I Can't Live without My Smartphone or Laptop but Where Does My iPad Fit into the Mix?

I love my smartphone and I don't think I can live without it. I can check my email, read the news, catch up with friends on Facebook, play Words With Friends, listen to Pandora, get driving directions, surf the internet and so much more. I was initially reluctant to get a smartphone because I didn't think I could justify the expense. To make matters worse, once I finally got one I had to go back to the Verizon store so they could show me how to use it. While I was waiting in line my new phone started ringing and I realized John, who was 7 years-old at the time, was calling me from one of the store demo phones. I guess if I had asked him to show me how to use my phone I could have saved a trip to the store.

My smartphone, with all its bells and whistles, would put the first computer I owned to shame. That first computer was a Macintosh SE my father bought me in the summer of 1987 before my senior year in college. It was cutting edge technology at the time, boasting a monochrome screen, an 800 KB floppy disk drive and a 20 MB hard drive all conveniently packaged into a 17 pound box the size and shape of a bread box. By comparison, my current Motorola Droid 4 smartphone has 16 GB of memory, a high resolution color touch-screen display and weighs 6.3 ounces. It would be even smaller and lighter if I could give up the slide-out QWERTY keyboard.  

Despite the fondness I feel for my smartphone I am just as passionate about my laptop computer. I bought my first laptop, a Macintosh PowerBook 100, in graduate school to replace my Macintosh SE. Throughout graduate school and in my postdocs I had access to the latest Macintosh and Apple desktop computers. But when I had to buy a new personal computer in 2002 I made the switch to a PC laptop. I don't really see any benefit of a desktop over a laptop. Desktop computers do have some significant disadvantages - they take up a lot of space and they aren't portable. My current laptop, an HP Pavilion dv6000 running Windows 7, is old (bought in 2007) and heavy (6 pounds) and the battery only lasts about 30 minutes. On the plus side it has a large display (15.4 inches) and comfortable keyboard so it's perfect when I need to do complex tasks.

My electronic device division of labor was straightforward until a year and a half ago. That's when my husband gave me an iPad as a gift. My iPad2 has 16 GB of memory, a 9.7 inch display and it weighs 1.3 pounds. I enjoy my iPad but do I really need it? Where does it fit in the mix between my smart phone and my laptop? My iPad seems like a pure luxury when it comes right down to it. It's kind of like a big phone or a small laptop but it doesn't quite replace either one. I purchased a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard and even though that's a huge improvement over the touch screen keyboard it doesn't make the iPad a mini-lap top.  

Here's what I see as the strengths and weaknesses of each device. 

Laptop
Strengths:

• If I need to write anything longer than one paragraph I do it on the laptop. I type fastest when I can use all of my fingers on a full size keyboard and I like using the mouse to move the cursor. 
• I prefer real website functionality to simplified app versions. Have you ever tried creating a new invitation on the Evite app? Or editing a post on the Facebook app? Or updating your queue on the Netflix app? Or modifying your stations on the Pandora app? Whenever I try to do these things with the apps I am reminded how much easier it is to do these things on the full-fledged website. 
• If I need to write a lecture, download journal articles, or grade papers I will wait until I can do it on my laptop because it is so much more efficient.
• My laptop is portable, unlike a desktop computer. I can take my laptop with me where ever I need to go.  I can catch up on clinic correspondence when I'm on campus, grade papers in between meetings at the medical school, or write a lecture at the sand dunes. 
• I print and scan from my laptop. 

Weaknesses: 

• I am tied to an electrical outlet because my battery is so old it no longer holds a charge. 
• I still too uncoordinated to use the touch pad so I rely on my optical mouse to control the cursor.
• My laptop is so old the graphics card wasn't good enough for John to play Skylanders Spyro's Adventure so he had to play it on my husband's desktop PC. The newer Skylanders Giants doesn't even come in a PC platform version.

iPad

Strengths: 

• Compared to my laptop my iPad is relatively small and lightweight.
• The iPad has a long battery life. With normal use I don't need to charge it every day. I can also watch several hours of TV shows without draining the battery. This is a considerable improvement over the portable DVD players the kids use on car and plane trips.
• The screen on my iPad is significantly bigger than the one on my smartphone. This makes it a better option for watching videos and reading long articles.
• Dropbox works great on my iPad. I can save articles I find on my smartphone or laptop to my Dropbox and read them later on my iPad.

