iPhone: the missing manual
Pogue, David
O’Reilly Media Inc., $24.99, 552p,
978-1-449-31648-8
978-1-4493-1647-1
(e-book), 2012
Interest Level: anyone interested
excellent,
Appropriate for owners
of iPhones 4s/5
This book is an owners manual with a get
out of jail free card that will help the reader navigate the complexities of
syncing, Siri, iCloud, Facetime, or just the simple setup steps of a new owner.
David’s unique writing style has made this a humorous and intuitive guide to
one of the world’s most addictive and popular computers.
The book is flexible in the way a reader
can utilize the information. It makes a great how-to book for everyone from a
beginner to an advanced user.
The book will make a good reference tool
to have handy for when you want to know why something isn’t working the way you
want. The best thing is that owners of the book
(remember to register) have access to a website where all corrections
and updates are posted.
The two most important chapters for me
were Syncing with iTunes (Chapter 13)
and iCloud (Chapter 14). The iTunes
chapter offered detailed information of how to and why certain things happened
when syncing (both wireless and cabled), authorizing and deauthorizing
idevices, what individual tabs do, and how to successfully backup to the cloud
or computer. In the iCloud chapter it demystified many of the misconceptions
out there of just what is and how to successfully maintain the iPhone. Most
users don’t realize the wealth of services available from the cloud ( syncing, photo
stream, email, Addressbook, a locker in the sky, iTunes match, etc.) and the
rest don’t put most of them into play. By reading or referring to this book
users will have a better grip on what’s available and how to set-up and
maintain the utilities.
A big disappointment to me was the lack of
a Table of Contents in the epub version of iPhone: the missing manual. I’m sure
this was an oversight that will be corrected in the future because both the
paperback and pdf version included it. But it is disheartening to readers of the
book who depend upon a good break down of the contents.
Both the ebook and the paperback contain
the same material. They are both well suited to either format. By saying this,
I mean the pages and chapters in the paperback are clearly readable. The size
of the text and crispness of the full color illustrations that are
appropriately placed on the well-formatted pages make this a very useful
reference tool for a very powerful smartphone.
The choice of ebook versus paperback is definitely a
personal one. Some people think the paperback with its beautiful clay coated
paper and full color illustrations is a doorstop. But I must admit that the
ebook is easy to use and very portable. Either are a must have for an iPhone
owner. It is also a welcome addition to any user group library where it can
answer many of the questions that come up at a meeting.
This ebook or paperback is very informative, clearly
organized, and very thoroughly indexed for retrieval of information. There is
something for the reader at every level as it covers the hardware, software,
apps, and accessories.
Whether you are a new owner or advanced
user, you will find insights into the complexities of the iPhone as you skim
some chapters and digest others.
Reviewed by Linda McNeil
