Like so many people, I’ve been on a tech journey for quite a while. Being a boomer, some of the new technology and changing tools from the growth of the Internet have been more challenging than others to learn. For me, the top of that list was going from a PC to a Mac computer.
I resisted.
I was comfortable with my PC.
I wasn’t ready.
But, that final virus and computer crash, to paraphrase Eliza Doolittle, “done me in.” Well, that just dated me big-time. I got my first Apple product: a desktop Macintosh. I signed up for their One2One personal training. I went back to school.
Some of what I was shown I picked up and adopted easily. Other things required repetition in the way of a children’s song – repeat, repeat, and repeat again.
Early frustration made me think of returning the Mac and powering up the old PC. I persisted. I don’t like giving up. I advise against that as a parent and now I was listening to my own words and not giving up.
Soon, I was learning the various programs that came with my Mac, like iPhoto and iMovie. I never really liked and still don’t really like iTunes, but I sort of learned that, too. I refused to give up WORD, so I got the Apple version and have stayed with that ever since.
Later, I gave my Mac to my son and got my first MacBook Pro laptop. Renewed my One2One training. By now, I was a friend with half the trainers at my Apple Store. Those relationships were golden and yet another example of Apple’s brilliance in seducing customers to their product.
Next was giving up my Blackberry. Nah, couldn’t do that. It has a keyboard and I like a keyboard. I don’t like those touch-screens. Nor did I want to have to learn yet another new thing.
My boys begged and begged.
We all got iPhones. I still type with one finger, but I got more One2One training on the iPhone and then got an iPad and continued learning.
What is so cool to me now is that I don’t even remember all those changes anymore from PC to Mac. The right click difference, the on and off difference, Safari vs. Internet Explorer, Mail vs. a PC-based email system, etc. I’m hooked on Apple; probably for life.
I use all three of my Apple devices to take video for my I’m NOT That Dad vlogs. I write my columns on both my MacBook Pro and iPad. I email from ‘em all. I even started using Instagram and I text and tweet from any of them ALL the time.
Heck, my Social Media columns here on BruceSallan.com get more hits than my bread-and-butter “A Dad’s Point-of-View” weekly columns, which appear in over 100 newspapers and websites internationally. I’m now even consulting with individuals and small businesses on how to integrate Social Media into their lives and businesses.
Switching to Apple opened so much more of the Social Media universe to me. The relationships I’ve developed are incredible and literally worldwide. My old media work in radio is enhanced by those contacts as the people I “meet” through my own #DadChat Tweet-Chat, my Facebook Page, Twitter, comments, and more from all my activities, lead to friendships both virtual and IRL (in real life).
Oh, and I got this new iPHone handset that is totally sweet! So when I get a call on my iPhone I can answer it on the wireless handset. YET another reason we don’t really need a landline anymore! Perfect for anyone who talks a bunch on their iPhone.
While offering a streamlined calling experience, theiG1 from Good Call integrates seamlessly with many of the iPhone’s distinctive features, including Siri, which I can’t wait to get when I get the iPhone5. The iPhone lover’s favorite personal assistant can be easily activated from the handset, enabling quick and easy voice dialing. In addition, the accompanying docking station allows you to charge your iPhone. Don’t feel like being tied down to the dock? No problem, since your iPhone does not need to be docked during calls on the handset. Other features include syncing with iTunes, easy multitasking, and 4 hours of talk time.
Reflecting its commitment to quality and fashion, Good Call invested heavily in perfecting the product’s design. Its global team spent over three years contouring the handset’s ergonomic shape to the human head and neck, delivering unparalleled comfort with a fashion-forward aesthetic. Do I sound like a “Brand Ambassador” yet? Like this tech talk? Cool, huh?
Those seeking the ultimate talking experience can opt for the iG1’s stepped up cousin – the iG1HD. It boasts all of the features of the Standard version along with several premium ones, such as HD audio, Bluetooth 4.0 and a dedicated battery meter display on the iPhone. C’mon, haven’t you ALWAYS wanted “a dedicated battery meter?”
It’s one of those simple devices that just makes sense. Mobile phones were meant to be mobile. When you’re stuck in the home/office (thus no longer mobile), talking on the iPhone feels sort of prehistoric and who wants to go backwards!. Yeah, a luxurious conversation device on which I can argue with my wife and boys. What we parents have always sought! Besides, my iPhone never has enough juice anyway, so the integrated dock takes care of that nuisance! I gave my wife the old alarm clock and now have the oh-so-sleek looking, easy-to-use, and more useful GC next to my side of the bed.
I’m no tech whiz, but when I can buy a product like Good Call, open it up and basically plug in it and use it, I’m a happy camper. When there’s actually a manual I can read and understand without hiring an engineer, I’m even happier. And, being an old film buff, I can’t neglect sound. Sound makes the movie for me and the quality sound on the Good Call headset closed the deal for me and I didn’t even get the slightly more expensive HD model.
Hmmm, looks and feels a bit like James Bond. I like the sound of that, “Sallan, Bruce….pause….Sallan.”
I’m not a believer in every scary thing I hear about being dangerous, but it doesn’t hurt that the Good Call avoids the cell-phone radiation risk, by allowing you to speak on the totally safe handset. Frankly, I care less about that than the fact that I can hold something more comfortable to talk on when I use the handset.
Okay, enough shilling for Good Call. As you well know, I don’t do many product reviews, but I do love my Apple products and my first ancillary iPhone purchase of this Good Call combination charger and portable handset. And, yes I got it for free – full disclosure.
