How the iPhone 3G is going to save my career

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How the iPhone 3G is going to save my career

Aug 4th

Posted by Jay Donovan

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Tagged: Apple, iPhone in Smartphones

This post was published 1 year 3 months 25 days ago which may make its actuality or expire date not be valid anymore. This site is not responsible for any misunderstanding.

Stop. Reverse. The year is 1999. Picture this: An office filled with a staff of coders and designers, frantically working around the clock to deliver a mobile software portal. As we peer down the aisles, we see lots of RIM 857s, 957s, Palm VIIs, Mountain Dew bottles and pizza boxes strewn about. There are looks of concern, excitement, fatigue and elation on the faces of the 20 or so people working and at the end of the row, there is some dude operating a mouse with his toes. What? That’s right, there is some doofus with his sock off, wearing giant wrist guards, cripplingly typing on computer keys with a pencil and yes, using a standard computer mouse with his foot.

That would be me.

Let me preface by saying that, as a graphic designer and upright bassist, I have been plagued for many years with wrist problems (carpal tunnel and tendonitis) and by the late 90’s it nearly ended my career in design and sent me on long hiatus from playing bass. By the time I started working for a mobile dot-com start up in 1999, I could barely even use a computer. I had been through cortisone shots, rehab therapies and had tried all kinds of crazy things in order to keep working in the industry, (including getting really good with using a regular-old mouse with my foot). What ultimately happened is that my employer purchased me a Wacom tablet for me and viola… I was healed. Seriously, just changing that one wrist motion, along with setting up my workspace a little differently, pretty much saved my career.

Stop. Fast-forward 9 years. Here I am, still designing, still playing bass, still as much of a mobile junkie as ever (if not even more), and using a Blackjack II like its made out of cocaine and I am Al Pacino in Scarface. About 5 months ago, that old familiar feeling started to creep back into my wrists, this time more around my thumbs. Aaaaarrrrrrr, could it be Blackberry Thumb? More than likely. But connection to the outside world through my little phone is too much temptation to resist over-use. Again, I found myself typing with one hand, or with my knuckles. The pain coming back. Concern mounting in my mind.

Let’s get one thing straight… I am no "Apple Fanboy". In fact many times of the years I feel Apple have dropped the ball or let me down in terms of processing speed or other things. In fact, I am usually not much of a brand loyalist with anything. I mostly search for the tool, service or product that best executes, regardless of brand.

I am definitely willing to look around. So when I say, "I purchased an iPhone 3G" I can say with clear conscience, that it had something specific I was looking for–namely free GPS and a better browser–and that I am not just a hype casualty. I passed on the first iPhone because I had had too many "edge network" letdowns with previous providers and I was really skeptical about not having a tactile keyboard (I had used Spb’s Full Screen Keyboard, on Pocket PC before, with mixed results). Besides not qualifying for any savings, I bit the bullet and bought the iPhone 3G. I started using it as much as the Blackjack II, but lo and behold, the pain was lessening. Interesting.

Originally, the main point of this long-winded, melodramatic post was focused around talking about and critiquing the virtual keyboard on the iPhone, but I have had some other thoughts while writing it. While the iPhone keypad requires a different motion, a lighter touch and definitely takes some getting used to… that is exactly what makes it unique and, from my standpoint as a repetitive motion sufferer, superior. Yes, while I can absolutely type almost twice as fast with my two thumbs on the "real" keypad of my Samsung, the question I am asking myself lately is "do I need to?" Yes, with a little more practice, I think I will get the hang of the iPhone keypad, increase my speed and accuracy and at the same time, save my career all over again :). Or better yet, maybe I won’t increase my speed and accuracy at all and will just do things a little slower… maybe even a little less. Maybe what I am realizing is that the problem isn’t any device at all… Just my over-use of them, in general. Sometimes it takes a different approach to see clearly. Isn’t it strange that Apple’s old motto "Think Different" is still making sense to me. This device is not making me think differently about devices, but rather about THE USE of devices.

Look, don’t misunderstand me folks. I am not trying to say that the iPhone 3G is the freakin’ Bhodisatva of the mobile Internet. And this is definitely no "Jerry McGuire memo". It’s just a phone. It makes phone calls. It has access to the Internet. But, Apple did come up with a new paradigm, and I think it is different enough from other touch screens that came before it, to change use and habits of users. That’s what this is all about. This phone changes how you touch phones, and in a good way. Therefore, for me, the best thing about the iPhone has nothing to do with technical specifications, power, speed or anything like that (the things I am normally concerned or obsessed with), but has everything to do with the simple motion specifics that control this phone. They are low impact. They are a little more natural. This phone is great for people with wrist problems. Consider these things too… that’s all I am saying.

Whew! I am probably going to get creamed for this post… but it is really how I feel.

The thoughts, statements and ideas within are solely attributed to Jay Donovan and not the other "obsessive mobile freaks" that I so admire and that also love and work hard for this wonderful website. Oy!