If I didn't have to be connected to the world 24 hours a day, I wouldn't be. But that is the nature of any service business. My clients usually have a lot on the line and want to be able to reach me. In that respect, these devices are a godsend.

 

Rob, it was a joke. But to answer your question, some of us never left. I have a cell phone ($5/month) that I carry for those very rare times when I need to call someone - when it just can't wait. I also turn it on when doing extended travel. Otherwise, all our phone use is via land line and recording machine.

 

My +1 also finds a Tracphone more than suits his needs. It's in the car for the occasional "Honey, I'm running a few minutes late" call.

I do understand those who own/run businesses need to be in touch with people. However, IMO,it's sad that some folks feel they can't disconnect long enough to enjoy dinner, or a day with the family, without being available.

 

I know you were joking, but I couldn't let it go without a response.

The funny thing is I can't say that I disagree with you and Bill when I see people talking or texting while they're driving. Interestingly, you can always tell when the person in front of you is texting, they can't stay in their lane. When I'd see that in the past I always assumed that the person was drunk, now I assume that they're texting. I also miss the face to face contact that we all used to have, but, I really like the advantages.

Just these last two days with Blackberry e-mails being down, I find that I've missed some clients mail. That's the problem with this technology. Once you get used to it, it's a big problem when it doesn't work. As an aside, by the way it's going I doubt that Blackberry will be around for too much longer. Sell your stock now while you can still get out.

Just yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my colleagues about the advantages of e-mail vs. phone calls. Aside from the social contact, e-mail is so much better. Just from the point of view that it gives you a chance to think about your answer before you reply. And it's much less disruptive.

 

Did all of you upgrade your iPhones, iPads and iPods to iOS5 yet? I did yesterday. It's a four hour download, but it's a real easy install.

The upgrade has some nice features, but it's more evolutionary and less revolutionary than Apple says. Still, it's worth doing, I think.

What are you waiting for?

 

I did the iOS5 upgrade for my iPad, however, as yet I am holding off on iCloud. While the reviews for Lion have been good ($30), the same can't be said for iPhoto-11 ($15). And iCloud does not work with iPhoto-9. Sorry to get a little off the 'phone' subject but in today's sync world it's easy.

 

Perfectly all right. You are absolutely right about today's sync world.

I did the upgrade to iOS5. Some of the new features are quite nice, some are just for show, and some are useless. I did sync my iPad to the iCloud, but I can't get my Outlook to sync to it. Doesn't really matter, I keep my calender and documents on Google docs, which does sync to my iPad and I simply upload my contacts to Google gmail contact via an exported csv file.

Today for the first time an app froze on my iPad. I had to power down and back up again for it to start working.

I did upgrade my MacBook Pro to Lion but so far I don't see much difference. That's mostly my fault. 90% of my MacBook time is spent in the Windows side (via Bootcamp). I use the Apple side for some things, but not enough to notice much change from Snow Leopard. As always, the Apple software runs perfectly.

Just an aside, and to talk about phones again, this afternoon I happened to be in the mall and passed the Apple Store. At 2:30 in the afternoon there was a line of people outside of the store waiting to be let in. There was an aisle divider (like you see outside of clubs and movies) to keep the line orderly and a few Apple employees in the mall with iPads recording names of the people on the line. It's hard to believe how very successful the launch of the iPhone4s has been. Even the AT&T store was busy, and that never happens around here.

 

Well, I like our wall phone the best, the cordless phone next, and last of all my cell phone, which I carry in my purse for emergencies. goBlueS2K recharges it every now and then for me. I'm still learning how to use it. I guess I've had it for about 2 years and have made a handful of calls on it. Okay, well maybe two handfuls.

 

Sue, I agree. We still think nothing beats our wall phone (a/k/a as a land line).

 

I spoke (or typed) too soon. Apple just sent me an update so iPhoto 9 will now work in iCloud so it's not necessary to do the upgrade no one seemed to like. I continue to be impressed with how Apple does it thing.