Weaknesses: 

• Don't be fooled by apps - they are not as good as the real, full-feature web sites you can access on your laptop. Apps are inferior, second class, dumbed down versions of the real websites. Sure, you can get by with the apps but in the end they often leave me frustrated.
• I despise editing text on my iPad. I find it incredibly difficult to get the cursor in the right spot, even with the magnifying glass tool. And don't get me started on the copy and paste text feature. It's always a struggle to get the little blue highlighted section to include the text I actually want.
• My iPad only has wifi so I have to plan ahead if I want to watch videos or read articles when I don't have wifi coverage.

Smartphone

Strengths: 

• My smartphone is small so I can take it anywhere. I can also pull it out in public places and not feel too awkward.  
• The display is small so the people around me can't easily read over my shoulder. That includes my kids. 
• My smartphone can do just about everything my iPad can do. 
• My smartphone has 4G and wifi so I can get internet where ever there is cell phone coverage or a wifi signal.

Weaknesses: 

• The worst thing about my smartphone is the phone part. I fumble around to find the number of the person I want to call and then I put the phone up to my ear and wait for the call to connect. More often than not I have to take the phone away from my ear and look at the screen to see if the call is going through. Why does it take so long for the calls to go through? And once the call goes through I can't hear the person on the other end all that well and I have to utter that cliche phrases, "Can you hear me now" or "Are you still there?". Sometimes I'll put the phone too close to my head and the side of my face will accidentally end the call. These are the reasons why I prefer email or texting.
• My fingers are too big for the touch pad keyboard. I accidentally touch the wrong letter so it takes me infinitely longer to try to use the touch pad keyboard, even with the auto-complete word feature than if I use the slide out QWERTY keyboard.
• The battery on my smartphone dies quickly. I usually have to charge it twice a day. I bought a charger for my car and I use it on a daily basis.

The boys' opinions:

Things they like to do on the laptop:

• John and Nathan agree Minecraft is better on the laptop than on the iPad. The laptop version lets you fly as high as you want and it has more materials than iPad app.
• John prefers the laptop version of the Infinity Ring game over the iPad app. The laptop version has a better user interface so it's easier to use.
• Nathan prefers the laptop version of Raz Kids to the iPad version.

Things John likes to do on the iPad:

• John likes playing Dragonvale better on the larger iPad screen than on the smaller iPod Touch screen.

Things Nathan likes to do on his iPod Touch:

• Nathan likes doing everything better on his iPod Touch than on the iPad because it's his own personal iPod Touch.
• Nathan said watching videos on his iPod touch is OK but it's better on the TV.

Multi-platform Books: A Diabolical Business Scheme

Remember when you used to read a book and it would transport you to another place and time until you wistfully turned the last page? Well, that's not how it works any more. Now books come with tie-ins including movies, board games, toys, web sites, apps, and theme parks. Pity the author who writes a single, stand-alone book. Kids want to read a whole series! They love the characters and don't want the experience to end when they finish the book.

Harry Potter presents a fine example of this trend. Did you enjoy the books? Then you'll want to see the movies, buy the Lego sets, play on Pottermore.com and visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Islands of Adventure theme park. Ka-ching! There doesn't appear to be a limit to the money that can be made off of a successful book series. Publishers feared the demise of the old-fashioned book. They needed to figure out new ways to hook kids who wanted an experience rather than a simple story that played itself out on paper. Witness the invention of multi-platform books.

I first heard about multi-platform books a few years ago on National Public Radio (Kids' Books Make The Leap Off The Page And Online, December 15, 2010, http://wap.npr.org/story/132057619). "39 Clues" was arguably one of the first multi-platform book series marketed to kids. Only 10 of the 39 clues could be found by reading the books. The rest of the clues were revealed by collecting trading cards and playing an online game. This was a diabolical business scheme because it compelled kids to buy the books new rather than borrowing them from the library or buying them at a used bookstore. The trading cards came packaged with the books or in a card pack. You could play the online game without the cards but you couldn't get all 39 clues without the cards. In our experience, none of the books we borrowed from the library still contained the cards. There's probably an online black market for "39 Clues" game cards stolen from the library.

