iPhone: The Missing Manual
by David Pogue
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Book Reviews of iPhone: The Missing Manual
Book Review: The perfect companion for getting the most out of your new iPhone...
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw the release of iPhone: The Missing Manual by David Pogue, I wanted to review it. Never mind that I didn't yet *have* an iPhone... I just like the style of the Missing Manual series. But when my wife surprised me with my very own 8GB iPhone, getting a copy of this book became a priority. And while it's possible to get quite a bit from just the user interface, there *are* things you'll want to know that aren't covered in the "Finger Tips" documentation. Pogue's book absolutely shines when it comes to taking your experience level up a notch...
Contents:
Part 1 - The iPhone as Phone: The Guided Tour; Phone Calls; Fancy Phone Tricks
Part 2 - The iPhone as iPod: Music and Video; Photos and Camera
Part 3 - The iPhone Online: Getting Online; The Web; Email; Maps and Apps
Part 4 - Beyond iPhone: iTunes for iPhoners; Syncing the iPhone; Add-Ons - Accessories and Web Apps; Settings
Part 5 - Appendixes: Setup and Signup; Troubleshooting and Maintenance
Index
It's a real testimony to the designers of the iPhone that you can pack this much functionality into a device and get away without including a sizable manual. I probably had 60% to 70% of the functions figured out in the first couple of hours with no help. But iPhone: The Missing Manual is perfect for understanding those areas not used as often, as well as gaining some deeper understanding of *why* some things work as they do. For instance, I was a little confused as to why Flash files wouldn't play. But David explains the reasoning behind that (whether you agree with Apple or not is a different story). I also didn't know how much YouTube had done to accommodate iPhone users. And the explanation of how the keyboard works, as well as shortcuts you might not stumble onto yourself, is worth the price of the book alone.
I also appreciated his coverage throughout the book on battery life. That was the first thing I noticed about the iPhone when I started using it. Where I could go a week or so before recharging a normal cell phone, I was now looking at recharging the iPhone every couple of days. Pogue does a very good job in pointing out what features are power hogs, which ones are "battery-friendly", and what you can do to conserve your battery time if you're not going to be able to recharge right away. I now know why my fascination with using the web browser was causing nightly recharges... :)
Yes, you could download the PDF iPhone manual from Apple and learn most of what's covered here. In fact, it's probably a good idea to do so regardless of whether you buy this book or not. But if you want a non-Apple-biased view of how things work (or don't), iPhone: The Missing Manual will give it to you straight.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go spend some more quality time with my new toy and book...
Book Review: Best book ever on the iPhone! No Contest!
Summary: 5 Stars
The "Missing Manual", in case you didn't already know, is the gold standard of technical publications. Heck, it's the platinum standard at this point. Any book that has the "Missing Manual" in the title is sure to be a must have. I've never been disappointed and "iPhone: The Missing Manual" carries the torch for the series yet again. Some books are only edited by David Pogue, but this one was written exclusively by hi, most likely because the iPhone was a hard find for anyone.
While Pogue expertly covered all the features of the iPhone, he also helped readers work around some of the limitations such as the lack of a word processor or a instant messaging program. I learned quite a few tips even for my mere mortal Treo 650. He helps you save money on text messaging, much to the chagrin of AT&T's accountants. I had very high hopes for the book, and Pogue exceeded every one.
Ideally, the iPhone should be straightforward and obvious for most people, but occasionally you aren't quite sure about a feature or how to combine features together to do what you want. For example, how does one avoid SPAM on the iPhone...yuck. This is more than the typical Missing Manual in my opinion. This includes those handy tips and tricks most companies write a separate book on. The list of websites that will simulate desktop apps is worth the price of admission alone.
As always, the Mac and PC platforms are covered equally and with respect. He explains how to sync contacts on a PC and a Mac. Most important, Pogue covers all the troubleshooting steps you need to know when your iPhone stops doing what it wants. Because the iPhone is so new, there aren't many guides to fixing problems and I've had to google way too much in order to fix problems. Now I've got all I need in one guide.
No features of the iPhone is left undiscussed! Even experts with the iPhone (can you say you are an expert when it's been out less than a year?), will find something in this Missing Manual. I think that anyone who has a smart phone will get ideas from this guide. If you can't have an iPhone, get the next best thing.
Of course, if the manual were hard to understand or disorganized it wouldn't do anyone much assistance. Fortunately, Pogue's easy to understand writing style explains things in such a way novices can understand without talking down to them or boring expert users. The index and table of contents are very easy to use to hone in the particular features you are interested in. Extensive use of full color photos helps make sure you can follow along with the book.
