Written by:
Frank Sisco, 30 Mill Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804
Home office - 914.740.4422, Cell - 914.740.4422; Email – ideasmoney@aol.com
www.iphonetapper.com
Copyright 2007 Frank Sisco
"iPhone Tapper - "Driving With My iPhone"
By Frank Sisco, CPA, PFS (with some editing by Karen Rippstein)
(Word count = 904 words (including AcrossTheMedia references) plus 59 words for About the Author)
I'm guilty. While driving, I've been sneaking peaks at my iPhone's virtual voicemail listing, at some of my incoming emails, and even at certain website pages. I know I should stop. Kick the habit cold turkey. But it's tough, especially when the iPhone's multi-touch screen makes it so easy to use.
It started at stoplights a few weeks ago when I attached my iPhone in its leather holder with the screen exposed with a clip on the back to an expandable watchband. I put it on my left forearm with the iPhone's top near my palm, so I could see the screen in both vertical and horizontal modes. The iPhone ear buds are plugged into both ears. When I receive an incoming call, I simply tap on the virtual answer green button to get connected with the caller. Both my hands are on the steering wheel at 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock. You get the picture. I realize it's a bit distracting, but I don't think I'm endangering anyone or myself because I'm very careful about not getting too engrossed and make the conversations quick.
When I realized talking on the iPhone was okay, I started to use it for other things. I'd check my virtual voicemail list, which is easy-to-read. All I had to do was select the people to call back. But, then came emails. While the iPhone was strapped on my left forearm, I'd feel a vibration, signaling that an email was received. With the elegant extraordinarily clear screen of the iPhone, it's a snap to read emails. Ooh, the temptation to look at the top of the email list. Who sent it? Maybe it's the business-related approval from an associate I was expecting. I needed a quick alternative and thought it best to get to the traffic light. If it's red, I could check the email. If it's green, I'll wait for the next light. While I'm at it, why not tap on the curved arrow icon and shoot off a quick response. Oh, but now the person in back of me is beeping his horn again and I still have a few more words to tap out on the virtual keyboard. Mmm, it’s best I pull off the road altogether and finish my response. Do you see what I mean? It's so tempting to deal with emails right then and there from my car!
Lately, I've graduated past emails to accessing webpages at stoplights and even at stop signs. It's simpler and faster than you may think. With my iPhone on my left forearm, I can easily tap the commands needed to get to the WebPages that I must see immediately. It's sort of the Yoga of Cell Phones to be in the here and now and offers the possibility of clearing my chakras at the same time. Now I can get to the internet fast. With the iPhone activated, I tap the virtual Safari button, which brings up an excellent Safari browser bar. While the "open book" icon, which brings up my bookmarks bar. Then, even as the traffic light turns green, I "flick" through the listing with my right index finger and then tap on the bookmark line that says "rebalanced ETF portfolio." My eyes remain on the road and I'm driving, but wishing hard for another traffic light or for congestion to get the update on the Yahoo Finance webpage.
I'm getting tantalized by the availability of instant information and seduced by the ease with which it can be obtained and viewed right there on my forearm. Not only am I realizing how this behavior is bordering on being self-defeating, obsessive and compulsive, but I'm seeing the irony as well. At first, I was trying to be time-efficient and multi-task while on the road, at lights or in stalled traffic, but then when I'm moving I yearn for a pause so I can catch up on my iPhone stuff.
I didn’t want to discuss my conflicted situation with others, at least not yet, but when I was standing on line at Cosi getting a salad, I heard three people in front of me talking about their own anxieties using iPhones while driving. One of them said they were writing poems on the iPhone's virtual notepad in slowly moving traffic. Another said she got so obsessed by the ease of playing songs with the iPod feature in between phone calls that, as a challenge to herself, she began jotting down interesting lyrics on the virtual notepad. The third person confessed, that even on highways, he uses the internet whitepages.com to get phone numbers rather than pay $1.79 to ATT for 411 assistance. The three mused about putting together a support group to help each other kick the iPhone driving habit. I realized that the first rule is to leave the IPhone on the back seat out of reach. I leaned in among the three of them and asked when and where their first meeting would be. They all looked at me with a big smile. (Some satire included).
| AcrossTheMedia references: |
| For the iPhone Tapper website with this and 4 prior articles, and photos and videoclips, go to www.iphonetapper.com |
| For the Apple website with tutorial videoclps , go to www.apple.com/iphone/gettingstarted/guidedtour.html |
About the author:
Frank Sisco is a businessman who loves finding ways to enhance life through personal technology, and writing about it. You can contact Frank by email at ideasmoney@aol.com or by phone at 914.589.1013 in order to express your opinion or send in questions, comments, or videoclips. He resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife and daughter.
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