The evil geniuses behind the "39 Clues", otherwise known as Scholastic Books, have created additional multi-platform books including the more recent "Infinity Ring" series and the upcoming "Spirit Animals" series (Scholastic to Publish new Multi-Platform Fantasy Adventure Series, "Spirit Animals"', January 10, 2013, http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/scholastic-publish-new-multi-platform-fantasy-adventure-series-spirit-animals). Other publishers have their own offerings including the "Warrior" series, "The Amanda Project", and "Cathy's Book" (Kids' Lit: Beyond Paper Books, February 16, 2010, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/regina-brooks/kids-lit-beyond-paper-boo_b_464130.html).

At one time we only had to worry about whether a book was banned by the school or public library because of controversial content. Now when you unleash your child in the library you must be prepared to guard your wallet and monitor online games and related content. It's a brave new world out there.

John's Review of Infinity Ring
[Disclaimer: This review was a joint effort. John read the books and played the games but he does not like the physical act of writing. As a compromise, I agreed to type the review as we discussed the books and games. John proof-read the drafts for content errors and typos. Our discussions and re-writes spanned several days over the course of the week.]

Sera and Dak are best friends. Dak's scientist parents were making the Infinity Ring, a time travel device. However, a vital piece of information was missing. Sera, a self-described science geek, solved the missing piece of the Infinity Ring. During the first test of the Infinity Ring Dak's parents were accidentally left in the past. Sera and Dak returned to the present with the Infinity Ring where they were kidnapped by men in black. At the kidnapper's stronghold, they were introduced to Riq, whose parents invented a language translator. Sera and Dak learned that history is broken and The Great Breaks need to be fixed or the world will end in a Cataclysm. Riq was appointed Sera and Dak's guide.

The Infinity Ring is a series about Sera, Dak and Riq's adventures as they travel through time to fix the Great Breaks and rescue Dak's parents. In Book 1 there is a mutiny on Christopher Columbus's ship in which he was killed. A map accompanying the first book holds the code to unlock Episode 1, an online game where the French Revolution is about to fail. Book 2 is about Siegfried the Viking and his quest for Paris. Episode 2, the online game bundled with Book 2, is about the destruction of a famous portrait of George Washington and the kidnapping of Dolly Madison, who in real life saves the painting. As you can see, the book is not related whatsoever to the map and game that goes with it. The map unlocks the game but isn't necessary once you're playing the game. Each game can be completed in about 30 minutes to an hour. You can also download free Infinity Ring apps on your iPad. There is a separate app for each Episode and they do not require the codes from the maps. The games are identical to the games on the web site but the interface is not as good on the iPad.

There are 7 books planned in the series but only 3 books are available right now. The next one will be out in June 2013.

A comment from John
How am I supposed to wait until JUNE!?!?!?!?!? Save meeeeeeeeeee!

The Secret to Creating Minor Accounts for Your Kids on Game Center

It all begins innocently enough. You get your first Apple device (iPad, iPhone, etc.). You create your Apple ID to get started. You download a few free apps like Facebook and Words with Friends Free. You can play Words With Friends through Facebook but then Facebook will publish your moves. If you want to take a more incognito approach you create a Words With Friends Username linked to your email address. Using either method you can find your friends and challenge them to a game. What you don't realize is you have just created a whole new set of problems.

Your kids see you playing a game on your device and they want to play too. You download the Temple Run Free app. You tell them they can't buy coins because you don't want to pay for them to play a free game. Even if they wanted to buy coins they couldn't because they'd need to enter your Apple ID for in-game purchases and you keep it a closely guarded secret.

The kids decide to download DragonVale Free because all their friends are playing it and it sounds like a lot of fun. They play the game obsessively for several weeks and get to Level 24. Then the kids realize they can find their friends on DragonVale. Now they'll be able to visit their friends' parks, give them gems and see their dragons!

