I had been using an iBook before that – and carrying it with me daily to do email and access the web and use digital photos. I also used iTunes for music. And I used Excel and Word a good bit.

My iBook was stolen from my car in a place I’d thought pretty safe. My digital camera was stolen at the same time.

So the problem to solve was to have a device easy to carry with me all the time – with an adequate screen for email and web access. Which would also provide: a camera, iTunes ( or other music) for my car, Excel and Word on occasion, a good calculator, use of PDF files, and easy backup.

I considered an iPod Touch but it had no camera. The Droid wasn’t out yet. The iPhone was what had a big enough screen that I could use it daily for email and Web.

The iPhone works very well for the functions I listed above – with the frequent use of a car charger and an add-on battery.

I’ve found several more uses for the iPhone than I’d expected. I read news daily – using some Apps I name below. I no longer buy hardcopy newspapers several times a week – nor on Sunday.

I’ve also found a number of other ways to use my iPhone and I’ll write about those from time to time.

Now I’m using the following news apps daily: Broadersheet, FluentNews and Newser. If I had to choose only one it would be Fluent News – I especially like it’s Analytic section.

And weekly I’m using NYTimes, News Feed, Economy and Weatherbug. Occasionally I use BBC, Rueters, Bloomberg, and I’m trying out The Atlantic.

Cheers

I like tools and use them to leverage my abilities where I’m doing something near my limits, and also to recover or re-orient when I step past my edges. I also find play is a great way for me to learn and be creative, as well as to relax and energize.

So writing here is a tool to develop my learning about my own use of tools, to learn from other tool users, and is a way for me to play with writing and blogs.