Tag Archives: smartphone

Smartphone Secrets

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Before I get into today’s topic, I urge you to read yesterday’s DigiDame. I wrote it so early yesterday that I forgot to post it in time for the email blast. I don’t want you to miss the New York Times story I was referring to. It is a good read. Check it out here.

https://digidame.wordpress.com/2018/06/29/its-been-one-of-those-weeks/

I do some work with web.com. I saw this slide show and felt you should see it too. You may not realize the pitfalls of using a smartphone so much. Proceed with caution.

Saving Smartphones That Take The Plunge

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Everyone has different theories on how to save your cell phone if it accidentally falls into a basin of water, or worse, the toilet bowl. I am happy to report that our friends at CNET, one of the utmost authorities in everything digital, have published the most definitive steps to take if your smartphone accidentally takes the plunge

Here you go.

Step 1. Turn your phone off immediately,

Step 2. Dry the outside of the phone with a lint-free towel, paying close attention to any ports, speakers, and microphones.

Step 3. Place the device and parts in a zip-top storage bag, along with a handful of silica gel packets.

Step 4. Wait 72 hours before turning on. This is probably the hardest part.

Step 5. Power your phone on. You should be back in business

For a more detailed explanation, click here.

A Smart Crockpot

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I was recently in a meeting with a group of advertising executives when a chief marketing officer (CMO) asked for a time-out so he could adjust his Crock-Pot. I was mystified and fascinated at the same time. What was he talking about?

He whipped out his iPhone, pressed a few buttons, checked his train schedule, pressed a few more buttons, closed his phone, and told us it was okay to proceed with the meeting.

I couldn’t resist asking him after the meeting what took place during the time-out he called for. He told me once again that he was adjusting his Crock-Pot. At first I thought he was saying something obscene to me. Then I realized he was for real.

The meeting was running overtime and the CMO wanted to slow down the meal being cooked in his new Crock-Pot® Smart Slow Cooker Enabled by WeMo. This was the first time I ever heard that you can adjust the cooking time on a Crock-Pot from a remote location.

It’s new and it can be done. The Crock-Pot® Smart Slow Cooker Enabled by WeMo now allows you to control the slow cooker settings from your smart phone. The CMO said he often has to shut the Crock-Pot down because of spontaneous client dinners that pop-up.

Since he lives alone in Westchester, he claims he always needs the flexibility of changing the settings on his one-pot cooker. The six-quart pot features one-touch controls and three heat setting options. At $129.99, this also seems like an invaluable tool for seniors as well. Many want the freedom of making decisions last-minute. Here is their chance,

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Lens Happy

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I think we all can agree that more and more Americans are taking photos with their smartphones. In fact, I can easily say that people are obsessed with using their smartphone cameras for selfies, travel, blogs, vlogs, social media sharing, events, and documentation.

It’s about time some company came up with a quality, all encompassing way to easily access a multitude of lenses.

Debuted at International CES 2014, the iZZi Slim does just that. It gives the photographer instant access to four pro-grade lenses. Moving from one lens to the next is quick and easy: just rotate the lens selector to the one you want to use. Not only will you have access to the Slim’s four lenses, you’ll still be able to use your built-in iPhone camera as well.

Figure on paying $99.00 for the iZZi Slim, which should become available at the end of February or early March.

Modern Day Thanksgiving

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Need I say more? This is what the world has come to. The reality is that most people today are just not comfortable separating themselves from their smartphones. They want to stay in constant touch with everyone important to them. Can’t say I disagree.

This year Eliot and I spent Thanksgiving with my west coast family. Cousins Beth, Jeff, and Hanna Young hosted the most magnificent combo Chanukah and Thanksgiving lunch and dinner today including latkes and turkey. We can’t thank them enough. The entire family showed up. It was just a very happy and satisfying day.

Thanks to smartphones, our daughter and friends were in touch with us all day via text, email, cell, and Skype. So while it may not be polite to take calls at the dinner table, we were able to check our messages during breaks. It just made separation from love ones during the holidays a little easier.

Peace to all! Thank you Beth, Jeff, and Hanna.

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Woman Trades Louis Vuitton Bag for the iPhone 5S

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Lisa Hoffman’s Tribute to Steve Jobs

Lisa Hoffman of Charleston, S.C. now represents a growing part of our society that is addicted to smart phones. Her decision last Friday to trade her Louis Vuitton handbag for a spot closer to the front of the line to buy the iPhone 5S shows how much values have changed. Having the newest  trendy smart phone may now be even more important than a few-thousand-dollar fashion accessory.

In the last week or so, there have been several high profile stories about how Americans are becoming more obsessed with their phones. Hoffman couldn’t help herself. She was fifth in line to buy the iPhone 5S at the King Street store in Charleston, S.C. An Apple store manager suddenly announced a limited supply of phones. Hoffman couldn’t stand the pressure.

There were two ladies in front of her in the line. She figured they might get the iPhone 5S instead of her. Hoffman then pulled one of the best moves ever. She swapped places with the ladies in front of her for a better chance of getting the newest iPhone. In exchange, the ladies wanted the popular handbag. Hoffman made the local news that night which got rolled out throughout the United States. CNET covered the event.

Many Americans are getting worried about how much their smart phone means to them. They can’t stop checking it. The addiction has gotten so bad that groups of friends are coming up with games to discourage each other from looking at their phones during get-togethers. Read about that here.

Finally, comedian Louis C.K. made big news on Conan last week when he talked about the impact of cellphones on kids today. Catch it on YouTube.

Here are a few of his words:

“Just because the other stupid kids have phones, doesn’t mean that, oh, my kid has to be stupid too. I think these things are toxic, especially for kids. It’s bad. They don’t look at people when they talk to them. They don’t build the empathy.

“Kids are mean. They look at a kid and they go, you’re fat. Then they see the kid’s face scrunch up and say, ooh, that doesn’t feel good. But when they write “they’re fat,” they go, hmm, that was fun. The thing is you need to build an ability to just be yourself and not be doing something. That’s what the phones are taking away.”

A Smartphone Camera Tip

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Steve Greenberg, the Innovation Insider, read my post the other day about how to take the best fireworks photos. Steve quickly called me to say that he has taken some great fireworks photos with his iPhone and wanted to offer a suggestion. I bet this holds true for Android as well.

“When taking a picture with an iPhone, it’s important to understand that the
shutter snaps the image when your finger is REMOVED from the button NOT when
you touch the button– so for the ultimate photo control, set up your
picture with your finger resting ON the shutter button– then when you see
that perfect picture in the view finder, REMOVE your finger from the
button– SNAP– you’ve got the perfect picture.”

Thank you Steve for sharing.