This is when the real trouble starts. To be found on DragonVale the kids have to tell their friends their Game Center Nickname. They realize their Game Center Nickname is the same as your Words With Friends Username. You thought "sexymom13" was a funny username when you created it - and it wasn't already taken! Your kids, on the other hand, are not amused.

I must confess my ignorance at this point. I did not fully realize the significance of Game Center. I knew I had the Game Center app pre-installed on my iPad but I had no idea what it was. When I started playing Words With Friends I only played through the app. I didn't play other games so I figured I had no reason to use Game Center. I installed the Words With Friends app on both my iPad and Android smartphone and I could access my games on either device. My Android smartphone doesn't have Game Center so how important could it be?

I must also admit I was too weak to tell the boys they couldn't use Game Center. That would have solved many of our problems but where's the fun in that? As far as I can tell if you need an internet connection to play your game then it's a multi-player game and you need to use Game Center. If you don't need internet to play your game then your progress is stored locally on your device and you can ignore Game Center. Most games can be played locally and provide hours of fun. But no, I opened the can of worms that is Game Center so I will continue with my story.  

Game Center is the key to online multi-player social gaming on your Apple device. Game Center is how you connect with friends (and potential online predators), send friend requests, organize online multi-player games, and check out your friends' achievements and points. I had never knowingly used Game Center on my iPad so I'm not quite sure how it happened but I discovered I had a Game Center Nickname that is identical to my Words With Friends Username. This is significant because your Game Center Nickname is the nickname you use for all your multi-player games. This would prove to be my downfall once I had multiple people sharing my iPad to play games.

First John decided he didn't like my Game Center Nickname and wanted his own. Then Nathan decided to use the allowance and gift money he saved to buy an iPod Touch. I discovered my Game Center Nickname was tied to my Apple ID so I thought the solution would be to create a separate Apple ID for each child. That wasn't a great solution because you need an email address to create an Apple ID and you can't get an Gmail account for a child under the age of 13. I went to the Apple Store, described my problem and was told the only way to create another Game Center Account was to lie about my child's date of birth so I could create a new email account. That is incorrect! The Apple Store Genius I spoke to wasn't a genius after all.

After searching the internet I discovered you can create Minor Accounts in Game Center. Here's what you need to do to create separate Game Center Accounts for each child in your family, all linked to the same Apple ID;

1. Click on the Game Center app.
2. From the main menu, click on the "Account" banner. This should be the email address for your Apple ID.
3. From the pop-up window, click on "Sign Out".
4. From the main menu, click on the banner that says "Create New Apple ID". You don't really want to create a new Apple ID but click on it anyway.
5. From the pop-up window, confirm your location.
6. Enter the date of birth for your child. This is where you can create a Minor Account for a child under the age of 13.
7. A new pop-up window will display the rules for the minor account. You can have the rules emailed to you. Click on the "Agree" banner and then on the "Terms & Conditions" pop-up window.
8. Now you can create a Game Center Nickname and password for your child. The new nickname will be linked to your Apple ID and password. You can then select the privacy settings you want for your child. 
9. Keep the new nickname and password in a safe place. I've read on a few discussion forums that Apple cannot help retrieve lost Minor Account information.

Once the kids have their own Game Center Nicknames they can play each other on multi-player games. John can visit Nathan's DragonVale park and see Nathan's high score on Jetpack Joyride. They can also play the same multi-player game at the same time on different devices tied to my Apple ID. When the boys were sharing my Game Center Nickname the first person to start Gizmonauts was the only one who could play at that time.

One serious downside to the new Game Center Nicknames is that ongoing multi-player games cannot be transferred between Game Center Nicknames. This means that a child who has made it to DragonVale Level 24 and accumulated a lot of limited time or rare dragons will be forced to start over at Level 1 with their new nickname. This may bring your child to tears.

So there you have it. You may decide you don't want your kids to use Game Center. But if you do let them use Game Center to play multi-player games then they will need their own Game Center Nicknames. It's best to give them their own Nicknames early on before they start accumulating game history. It can also prevent the embarrassment of being known as "sexymom13" on the playground.

