iPhone has features, apps for almost every user's interests

YAKIMA, Wash. -- With all the hype surrounding the iPhone, it might surprise some that Apple Inc. is still No. 2 among other phones of its kind.

During the first quarter of this year, the iPhone had 28 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, behind the Blackberry phones at 35 percent, according to The Nielsen Co.

Whatever the numbers may be, there's little doubt that iPhone has gained widespread appeal over the three years it's been in the market.

And there's no better indication of this than today's release of the iPhone 4.

The new phone, which costs $199 for the 16 gigabyte version and $299 for the 32 gigabyte version, with a two-year contract with AT&T, comes with several new features, including video chat, a higher-quality screen display and a high-definition video camera.

Response to the new phone has been so overwhelming -- 600,000 in the first day alone -- that those who did not preorder will have to wait days, even weeks to get their hands on one.

The iPhone isn't only attracting the tech-savvy these days.

Here are six local phone users who are drawn to the iPhone, each with a different spin on their reliance on the smartphone.

'Opens the world to you'

Rebecca Berghoff isn't much of a techie.

The 58-year-old Yakima nurse doesn't own a computer and only uses one at work.

But last fall, Berghoff dealt with an expired cell phone contract, a broken digital camera and the desire to keep in better touch with family members.

So with encouragement from her son-in-law, she purchased an iPhone 3GS in October.

Thanks to the Facebook and Twitter applications on her phone, she's seen photos of the man her daughter is dating via Facebook, was able to attend her nephew's wife's funeral in Pennsylvania and even shared her strong Christian beliefs.

One time she heard a song on a Christian radio station and was so moved she posted a lyric from the song to her Facebook page.

"You get drawn in because it's so easy," she said. "It just opens the whole world to you."

But even with the good she sees with the phone, she remains wary of having too much technology in her life.

When her grandchildren visit, she will not let them play with the iPhone and makes sure they go outside to play. She will choose reading a hardback over an e-book on the iPhone every time.

And she still doesn't own a computer.

"It kind of scares me (of an iPhone) becoming a person's whole life or only way of connecting," she said.

Raised expectations

To fund the purchase of his iPhone 4, Mark Collins sold his current iPhone, the first version, for $120.

That may have been a mistake -- the Nokia phone he's using for now doesn't quite cut it.

"It feels like I'm missing a piece of my body," he said.

And for the last few years, the iPhone has been a part of Collins' work as well.

Union Gap-based software company 4 Qtrs, where the 26-year-old Collins works, currently develops iPhone applications for local businesses.

One of those apps helps agricultural spraying companies track the number of bugs caught in traps set up throughout the orchard. The application is also programmed to have the information sync to a website that keeps an ongoing record of the bug count.

Being involved in the app creation process has helped Collins gain more understanding of how the iPhone works.

It also has exposed him to the strict standards Apple has for its applications. Rules for developers restrict what phone features an application can integrate into their programs. Apple will also restrict apps based on content.

Collins has seen apps take up to a month to gain approval from Apple.

"I like the hardware and function," he said. "What I don't like are the policies surrounding it."

Despite his qualms, he still looks forward to getting the new iPhone. He likes the faster processing speeds, which will enable him to design more content-rich applications, and the new high-definition video camera.

"The biggest thing (the phone has done) is raise the expectation of what technology can do," he said. "I'm happy it's done that."

Upgrade? You bet

David Lynx has purchased Apple's products since the mid-1980s, when he purchased a Mac Plus computer, which came with a 5-inch black-and-white screen and required floppy disks to operate.

But it took some time for the 50-year-old associate director of the Yakima Valley Museum to convince himself to purchase the iPhone.

"I had to justify why I need it and whether I would use all the features," he said.

He finally gave in and purchased the iPhone 3G when it was released in 2008.

When someone is looking for him at the museum, he can easily be found with a text message or e-mail, which go straight to his phone.

He no longer needs to have a camera to take a picture of items he's looking at for the museum. Instead, he can snap a quick photo on the iPhone and e-mail the photo immediately to museum staff.

Lynx isn't hesitating these days -- he's upgrading to the new iPhone 4. He said he's looking forward to new features, such as the video chat.

"Now I think, how could I live without it?" he said.

Retail applications

Most college professors expect students to put away their cell phones.

Natalie Lupton encourages students to use them in her class, particularly if it's an iPhone.

Lupton, a 40-year-old assistant professor in Central Washington
University's Information Tech-nology and Administrative Management Department, uses the iPhone as part of her retail management and retail technology classes.

She downloads applications made by retailers to her iPhone 3GS as part of a discussion on how retailers are integrating mobile phones into their business plan.

She usually shows a screen shot of the app during class, but students will often download the app and play with it during class discussion.

"It increases the discussion,"
she said. "It makes them interested in the content a lot more. You're relating the content to something they understand. Students feel a lot more engaged in what they're learning."

Video games galore

While Jenaro Urena appreciates his iPhone 3G for its practical uses, such as looking up medications for his job or writing an organized grocery shopping list, the 31-year-old pharmacy technician from Yakima appreciates the phone most for its addicting games.

He has more than 25 games installed on his phone. His favorites include Bejeweled, a puzzle game; Zombie Smash, which enables the elimination of animated zombies with the flick of a finger; and the always addicting Sudoku.

He's stopped carrying around other portable video game systems since buying the iPhone.

"It's always given me something to do when there's nothing to do," he said.

He said that his finances don't allow him to buy the iPhone 4, but figures that waiting won't hurt.

"I think it will be good down the line because it will have a better version of the iPhone 4," he said.

Access anywhere

Since purchasing an iPhone 3GS last June, Fatima Valencia said she uses a desktop computer a whole lot less.

The recent Davis High School graduate would rather text -- she estimates that she sends about 20,000 of them a month -- or use the Facebook app to contact her friends. When she looks for jobs or plans to sell something, she usually starts up the Craigslist iPhone application. She even ordered her prom dress by using Macy's iPhone application.

"I like the fact I can access anything, just about anywhere," she said.

* Mai Hoang can be reached at 577-7685 or mhoang@yakimaherald.com.