Device evolution (part 2) – Apple impressions

Part 1 left off with a promise; impressions of the iPhone 6s as a first time Apple consumer (who is more or less dependent on dictation and bilingual).

What I will call "Apple dictation" is a pleasure to use! It's use can extend to almost every aspect of "writing life". If you have access to another keyboard, switching over to that language will give you access to dictate in that language. My Danish pronunciation is by no means at a native level. Yet, when I've switched over to the Danish keyboard and turned on dictation, the system has very little trouble understanding me. I've dictated emails and text messages in both languages. The discovery of the bilingual capability happened quite by accident, but it was worth the money spent to discover this little gem. The dictation is also very directional. This means that when my darling Meyers Parrot decides to be boisterous, it doesn't interfere with the dictation near as much as it tends to when I'm using Dragon NaturallySpeaking with a headset.

Exception: When you train Siri for a language (Hey Siri), she has a one track mind.

That is the other feature that I am very much enjoying. Hey Siri is listening in the background all the time.

For the most part, Apple's interface is intuitive, though it did take some getting used to. I like the wheel/click effect for setting dates and times. However, I had to get used to the fact that when the phone is hung up the screen is white; when the line is open the screen is black with more choices. To me the colors for those two actions should be reversed. This momentary confusion led to some unintentional calls.

You can print Pages documents using a PC. Log in to iCloud. The document will be converted to a PDF before printing. However, you cannot use Dragon while logged into the web-based (iCloud) version of Pages on a PC.

I also "inherited" an iPad Mini 2, which is great if I find myself needing the screen real estate. However, my small hands gravitate toward the iPhone 6s more often than not.

Device Evolution (part 1) - Safety first

My technological journey has been one driven by necessity. Auditory information is more easily processed than visual. Typing at a snail's pace does not do much for morale or productivity.

While still in college (1992-1996), I was introduced to Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I started using the Nuance program after graduating. It has been an intregal part of my computer system for all these years; I prefer versions with read back functionality. There is one major drawback: I am functionally bilingual. As my second language, Danish is broken by few.

Circumstances dictated that I buy my first cell phone (ca. 2003) for safety reasons; It's not fun being unable to open the ladies room door, knowing that you will be late for Danish class. When that one bit the dust, I bought a Nokia just like the first (March 18, 2013). That, in conjunction with a short string of android tablets; the latest  an Nvidia shield (January 6, 2015). The tablet's battery has seen better days and the modern world now almost insists that Smartphones be attached at their owners' hips.

I joined the modern age just under three weeks ago. The Google Pixel is not available in Denmark. Samsung has gotten itself a damaged reputation. So, I decided to switch ecosystems.  Apple products are very easy to return within the first two weeks after purchase. Given that the iPhone 6s is my first smart phone, the return policy proved to be a selling point.

Word to the wise: Have a Sim card handy to activate your new phone. No one expects their first experience with a new product to be getting it started with the helpline on the phone. That said, they were calm, professional, and willing to help. Problem solved: In order to activate my phone, I had to borrow a Sim card from someone who trusts me.  When the phone was activated, I returned the Sim card and used it on Wi-Fi until I was sure I wanted to keep the device.

Stay tuned for impressions ...