Welcome to the digital life

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I call your iPhone with FaceTime and we see each other in real time. “Let’s have lunch at my place next Saturday. Bring a dessert.” You check your computer and the calendar shows you’re free so you add the lunch date and invite me with my email address. A moment later my iPad lights up and a reminder is automatically added to my calendar. I tap a button on the iPad and my street address is added to your computer.

You’re working on a project and need some stats. You grab your iPhone and speak to Siri, “What's the population of Denver and Los Angeles? A chart comparing population growth is displayed in seconds. At lunch, you notice you’re running low on cash. Again, you reach for your iPhone. “Remind me to stop at the bank when I leave work.” Hours later, your iPhone reminds you as you leave the parking lot. You say, "Where is the nearest ATM?" and it shows a map with three nearby. Your iPhone guides you to the location with turn-by-turn directions.

You’re listening to an internet radio station from California with the iPhone connected to your car’s sound system. You remember to call your spouse, so you press a button on the steering wheel. The music fades and you say, “Call my husband.” In a moment your spouse’s voice comes over the speakers. When you end the call you’re in the mood for a song. You say “Play Beautiful Day,” andd U2 begins. You don’t even have the song on your iPhone, but thanks to iTunes in the cloud you have access to all your music everywhere. And you never take your eyes off the road.

A couple days later you decide to surprise your sweetheart with a gift. You’ve found the perfect little item, but is it the best price? Scan the bar code with your iPhone and it displays prices around town, but it’s cheaper on Amazon. You read comments from others who bought the same gift. With a tap it’s charged to your credit card. You track the package as it makes its way to your doorstep Friday afternoon.

Later that evening you stop by the grocery store and pull up Epicurious, an iPhone cooking app. Speak “silver nut cake” and the recipe appears on the screen. Just tap each ingredient as you put it in the shopping cart and it’s crossed off the shopping list.

Thanks to iCloud, your iPhone syncs automatically with your home and office computers so you always have the latest contact info and calendars everywhere. Saturday morning your iPhone chimes to remind you it’s time to go to my place. You open Google Maps and see which buses will get you there quickest. If you miss a bus, the app recalculates the route and the transfers.

You get off the bus a couple blocks from my house. You say, “Where am I?” Your iPhone shows your location on the map and tells you which way to walk. My house is marked with a map pin – tap it and your iPhone displays 3-D image of my house.

During lunch a song comes on the radio. You tap Shazam on the iPhone and it recognizes the song and artist, even shows the lyrics. With a tap you purchase the album from the iTunes Store. Your music plays on my home audio system – wirelessly.

Did you leave the lights on at home? No problem - just a tap and turn off your lights from the iPhone.

As we eat dessert, we talk about a recent trip. You tap your iPhone’s Photos app and select my Apple TV. We enjoy a slideshow of the trip in high def, and even a video you shot. Another tap and all the photos are shared on Facebook.

That reminds me I owe you for some trip expenses. I write a check and you snap a picture of it with your iPhone. The bank accepts the check electronically and funds are deposited in your account, saving you another trip to the bank. (A free attachment lets me swipe credit cards too.)

Your iPhone alerts you that someone has sent you an instant message from the office system. Yes, it’s Saturday but they need your approval on a proposal immediately. You access the company file server and edit the document on your iPhone. A quick change and it’s saved back on the office system.

I’m reading a great book on my iPad. I tap a button and the link is emailed to your iPhone. You can read the first two chapters for free. Yes, it's a small screen but you can make the print as large as you like.

Did you see the latest TV show? Just a tap and we find the episode on the iPad and play the first couple minutes. Another tap and it continues playing on my HDTV. We can watch shows whenever we want, not just when they air.

Let’s go to a movie. I tap Flixter on the iPad to see what’s playing. We select a movie and read a review. We watch the trailer on the iPad’s display. The iPad tells us where it’s showing and what time it starts, so we select a theater and our tickets are reserved for the next show. Why stand in line?

Maybe friends can join us. You grab your iPhone and say, “Where's Katie?” The iPhone finds your friend’s location and displays a map. You say, “Tell Katie we're going to the Pavilions for a movie at four,” and your message is sent. A few minutes later we all meet at the theater.

When the movie ends we leave the theater. The sun is setting behind the mountains. You pull out your iPhone and shoot a few 12 megapixel shots of the scene and a beautiful high-def video. Just a tap and it's shared on YouTube.

Futuristic dream? No, it’s reality, right now. All you need is an iPhone, a few apps and a little help. Contact Creative Tech Support today to get the most out of today’s digital lifestyle.

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