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Weekend reading: Got that iPhone edition

Money articles

My weekly commentary followed by my weekend news and blog links round-up.

Back in July I explained I was buying an iPhone in a post about how denying things can actually damage your wealth (within reason!)

My millions of fans You obviously took it literally, because iPhones had become gold dust in the UK by the time I got around to buying one.

O2 hasn’t had any for weeks — I suspect because Vodafone and others are being stocked up ahead of their rumoured October iPhone launches, although some say they’ll only get old models.

Anyway, I eventually got mine from the Apple store; the last 32GB model left in London that day!

There were other hassles, and on activation my phone even turned German until I slapped it about a bit. Nobody wants to see that. It made me realise how easy I find it to save money because shopping is such a pain in the neck.

Now I’ve got my iPhone though, I can report it’s just as lovely as everyone says.

The interface is beautiful, it all just works, and the way you can download applications and have them running in seconds is fantastic.

It’s light and day compared to other phones. The Blackberry is the only thing I’ve ever seen live up to the mobile computing hype, and even that can’t really browse the Internet.

As for other handsets from Nokia and the like, they supposedly enable you to read web pages or check your email or download time-wasting games but have you ever tried? It’s like teaching your dog to juggle.

The iPhone reminds me of the introduction of Web browsers in 1991. Before the Mosaic browser, the Internet was a geeky paradise of arcane codes and hidden conversations. Overnight it went mainstream.

iPhone has done that for mobile multimedia and gives a real glimpse of the shape of things to come.

I’ll discuss some of the investing-related apps I’ve already downloaded in a future post. For now though, let’s crack on with this week’s reading.

Some interesting financial blog posts

  • Richard Beddard’s six cheap companies posted on the iii blog scare me, but that’s why they’re cheap!

The pick of the weekend newspapers and sites

  • US jobless rate hits 26-year high, but the rate of job losses is down. Personally, I think more people are looking for work again as the economy picks up — a good sign. (BBC)
  • Finally, the EU fiddles while tuna vanishes. Listen, I love sashimi as much as the Japanese. But eating it in the future requires banning tuna sales now until stocks and management improve. (Independent)

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{ 3 comments… add one }
  • 1 Rob Lewis September 5, 2009, 6:25 pm

    Congrats on the iPhone! Downloaded any good finance apps yet? I’ve got the Bloomberg and FT for market news, but I don’t think I’m fully utilising mine to manage my money yet.

  • 2 Neal@wealthpilgrim.com September 6, 2009, 7:44 pm

    Thanks for the mention. I have no idea what an iphone does that a regular cell does not. Ignorance is bliss!

  • 3 The Investor September 7, 2009, 8:59 am

    @Rob – there do seem to be a lot of expense tracking apps and all the rest of it, but to be honest I’m not one of those micro-budgeting money bloggers. I may try a few out for the benefit of my fabulous readers though. 🙂

    @Neal – Imagine having a little computer with you at all times. So you can leap onto the Internet, take a photo, immediately post it to your blog with maybe two clicks, download an application about anything in seconds, check emails etc, do anything really – and it actually be possible. (Some of these things are technically possible on other phones but in my experience are painful, even with the better Nokias for instance). Best to stay away though – definitely not the frugal option. 🙁

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