Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child

Subject: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 07:02 AM

I have bought a second hand iPhone 3 GS, and somehow I have activated a voice over, that tells me what button I have pressed. It now needs to be pressed twice again to activate that app. Grrrrr.
Apple in their arrogance don't supply user handbooks with any of their products, so I am lost, and very very cross.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 08:45 AM

Well good old YouTube sorted me out, but why oh why don't Apple supply more info?

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Marje
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 09:27 AM

Well, enjoy it while you can. The police will be knocking on your door shortly, asking why you posted a notice on this website saying you needed a 14-year-old child ....

Marje

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 10:43 AM

OK That figures, they are too dumb to read the thread properly, and make the mental leap to the oft quoted saw. 'If you have a technological problem, ask a 14 year old child to solve it' ;-)

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 11:38 AM

Hi, JOhn. I sympathize. My husband has a new phone that I call the devil phone. Turns out, it responds to the warmth in one's fingers. Since I have cold fingers, it's very erratic. One second I'm trying to make a call, the next second it's showing me a street map of Bangkok.

He has co-worker with very warm hands, and it's doing exotic tasks before she even touches it.

In a PR move, he asked me to call it 'the brick' rather than 'the devil phone', because he uses it at work.

I agree with you that Apple ought to give better customer support.

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 11:56 AM

I also have a new phone and am grieving the old one I had just learned how to use. It's a process, so my 28-yr-old techie friend tells me, and he sez I need to move from the anger phase to the melancholy. We're still sorting out whether that requires vodka.

~S~

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Tootler
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 12:08 PM

To the OP,

The reason you need a 14 year old, is they are not afraid to press buttons and see what happens, that way they eventually sort things out. Adults are scared they might break something but you won't, so imitate the 14 year old and press buttons (or tap icons) and see what happens.

Overall don't be afraid to try things out, you won't break anything (providing you don't use a hammer, that is). If it falls over and the screen goes blank or haywire, switch off and then switch back on again, that will usually reset everything so you can start again. Sometimes you may have to remove the battery and put it back in again to ensure the device is properly switched off - if necessary, do that. Perhaps you could try that first with your iPhone, as that sometimes is all that is needed if you have accidentally pressed (sorry! tapped) a wrong icon.

We're still sorting out whether that requires vodka.

Will Whisky do instead?

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Megan L
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 12:58 PM

Ah telt ye tae gie it a wee dod wie a six pun hammer.

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Amos
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 01:31 PM

An iPhone can be resent by simultaneously holding down the on-off button on the top and the select button (if that is what it is called? Start button?) on the front for about five seconds. It can also be reset by way of iTunes if you have it plugged into a computer.

The touch-screen on an iPhone is capacitative, not thermal. Moisture can make a difference, probably not temp.


A

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Zhenya
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 03:24 PM

Apple, like many companies these days, has been posting the user manuals on line instead of including them in the product box. You can download the whole manual here:

Apple user manuals

I myself don't need them anymore because my niece just turned 14!

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 05:28 PM

But Amos, I'm not sure it's an iphone. All I know is that it's a pain.

My own phone is smaller and simpler. I keep it hidden and do not give the number out. When people ask if I have a cell, I answer,"No, I'm still running around without a collar."

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: GUEST,Lilyfestre
Date: 29 Dec 11 - 01:09 AM

Only a trac phone here...no need for all the bells and whistles or monthly bill!

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 29 Dec 11 - 03:36 AM

In my experience, he use of 14 year old children in such circumstances is greatly over-rated. They can find their way around applications very well, but when it comes to setting things up and sussing out what's going on with a piece of kit, give me a 50-something who started off writing machine code every time.

I'm not in IT or anything techie of that sort, but if my kids need the Registry sorting out on their laptops, or something a bit more complicated than sussing out an app on their phones, they come to me!

Subject: RE: Tech: New iPhone I need a 14 year old child
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 11 - 11:31 AM

Here you go, my friend (well, on facebook anyway!) David Pogue's latest "Missing Manual" book. He's really onto something here, writing instructions for people who prefer to read it on paper.

SRS