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applefanboy4

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 9, 2015
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In what was do you use it beyond the obvious of texting and phone calls? In what ways do you find it useful? How does it impact your daily life and routines?
 
Facebook, email, Cydia. Web browsing when not near a computer.

It keeps me connected.
 
Web browsing, email, several social media apps, games, music, moves/tv-shows, I write to do lists, taking pictures, calander to keep my life in order, other things as well.
 
Web browsing, photoes, I use the sat nav a lot as a driver also use podcasts a fair bit when I go cycling plus keep up to date with f/book Twitter etc....!
 
Web browsing
Email
Listening to music
Online shopping
Listening to podcasts
Online banking
Watching YouTube videos/TV shows
Alarm clock
Reminders
Social media
Reading (occasionally)
Camera
Navigation
Memo/notes/lists
Calculator
Calendar
Playing games
 
I ask myself this question every so often, just to be sure a smartphone is something that's worth me spending money on.

What it usually comes down is having one device that can be:

- an alarm clock
- a calendar of my work hours
- a calculator
- a groceries list

Everything else is a luxury.
 
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Facebook, clocking in and out for my job, alarm clock, Twitter, email, camera, web browsing, shopping, music, occasional gaming, Google Maps, I could go on.
 
Web browsing
You tube watching
TV watching
Movies
Mobile Banking
Emails
Game play
FaceTime audio over wifi when cell reception is nonexistent.
Navigation online
Navigation offline with maps.me (load maps into phone)
Weather radars
Apple News
Hey Siri timers, temp, what time, alarms
Wifi calling
Podcasts
Apple Music and entire DVDs library loaded
Keeping personal data
Photos
Notes, reminders
Calendar and appointments
Flashlight
Find Friend, Use to locate son and him to locate me
Videos family special events
Forums
Calculators, trig, equation solver
Getting answers to questions Wolfram and Internet
Interface to world no matter where I am.
 
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Music player: iTunes, radio, Apple Music

Communications: phone, email, social

Tools: guitar tuner, calculator, alarm, flashlight

Camera: photos, videos

Maps: driving, restaurants, POI

Music Recording: Quick melody ideas

Web Browsing: News, forums

Games: Scrabble, Solitaire

Find lost items: Find iPhone, Tile

Record Keeping: Numbers, Notes

Banking: Check balances, deposit checks, transfer money, make payments

Home automation: lights, security, pool, stereo

Remotes: TV, iTunes, Logic

Instruments: Synths, drums, midi controllers

Shopping: Craigslist, Ebay, Amazon
 
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Web browsing.

Social media (let's me easily keep in touch with family who don't like in the same country).

Shopping (95% of my shopping, including food is done on my phone).

Sat nav

Banking.

A remote for my HTPC.

Alarm clock

Flashlight (which I use far more than I ever thought I would).

Emails (I don't have my laptop or PC set up for emails anymore as the phone is easier)

To do lists.

Reminders (when I forget to look at the to do list).

Photos.

Gaming.

Watching videoes

Making/keeping check of appointments.

Finding information.

Reeding books (not often as I still prefer real books, but it's great for when you're stuck in say the doctors waiting to be seen etc).

I genuinely don't know what I'd do without my phone. I'd need about 10 gadgets to do everything my phone does and everything it has gradually replaced over the years.
 
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Aside from all of the above:

- SSH client to remotely log in to servers at work when I need to.
- Use Slack to communicate with co-workers easily.
- Use FaceTime (hey it's not a phone call) to communicate with friends and family. Even without video, a FaceTime audio call sounds way better and clearer than a regular phone call.
- As a remote for Cable TV as well as Apple TV
- To locate my car, and find out how my car is doing
- As a barcode scanner to check prices at the grocery store, and also to pay for groceries with Apple Pay.
- To track packages
 
Good question !! Especially for people who want to know if its worth to own a smartphone thats one of the expensive ones.. Our usage of iPhone can be classified into categories - 1) Utility use and 2) Luxurious use. Of the luxurious use, some can be justified by saying that we have earned it for ourselves but there are some which i feel are just plain lazy to have it on a smartphone.

I find the iPhone (or any smartphone) useful on the following counts -
Phone calls
Texts and Social messaging
Keeping track of To Do lists and Reminders
News Notifications (I find it quite useful)
Browsing on the go when you don't have a Laptop or Ipad
Keeping track of your calendar
Checking currency updates (am an expat so this app comes very handy)
Playing Games - passing time when I don't feel like indulging on anything serious (including reading) and seek some me time.
Above all - stability, consistency that only an iPhone can offer

Apart from the above, I find all other uses of iPhone to be luxurious.
 
Spotify - music obviously
Maps - so i dont get lost in my own city lol
Train schedule - should be obvious
Safari - so i can look busy when i wait on people by myself

worst obsession: twitter, facebook, instagram, snapchat, imessage, whatsapp aaaaand repeat

i never really use it as a phone :D
 
Apple Pay
Mobile Banking
Apple News
Apple Music
Kindle
M-Commerce
Organiser/Planner aka Siri
Main camera
Social Media
Web browsing
Travel assistant
& of course my gawwwwwwd chatting!!!!!:D
 
I travelled internationally for the first time last year. My iPhone did everything that I expected (camera, GPS, translator, etc.).

A week into my trip I began to feel overwhelmed by the language barrier and general disorientation of being in a foreign world.

What suprised me was how the iPhone served as a real security blanket. Being able to iMessage a friend, listen to some familiar music, and interact with a UI in my native language had an unexpected grounding effect.

A little slab of technology in my pocket fended off the anxiety of feeling, "lost" and allowed me to focus on living in the moment and appreciating the culture around me.
 
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