Digital Lifestyle Broadcasting

The best way to put it is that my iPhone confects my life. You might even say it’s become a way of life.

Early in the morning it wakes me vie the clock app. As I lay there in a pre-awake state pondering the day before me, I quietly open the Olive Tree app and read my bible without waking my wife.

Before heading off to the tennis club I let the dogs out to do their “beenus” in the back field. My iPhone doubles as a flashlight.

Whilst driving to the club I listen to the latest Lew Rockwell podcast. Driving is now something I look forward to. I eat my morning apple and record it’s 70 calories into Shapeup, a great app that tracks my diet. It tracks my calorie expenditure as well.

When I tire of the political debate with my liberal friend and the news blaring on the TV, I sometimes slip on my Bluetooth headset and listen to music during my workout in the weight room after tennis.

Now it’s off to my Realtor’s Brokers Council of Idaho meeting. I arrive way-early so I check my email, respond to those needing attention and make a couple of outgoing calls. Still I have some time before the meeting so I decide to read my book – you guessed it on my iPhone using a nice app called Stanza. With a few minutes before the meeting I get online and see what’s going on in the national news and hey, I don’t have to watch Katie Couric’s biased trash. I get news online that fits with my ultra-conservative, anarchist viewpoint. Now it’s time for the meeting and during the presentation by a local builder I tweet about him to others who are no doubt tracking this builder and will see my comments. During the meeting, I receive an offer via an email fax on one of my listings. I review it right there and forward it to my seller to review prior to calling him.

This particular morning I write up a listing and snap all the photos on my iPhone since the digital photo quality is top notch. Though it may not be quite as good as a top rated digital camera, it’s plenty good for my purposes. I put together the listing documents on the web via my iPhone and email them to my client’s computer. He signs them digitally on his computer right then. There’s not much need for paper these days. I also shoot some video that I’ll drop on Youtube and then post to facebook later.

Next I must pickup a buyer to show him homes. I’ve entered the addresses for all three showings into Motion X Drive, a really powerful GPS app that’s far better than my previous stand-alone dash-mounted unit. This gives me the flexibility to focus on my client’s concerns and conversation with him rather than diverting mindshare to the mundane of finding the next home on the list. My buyer’s wife couldn’t come with us and he’s very excited to show her some of the features of one particular home. Viola – I create a quick video tour via the built-in Camera and send it to her via text messaging. She gets to view it before her husband arrives home. I use the Zillow mobile app to find other homes for sale in the neighborhood and view their photos with my buyer. Of course to open doors, I use the lockbox device that attaches to my iPhone. I also use the HP 12C Financial Calculator app to determine my clients’ monthly payments on the homes he’s most interested in.

After dropping off my client I have a nice dinner with my wife at a local restaurant that I find using the Yelp app – oh an hey a nice e-coupon to save some bucks that I found with the Groupon app. This particular restaurant has good reviews but I didn’t like it all that well so I write my own review for others after snapping a few photos of the cuisine. Of course I drop all of this over to Facebook for my friends to see along with other conservative if not controversial thoughts certain to get some response. Several folks who share my perspective and values contacted me last year because of my Facebook presence.

After dinner I go for a run and track the course, my time, and calories expended with Runkeeper, a nice app for us runners. Oh and yes, I also post it to Facebook. I shower up (no app for that) and then head off to the theatre with my wife. On our way there, she looks at the available movies using Flixter, a nice app for watching trailers and reading review. I’m tired of spending $10 to see trashy movies. Afterward I review the movie with Flixter and of course the review drops onto my Facebook account.

After getting home I realize I’ve missed my favorite show, Parks and Rec. No worry, I just download it to my iPhone using the iTunes app. I’ll watch it on the airplane later in the week whilst traveling.

It’s time for bed now, so I set the alarm so I can do it all over tomorrow.
So lets see, I’ve eliminated the following accoutrements that most folks normally must schlep along: Wrist watch, digitial still camera, digitial video camera, real estate lock box opener, GPS, laser printer, fax machine and television, newspaper, financial calculator. In the process, without having to divert focus, I found a nice place to have dinner, saved money with the e-coupon, previewed movies to watch and in the process communicated electronically with all of my friends. Oh and I made a few calls as well.

There’s more, much more that I do with my iPhone in a typical day but hey this blog must end eventually. The point – technology is getting so integrated into our lives with these wonderful devices and they’re really making our lives better, easier and more enjoyable – plus we get to broadcast our lifestyle, see others’ lives in living color and stay in-touch with so many more people. With this technology each of us is our own news-station of ideas and lifestyle choices.