[Disclaimer: My Game Center Nickname/Words With Friends Username is not really "sexymom13" but that name made Johnny laugh the loudest when we were writing this blog entry. Everything else in this entry is true.]

Going paperless

I have vivid memories of going to the library when I was in grad school back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There were so many books and journals the bookshelves were on tracks so they could be packed together as densely as possible. If you wanted to retrieve a book you would manually roll the shelves apart to open a gap large enough to walk between them. I recall thinking there was so much information on those bookshelves and the volume would continue to increase exponentially every year. I worried about the trees. I worried whether the floors were sturdy enough to hold the books. I worried about being crushed between the shelves.

Flash forward to the 2010s. Despite my job teaching at the University of Arizona, I haven't set foot in the university library for years. It's not that I don't use the library. In fact I use it almost every day when I'm writing lectures and teaching. The difference is that I do everything online from the comfort of my own home or office. I scroll through journals rather than thumbing through them. While I miss the smell of the books and breaking in new bindings I don't miss trudging across campus only to find the issue I need missing from the bookshelf. As long as I have internet, the electronic version of the paper is always available for me.

In November 2011 I bought my husband a new-to-the-market Kindle Fire for his birthday. He's an avid reader and has bookshelves full of books. I thought it might be time for us to embrace the electronic reader. About a month later he bought me a iPad. Then he declared we'll never need another bookshelf in the house. I think he might be right.

The boys love to read and have bookshelves full of Magic Treehouse, 39 Clues, Harry Potter, Oh Yuck! and other beloved books. We go to the library about twice a month to fill up our book bag. We donate old books and try to buy used books when we need an actual book. I'm proud to say my 10-year old knows how to look up words in a real, physical, paper dictionary. That skill may be akin to hooking a horse up to a buggy but I'm proud nonetheless. The boys are open to reading electronic books but they still like actual books and I'm fine with that. I do look forward to the day when electronic readers consolidate reading materials for school so the boys don't have to lug around such heavy backpacks.

My parents are even starting to embrace the electronic age. When they first started using email they would print every message they received, as it were a valuable fax or a telegram. My dad suggested getting my mom an iPad for her birthday last year. I think he may like it more than she does. They use the iPad to read the news, post on Facebook and check sport scores. The iPad is especially useful to them when they travel so they can keep up to date on the hometown news. Neither one uses it to read books.

My husband's brother, who is an earlier adopter than we are, gave my in-laws Kindle Keyboards in 2010. My father-in-law reads the New York Times or other out-of-town newspaper on it as well as an occasional book, which he purchases. My mother-in-law will read an inexpensive book on it when she is traveling. So my in-laws are open to going paperless for reading news and books. However, my father-in-law writes a letter to us every week. Sometimes there are local newspaper clippings enclosed. He used to hand-write the letters but now he composes them on his computer and prints them out. I always had trouble reading his handwriting so I applaud the upgrade to computer-generated text. He signs the letter, places it in an envelope, puts a stamp on it and drops it into a mailbox. Each week we look forward to that letter. My husband keeps every single one of them.

After I got my iPad I made a vow to go paperless. Well, I can't imagine being totally paperless but I'm trying to significantly reduce the amount of paper I use and generate. I no longer print out every journal article I want to read. I grade student papers electronically rather than having them turn in hard copies. It's been an adjustment and sometimes I yearn for paper, a pen and a yellow highlighter but I'm trying to adapt and move forward.

Here is the current status of my very own personal quest to be paperless:

Things I like about being paperless;
1) Electronic editions of my magazines: I love reading Entertainment Weekly and People on my iPad. My annual subscription comes with free access to the electronic edition. I can download the newest issues on Wednesday night even though the paper copy doesn't arrive in the mail until Friday afternoon. My paper copies generally go straight into the recycling bin. Sadly, you can't subscribe to the electronic edition without getting the paper copy. However, see #1 on my "Reasons I don't want to be 100% paperless right now list" below.

