The iPhone as a Personal Assistant

It seems as though everyone's got an iPhone lately. They're sexy, they've been upgraded and they've come down in price (an 8GB 3G is now $99 - $49 refurbished).  Since these ultimate convergence devices are always with us and we're constantly listening to music, downloading apps, and surfing the web, wouldn't it be good to put such a powerful device to even better use?  Classes will be starting in a little over a month and I know that students who don't yet have an iPhone, but are trying to convince their parents of the benefits of owning one are looking for anything to help their cases.  Well, here's your ace in the hole - the iPhone will be your personal assistant and keep you better organized throughout the semesters - here's how:

1.  Google Sync: The iPhone already syncs up with your GMail account through POP or IMAP, but did you know it can also sync up your calendars and contacts, too?  Imagine never being late for class and always having the right contact information for a professor anywhere you have an Internet connection.  By enabling Google Sync on your iPhone, iCal, Address Book and Google Account, you can keep all your information synchronized on all your devices.  And the best part?  This is all free!  Cross one reason to buy Apple's $99 MobileMe off the list.

For information on how to enable Google Sync on your iPhone, check out Google's Help documentation here.
For information on how to enable 2-way event creation for iCal/Google Calendar, see this page on calDAV

2.  Evernote: Did you ever need to dredge down into the depths of your backpack to find your syllabus mid-way through the semester and end up with nada?  Set up a free account at Evernote.com and download their free iPhone/desktop apps to make sure you never lose important information again. 

Evernote allows you to create notes from text, pictures, and audio, tag them with keywords, and sync them among the web and its various applications.  This means that no matter what device you're on, you'll always have your notes.  Take a picture of that syllabus and then toss it away - you'll never need that piece of paper lining the bottom of your bag ever again.  In addition to Evernote's various methods of data entry, it also has one killer feature: text recognition.  If the picture of that syllabus is clear enough, Evernote will hunt through the image and catalog all the words it can find, making it very easy for you to find the word or phrase for which you're looking.  This can prove especially helpful once you've amassed dozens, if not hundreds of notes.

Two caveats, however, still remain: 1) Text recognition on handwriting is iffy at best.  2) The free account only allows you up to 2GB of note uploads.  Find out more at Evernote.com

3. Podcasts/iTunes U: The new OS 3.0 software/firmware update brought with it the ability to download podcasts and iTunes U content directly to the iPhone without any assistance from the desktop version of iTunes necessary.  Do further research on a variety of topics right from within the iTunes store for free.  Click here for the iTunesU directory.

4. Voice Recorder: Use iPhone's built-in voice recording app to record lectures and then play them back later for better note taking.  The application allows you to enter information about each recording and share them with others.

5.  GPS/Compass (iPhone 3GS only): Freshman on campus? Not quite familiar on the location of your next class?  Pull up the built-in Compass app, press the "Current Location" button in the bottom left corner and you will be whisked from the Compass app to the Google Maps application.  Press that same "Current Location" button a second time and you will be able to see which direction the phone/you are facing, letting you get to your next class on time.

6.  Grading Applications: the iPhone App Store is home to thousands of different applications, quite a few of which are designed with students in mind.  Explore the App Store for various grade-tracking apps and see which one fits your style best.  Most importantly, they're very inexpensive and many offer "Lite" versions, which are essentially feature-stripped demo apps to let you taste before you indulge in a full-blown purchase.

7.  Communication: If you need to quickly chat with a classmate or leave them a note on Facebook, there are apps for that, err...those.  Check out apps like AIM and Fring for your instant messaging needs, then download the free Facebook app to keep up with your friends' and classmates' goings-on.  Finally, check out any of the Twitter apps available for the ultimate in public communication.

NOTE: A lot of these functions also work on the iPod Touch, except for location-based apps and camera functions.  To use the Voice Recorder, you'll need an external microphone.

The iPhone makes keeping your school and personal lives on track extremely easy and fun, you just have to know what to use and where to find it.  There are hundreds of other possibilities I haven't tapped yet for managing your daily routine, so if you know of any, please leave a post in the comments or hit me up on Twitter at @hcmarks!

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