Posts Tagged ‘ itunes

My iPhone is not a phone

Each month, I spent 2 minutes tops using the iPhone to speak to other people. The other 43, 220 minutes I spend using my iPhone as:

- my new book library. I installed Kobo and thanks to some regularly appearing coupons in my email, it’s my new book store. Books were getting annoying to move all the time, anyway. While it doesn’t have everything I’d like to read, I can only assume it will one day.

- my fitness guide. I use the Nike+ system with my shoes to know how far I’ve run and the speed, and it automatically updates my running progress on my Twitter acct (ask to follow for now!). I use RunKeeper Free to help calibrate my Nike+ system with its GPS tracking of my runs. I also use the Nike Training app when it’s a kajillion degrees below zero outside. And finally, I track my chocolate  consumption with Livestrong’s Daily Plate app.

- my notetaker and to do list. I have too many projects on the go, always, with more being added on a regular basis. I was a pen and paper gal when I needed to create to do lists (for the rewarded check mark upon completion) but so far the very popular Things app is helping keep me paperless and less encumbered during meetings. I’m not sure if it qualifies for my day to day work (where I often need to keep 48 things on the top of my head at any given moment) but it’s good to keep me focussed on one project at a time.

- my guitar tuner thanks to Guitar Toolkit and a fun music maker with Groove Maker and of course, autotunetastic I am T-Pain. I can also see song lyrics and locate who’s listening to the same tunes as me on TuneWiki

- my game console. Tons of games – what’s your fave?

- my weather guide

- my news guide

- etc etc etc

How do you use your iPhone outside of dialing up?


Media Player… only in America you say

Adobe Media Player just announced a deal with Sony, allowing those who download the player to watch full movies such as Ghostbusters and complete TV shows such as 90210. OK- it’s not all retro programming. There’s CBS programming, Food Network stuff and Daily Show with Jon Stewart. That’s a little exciting. Everything is ad supported, and that’s just fine by me if it keeps the cost to me at $0. What might be better is an option to pay for the programming to ensure no ads, but perhaps that will come.

No, wait. What might be better is if I was able to watch the programming view the television programming I selected in the player. Wanting to see a clip of the Daily Show, I watched an AT&T commercial and then received a message “this video is not available in your country.” (add: I can watch movies effortlessly, it seems – Hello Ghostbusters.

Coming from the business side, I know the digital rights issues are complicated for Canadians, but speaking from the consumer side, this is getting annoying. Our neighbours to the south are getting loads of opportunities to watch programming watch television programming on various screens, and while things are improving (in that I can pay for series on iTunes), it’s not fast enough. Fortunately, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Even when things are available in this country, consumers sometimes still feel cheated. Read the comments on iTunes for Daily Show. It is now available in Canada. Yet the pricing structure is not the same as in the States. Subscribers in America can pay a flat rate for a season ($9.99 for 16 eps), Canadians aren’t offered a pass and pay $32 to watch the same stuff. All of the comments are begging for the same pricing structure.

What’s the solution? Is it too late? Will Canada keep playing catch up? Love to hear theories…

(speaking of iTunes, Dr. Horrible’s three episodes are the top three video purchased downloads in Canada, even when the series was free on the site for a limited time – next step? DVD.)