2) Back-lit iPad screen: Whatever I'm reading generates its own light! Poor lighting no longer discourages me from reading in a comfy chair. I hated being tethered to my Itty Bitty Book Light when I read in bed. When I'm traveling there never seems to be an electric outlet by my side of the bed so I would have to bring along a battery pack. The freedom afforded by my back-lit screen is worth every penny.

3) Using and generating less paper: I'm getting more comfortable reading journal articles and grading papers electronically. I'm also glad the elementary school has converted to an electronic newsletter. There are now fewer paper notices coming from the school. Most of what does come home ends up going right into the recycling bin. With the electronic newsletter I can just print out and save the things I want.

4) Fewer catalogs arriving in the mail: I used to get stacks of mail order catalogs in the mail. Now that most companies have online catalogs they've stopped mailing the hard copies. While I did enjoy thumbing through them when I had free time they often just sat in piles waiting for me to look at them and reminding me I had not.

5) I don't have a great paper filing system: What am I supposed to do with all that paper I accumulate? There are work-related papers, bills, bank statements, receipts, invitations, recipes and more. I imagine I'm supposed to sort through the papers and file them in the appropriate place. The problem is I'm not that organized. If I can't figure out what to do with a particular paper I stuff it in my filing cabinet and then I can't find the paperwork I need when I need it. I can find things far more easily if they are sent to me electronically. Gmail gives me a huge amount of space for my email. I never ever throw out a single email message and I'm only at 65% of my capacity. So any time I want to find information in my gmail archive I just have to search and there it is. If gmail charged me for this service it would be worth every penny. It's free so it's even better.

6) Less clutter: Going paperless has reduced the amount of clutter on my desk and in my house and office. Don't get me wrong - I still have clutter. It's just not piles and piles of paper.

7) Lighter travel bag: When we go on trips I don't have to carry around heavy stacks of magazines and books. That makes my carry-on bag or suitcase lighter. I do have to plan ahead though and make sure everything is loaded on my iPad in case I don't have internet access wherever I'm going.

Reasons I don't want to be 100% paperless right now;
1) I'm not taking my iPad to the beach: I don't want to worry about getting water or sand on my iPad. I don't want to worry about leaving my iPad behind when I go in the water or for a walk along the beach. I'd much rather take along a magazine or book and then I don't have to worry.

2) The morning paper: Call me old fashioned but I like to have the paper delivered to the house. The first thing Johnny does when he wakes up is look for the comics. I like leafing through the local paper while I eat breakfast. That's an old habit that will die hard. 

3) I don't like reading electronic books: I've tried but I just don't enjoy reading electronic books. I like flipping pages. I like feeling the book in my hands. I suppose it's the way of the future but I will be dragged kicking and screaming along the way.

4) Will the kids read or play games?: My boys haven't shown much interest in electronic books. We downloaded a few free books when I first got my iPad. Then I noticed they abandoned the books they were reading in favor of playing Temple Run or Angry Birds. They're older now and perhaps I need to give it another try. One big problem I've encountered is the limited availability of electronic books they want to read. It's much easier for them to pick a book off the shelf at the library and read it immediately. The good electronic books have long waiting lists. I'm not buying electronic books for someone who reads as much and as quickly as Johnny does.

5) Paper reminders: As much as I like my electronic devices I like physical reminders of the things I need to do. I write my daily "To Do" lists on paper. I tried using Astrid to organize my To Do list on my electronic devices but it took much more effort than just putting pencil to paper. I also tried Grocery IQ for my shopping list. I had two problems with Grocery IQ. First, it took longer to put together my electronic shopping list and second, my phone battery always seemed to die during while I was at the store. I prefer my bills to be organized in chronological order based on due date. I was forced to go paperless for some of my credit cards but I always end up printing the bills so I have the physical reminder. I also like to have paper reminders of school-related items for the boys. I have the school lunch menu on the fridge. I have the Funfest wristband and ticket order form on my desk so I remember to fill it out. I put the field trip memo on the wall next to the calender so I remember which day Nathan has to wear his class shirt and and what items he has to bring along.

6) I don't have a great electronic filing system:  My paper reminders are a crutch because my electronic information isn't well-organized. I can rely on search to find information but I only remember to look for the information if I have a physical prompt.