Pros: Amazing guide to the iPhone. I suspect Steve Jobs secretly keeps a copy on his desk.
Cons: Besides the fact it doesn't come with an iPhone, absolutely no cons.
Book Review: This is THE book to get on iPhone
Summary: 5 Stars
I finally coughed up the $500 for the coveted iPhone, and swallowed the bitter pill of having to be indentured to a cell phone company for another 2 years. And I couldn't be more thrilled with the purchase! I LOVE my iPhone - some would say a little too much.
However, my newfound love affair wouldn't be nearly as sweet if I hadn't also shelled out the $14 for iPhone: The Missing Manual.
While I would never consider myself a technogeek, I am not un-savvy in the ways of Apple computers, software and iPods. I've been using Apple products for 15-20 years. So, I was a bit concerned that this book might be a bit too much along the lines of "How To Turn On Your iPhone" -- you know, basic stuff I'd already figured out.
I was delighted to find that this book is chock full of hidden (and not so hidden) tricks and workarounds. Some of this stuff I would have NEVER figured out on my own. It's made my iPhone so much more useful and fun.
Some examples:
* How to send photos to your friend's cell phones. For some reason unknown to me, Apple didn't enable this phone to send photos directly to other cell phones. (possibly because this is more of an awesome iPod with a great phone feature, not the other way around.) Pogue gives the easy workaround, as well as the email addresses to make it happen.
* Great tips on how to use Maps. This has become an app that I use much more than I thought I would, simply because it's sooo much more in-depth and useful than I ever imagined it would be. The app isn't very intuitive, however. If I hadn't read and re-read this section in the book, I would be totally missing out on this powerful application.
* IF you don't want to be locked in to a 2-year agreement with ATT, BUY THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR iPHONE!! Yep, there's a workaround for that, too!
This book is easy to read, and it's easy to remember and immediately apply its tips and tricks.
Book Review: Necessary to few, useful to most
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm an experienced Mac user and was able to figure out most of what my iPhone does within a couple of days of buying it, but I figured that my father, who loves tech items with an unrequited love, could probably use this manual. I'll have to buy him another copy, because I ended up deciding to keep this one for myself.
Most of what's in "The Missing Manual" is pretty easy to figure out for yourself if you're at all comfortable with Macs, Google, and the Internet. Pogue has nothing particularly non-obvious to say about the calculator (what is there to say? it's a simple calculator) or the clock. He points out a few things about maps that I hadn't run into, and his suggestion for sending photos as text messages had simply never occurred to me. Likewise some of the shortcuts he mentions are things I hadn't thought of looking up because it hadn't occurred to me that I needed them, but they're handy to know.
The book is clearly written. Some of it is already out of date - I updated my phone a couple of days ago and now the maps have some nifty new bells and whistles that Pogue didn't know about when he wrote it. But that's the nature of the product, and the book will undoubtedly be updated before I post this review. It's a bit chatty and could probably be cut in half without any loss of useful content, but most people I know would probably find the chattiness soothing as they deal with new technology.
If you're a serious tech type, you probably won't find this book particularly useful. If you're like me (comfortable with computers and tech gadgets but too busy with other things to spend much time on them), you'll find it useful but not necessary to getting full functionality from your iPhone. If you're like my parents ("okay, I've turned it on, now where's the off switch?"), you'll be invoking divine blessings on Mr. Pogue and his work the day you get his book.
Book Review: Review of "iPhone The Missing Manual"
Summary: 5 Stars
On February 12, 2008, I bit the bullet re: AT&T and purchased my first iPhone at the Apple Store. By then, the new 16GB model had appeared, and I jumped at it. Three days later, I realized I needed a manual to start the learning curve climb, and I ordered David Pogue's terrific manual from Amazon. By now, March 24th, I have gone through all 292 pages with a hi-liter, and, while there're plenty of features I don't yet understand, many of these will become clearer now that I am into David's book, "Mac OS X Leopard, The Missing Manual" for my new iMAC PC, and figure out the syncing of my iPhone with my iMAC. But, that book is about 890 pages, and I had to buy more hi-liters.
Not everyone learns the same way, and David's iPhone manual has been excellent for me. Now that I have it all hi-lited, I can zoom to the topic of the day, with my iPhone in front of me, and practice. I only wish the manual opened flat, since I only have two hands to hold the manual and the iPhone at the same time. However, the manual goes everywhere the iPhone goes until I have mastered the iPhone. Does anyone ever master it?
Incidently, through Amazon, I paid $17.58, including shipping, and not the $21.19 I would have grossed at Borders...not the greatest discount, but well worth it. David Pogue's manuals are the ones I'll continue to seek in the future.