Store, among other things), it would have been nice to have at least some additional "tips and tricks" coverage beyond what was provided. Although the book is an excellent resource, there was ultimately little in it that I hadn't figured out from playing around with the iPhone for a week or two.
- Excelent
By A2XI8KO44GB5QY on 2008-09-28
Easy to read, lots of pictures, lots of tips & tricks, a must have manual.
- Two points
By A238P8ABLPTZ0N on 2008-10-12
As always, David Pogue's Manuals are useful, necessary, informative and a delight to read. It took care of some of my apprehensions and opened most of the doors.
One practical suggestion. When it deals with iPhone's intrusive Auto Suggestions, the most important piece of advice
"To ignore the suggestion, tap it with your finger" (p.20)
should be surrounded by NEON.
In one instance the Manual and my iPhone substantially disagree. Page 35 says that the owner's "phone number appears at the very top of the Contacts list..." (if Contacts is opened from within the Phone module). This is not the case on my phone. There is no way that I can find my own phone number on the All Contacts pane. My fault, perhaps. But I have not found any configuration or workaround, or bit of advice.
Would be a great help.
- iPhone Lifeboat
By A1B5MWV0X3RKS7 on 2008-10-14
Excellent choice. Answers all the questions you had plus a whole bunch that you didn't know enough to ask quite yet. Current on the 3G model as well.
Well worth the price, and more.
- Plain Talk
By A2I9M7GIR9RLZG on 2008-10-15
Written so that anyone can understand it! I must admit, I haven't completed the book but it is nice to know I have a place to go. I had no idea I could do so much on my IPhone!
- This manual is not only informative, but the writer has such a sense of humor.
By A3RGFC8ET794N0 on 2008-09-15
How helpful Pogue's manuals are. Without this information, I would not be able to access and use the so many of the features on my iphone.
Love it!
- Worth every penny!
By ALMYXULVFGQMZ on 2008-10-09
I'm a manual geek. I write them, I read them. I did read the iPhone user manual and learned a lot, but not nearly as much as I learned from this book. Little things like finding wifi spots, using the maps app better, and learning keyboard tips and tricks have made using the iPhone an altogether more rewarding experience. If you have a iPhone, you need this book!
- IPhone for Dummies
By ANH1ZMK8K8M3J on 2008-10-24
Good to have an easy to understand, carry around in your purse, humor-ridden book for the IPhone. Although I have a fair number of "toys", I still had alot of questions about my IPhone that the accordion-foldout supplied didn't remotely cover. I even downloaded the 157-page pdf file, but it's not exactly easy to work with or carry around. Highly recommend this... And David Pogue lends humor to everything...
- Missing Manual - IPPhone
By A30AKGGB7K448C on 2008-10-31
This book certainly provides more information than the paltry foldout that comes with the IPhone. However, it provides a lot of information that I don't need and yet I can't seem to find some of the basic information I do need. It's still hit and miss for me, but I'm learning as I go along.
|
|
You may also be interested in...
|
|
|
|
|
|