7) Airplane take-off and landing: I don't fly very often and I like flying well-enough but I find that period of time when they make you turn off electronic devices to be interminable. You're squished in your seat and you know you'll be stuck there for several hours. And then the turbulence starts and babies are crying and you really just want something to take your mind off of things. At that point you've even been forced to stash your noise-cancelling headphones. You can reach for a paper magazine or book but you can't turn on your electronic device.

I'm no longer as worried about the trees. I know the floors can withstand the weight of my smaller piles of paper. And now I won't be crushed between the rolling bookshelves because everything is drifting up into The Cloud.

John's Game Review: Minecraft pocket edition free

 This is the worst game I have ever played. You only get 28 materials but 10 are blocks of different colored wool and 4 of them are tools. Everything considered, you can only build with 14 things. And that's in creative. When you fly, your feet only go a block off the ground.

My rating: It's not even worth it.

Oh no, we caught up to real time!

Has someone ever given you a gift and you had absolutely no idea what it was but it totally changed your life forever? That happened to me in 1999 when my husband gave me my first Tivo for the holidays. At that point I was recording my TV shows on a VCR and re-using the VHS tape over and over until it stretched and the picture quality degraded. I had a system and it worked for me. Little did I know how much I needed Tivo.

My husband hacked that first Tivo right out of the box, replacing the puny hard drive with the largest one he could buy. Then he set up the Tivo in the living room for its trial run. I was dazzled by the ability to time-shift, fast-forward through commercials, replay a missed line of dialogue, and watch live TV while recording another show. I'm a control freak and now I was in control of my TV! I forgave my Tivo when it was fed incorrect scheduling information by the cable company. I missed my Tivo dearly when I was forced to watch live TV while on vacation. Eventually my husband bought his own Tivo so he could record auto racing, Junkyard Wars, and other things that conflicted with my shows or filled up my hard drive. We are now on our third Tivo. This one has two tuners, it can find shows over internet, and I can control it with my iPad.

I don't think my father will ever become comfortable with the Tivo time-shift. My husband, on the other hand, likes to start watching basketball games after they start so it will only take about 20 minutes to watch the first half. Then you can get something done during half time and still have a little time left before you have to start watching the second half. But time-shifting makes my father anxious. He's always a bit on edge when watching a sporting event with us and knowing we're behind real time. At that very moment other people around the country know what the actual score is and he doesn't and he blames Tivo. I decided not to pay too much attention to his complaints after I caught him watching an old Boston Red Sox baseball game on ESPN Classic. He thought it was live. Talk about a time-shift!

My children have never known life without Tivo. When they were little I could make sure they only watched 30 minutes of TV at a time. I would start a show for them and they would come running when it ended. Johnny learned to alphabetize when he had to find Blue's Clues in the list of shows. Nathan learned Phineas doesn't begin with an "F" by searching the list.

Tivo is now a dependable member of the household, gathering and organizing our TV shows while we're at school or work, when we're out of town and even when we're asleep. Phineas and Ferb is broadcast at 5:30 AM but the boys can sleep peacefully knowing that Tivo will have it available whenever they're ready to watch it. I do find it strange to see how much the boys like watching commercials. They tell me the commercials (like the one where Geico lizard has a flat tire) are often better than the auto racing or football they are watching with dad. My husband is grateful he has Tivo when he watches a show with the boys. The boys are usually talking and asking him questions about the show and he has to re-wind to so he can hear what he missed.

Perhaps more than anything Tivo has taught me to be open to new technology. I still prefer buying music CDs to MP3s and I continue resisting Twitter but I admit I really like my smartphone and iPad. We should keep looking forward because the transistor radio and the payphone booth aren't coming back. You may not know what the newfangled gizmo is and why you need it but it might just change your life. 

John's Game Review: Doodle Jump HD free

In Doodle Jump, you jump from platform to platform by moving the iPad and trying not to hit enemies or fall. To shoot enemies, tap on them. There are four different themes: regular, space, Halloween, and winter. There are also jetpacks, trampolines, springs, propeller beanies, and rockets to help you go higher.

My rating: 4 out of 5