Am I Too Late?

I just got an iPhone. I sorta feel like the last one in on it, like the Red Sox and integration. If this is all old hat to you out there, humor me.

Does everyone get nervous when a piece of new technology arrives? No matter how many VCRs, TV remotes, computers, iPods, etc. I have wrestled to a tie over the years, I'm always tense when I have to match wits with a new device.

The phones arrived in two days, I assume so that AT&T could start charging me the $290 per month for family unlimited plans, data charges and God knows what else. I followed the directions in order, as demanded by the instruction booklet. I'm not taking any chances here, although the most liberating time to have new technology is right when you get it. If you fuck it up, you can always try to convince the store that "it came that way."

I was lied to when I was once promised I would never have to re-punch my phone numbers due to the invention of the SIM card. Of course, I have more numbers now than ever before, about 130, but there's something to be said for mindless monkey work. Hours later, all numbers, email addresses and Internet bookmarks were entered and I was ready for the fun part. (I know the iPhone is supposed to sync contacts and bookmarks, but it didn't have a tab to sync with Outlook Express and I don't know why it didn't sync with Explorer).

Wait, not ready for fun yet. For some reason I can receive emails but not send them. Although all my pop's and smtp's are correct, I can't send. Maybe I'll get it some day, like when I finally realized I wasn't watching my HDTV's in HD. Details.

I had to figure out what music I'd put on the phone. I'm a capacity hog. My iPod is 120 GB and not nearly big enough for my entire collection. What to do with smaller capacity in a way that makes some logical and overly thought out sense? I decided that I would only put on new CDs, which is not a small numer. Just this week I bought over 20 discs, so new stuff should be sufficient.

Apps. I can't imagine an app I would ever pay for, especially since the entire web is a finger movement away. The freebies are good. Here's what I have, initially:

Wolfgang's Vault, an amazing concert library that I listen to on my PC already

Facebook

eBay (What's with this second letter capitalized thing anyway?)

Amazon

ESPN

MLB

Map Quest

Weather Channel

Flashlight (just that, but I've used my phone as a flashlight for years)

Citysearch

Complete Shakespeare.

Think of that last one. By pressing a button that doesn't really exist, I can access all of Willy's plays. Who cares? Well, I do. Besides just the idea of having the entire canon of civilization's greatest writer in my pocket, I can now go to the last scene of Henry IV, Part II whenever I'm in need of a good cry. When Hal, now Henry, says to Falstaff, who's been waiting to be lavished over by his erstwhile playmate, the new King refuses him, saying, "Presume not I am the thing that I was." That kills me. Not sure if that is word for word correct. I know where I can check though.

Last bit. Appropriate beginning wallpaper. Here it is:

Charlie don't surf, but now I do via iPhone. Smells like victory!