It all started when my then 11yo son asked me why I didn't have an IPod. I told him I would get an IPod when they made it a phone, too. He said, "They have that!" He proceeded to show me the Steve Jobs video unveiling the original IPhone. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a technology junkie. I was hooked and counted the days until the IPhone would be released. Waiting is not my strong suit, so it wasn't a good thing that it wasn't due to be released for several months after I saw the video. I was dreaming about it. Then I had the problem of my cell phone contract not being up. The June 2007 release date came and went and I had no IPhone. My next problem was that my husband is NOT a technology junkie. Convincing him that this was something that I "needed" was a challenge. I begged him to buy me one for Christmas and then I was losing sleep worried that he'd gotten me a plain ole IPod instead, thinking that it was "cheaper" and "just as good." But he surprised me and I was ECSTATIC to get an Iphone last Christmas Day! 

Since then, I have counted the ways the IPhone has changed my life. Now don't get me wrong. No one NEEDS an IPhone. If you are struggling to make ends meet, know that I've been there. Even more thrilling than an IPhone is not having to use a cash advance from one credit card to pay off another and wondering when the next check will come bouncing back to you! Everything an IPhone can do, you can do for free or next to nothing the old fashioned way. So if money is tight, forget the IPhone! You don't need one. But if you are in the market for an IPod and/or cell phone and/or PDA, read on.

A girlfriend of mine once told me that wearing thong underwear would change my life. It did for the few minutes that I could tolerate the feeling of having meat stuck between my teeth being extended to my nether region. The IPhone is not like that. Here are all the reasons I thank God for IPhone:

1) Email device – I can keep up with email anywhere! 

2) MP3 player – I can listen to my music during workouts.

3) Song name determiner – With Shazam, I just put it next to the music and it immediately tells me the name of the song, album, artist, etc. and links me to ITunes to buy it.

4) Babysitter – I have downloaded a few games, kids' shows and movies to keep the kids from screaming and hitting each other in the waiting room.  Turn taking continues to be a problem, however!

5) Workout logger – To do my first Body for Life challenge, I had to carry paper and pen. No more! I take Gyminee with me. 

6) Grocery List – I use SplashShopper and Tasty Planner and I'm ready to shop!

7) Chore Timer – The kids are timed doing their chores every day and they earn privileges based on their ranking for the week. I use the IPhone's built in timer to track their times.

8) Allowance Keeper – I use the Spend app to set up a "budget" for each child. The program automatically adds their weekly allowance. When a child makes a purchase, I can deduct the amount on the spot. No more trying to remember and kids losing the actual money.

9) Calendar – I sync iCal with Google calendar so I can make changes to my calendar from my IPhone or from any computer connected to the Internet. This distractible woman loves being able to use alarms or text messages to remind me to do just about anything!

10) To Do list – I use Mark Forster's Do It Tomorrow approach to task management and use Cultured Code's Things to keep tasks in order. I've tried lots of different approaches and right now this is my favorite. I will blog more about DIT in the future.

11) Bible – When I am on the go and even when I am not, I use the free Bible application on my IPhone to quickly look up verses. 

12) Reader – I can keep up with all my blogs much better having them on Google Reader on my IPhone. I have read half a free book on my IPhone, too, but it's not as appealing as real books so far.

13) Radio – I love being able to choose any genre of free music to suit my mood. I can put Christian music on to listen to while I'm doing devotions, for example.

14) News – I wish I had time to watch TV news or read the paper. I don't! My dh keeps me informed and when he doesn't, I can check into what's going on with the vSNAX app on my IPhone. 

15) Photo Album – No longer do I have to say, "Oh I'll have to show you that photo sometime." I can keep all my most recent or favorite photos or even scrapbook pages on my IPhone. What's more is I can share home videos, too!

16) Weather Center – I used to spend a lot of time trying to time the news just right to catch the weather. Even the weather channel was a challenge! Now I just click on the native weather app or WeatherBug on my IPhone and I know right away what to expect this week. 

17) White and Yellow Pages on the go – Can't tell you how many times I have used this. For example, I've quickly looked up restaurants, called them by tapping the number, and gotten directions pronto! 

18) Navigator – I am map challenged, so having the ability to toggle between a GPS-enabled map and a list of directions has saved me more times than I care to say. I'm actually glad the thing can't talk to me because I wouldn't want to hear it!

19) Connector – Being able to quickly touch base via Facebook, Twitter, and AIM helps me feel as though I am not neglecting friends and family despite my very busy lifestyle.

20) Remote – I connected my computer's ITunes to the older whole-house speaker system we have. Using my IPhone I can control the music and even the volume that's playing throughout the house. If only I could control the kids with it!

21) Countdown keeper – If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked, "How many days til my birthday?" I would be only a little consoled. But at least I have Ticker, an IPhone app that keeps track of all of that for me!

22) Note taker – I can add text, audio, and photo notes via multiple applications and store them online. For example, I have used the built-in-camera to record my parking space in a garage and I have recorded my Bible memory verses in notes. 

23) Camera – Yes, it's only 2MP, but it does in a pinch! No more fretting about not having a camera.

24) Flashlight – I get up to workout while it's still dark and my dh is sometimes sleeping. I use the light from my IPhone to find my way to the bathroom without injuring myself BEFORE I get to the gym.

25) Question Answerer – While in the middle of homeschooling or just about anywhere people ask a question that I don't know the answer to, I whip out my IPhone and in a few Google seconds, I know! This morning, we wondered why dogs roll in stinky things. (Answer: To make you crazy. 😉

Okay, I will be blogging all night if I don't limit myself to a quick honorable mention to the rest of the things my IPhone does for me: calculator, stock price checker, alarm clock, address book, dictionary and scrabble word checker, exercise interval timer, movie previewer, ebay broker, speech timer and recorder, bank teller, restaurant chooser, external hard drive via airsharing and datacase, mobile blogger, price checker, checklist, foreign language dictionary, portable movie player, and online shopping cart.   

If you have an IPhone, comment and tell me any other ways you use your IPhone. If you don't and you're in the market for one, what are you waiting for? Get to an Apple or AT&T store!