iPhone. The Missing Manual :: Education by Design Store

Editorial Review
As you'd expect of Apple, the iPhone is gorgeous. iPhone: The Missing Manual is a book as breathtaking as its subject. Teeming with high-quality color graphics, each custom designed page helps you accomplish specific tasks -- everything from Web browsing to watching videos. Written by New York Times columnist and Missing Manual series creator David Pogue, this book shows you how to get the most out of your new Apple iPhone.

The name iPhone may be doing Apple a disservice. This machine is so packed with possibilities that the cellphone may actually be the least interesting part. The iPhone is at least three products merged into one: a phone, a wide-screen iPod and a wireless, touch-screen Internet communicator. The iPhone's beauty alone may be enough for you to dig for your credit cards, but its Mac OS X-based software makes it not so much a smartphone as something out of the film "Minority Report."

The real magic, however, awaits when you browse the Web. You get to see the entire Web page on the iPhone's screen. All of this is cooked up with Apple's traditional secret sauce of simplicity, intelligence and whimsy.

Customer Reviews

LOVE IT LOVE IT

2008-08-14
Great book, took it on the plane and read it from over to cover. Tons of terrific helps/hints for the IPhone. I've been recommending it to everyone that has an IPhone. It's a must have manual. Easy to read, easy to understand.

iPhone - The Unmissable Manual

2008-06-23
David Pogue's independant manual for the iPhone is, quite simply, a book you have to read if you have an iPhone - or are thinking of getting one. When you invest in an iPhone, one of the first things you'll notice as you open the box is the absence of a conventional instruction manual - especially after the ever-increasingly thick tomes supplied with Nokia et al. So whereas the iPhone is extremely user-friendly, it's accompanying leaflet is derisory if you really want to get the best from Apple's baby. In an easy-to-read and logical layout, the "Missing Manual" addresses all the questions you're ever likely to raise about iPhones and answers them.
Now all we need is a Volume Two to do the same for the Version Two, 3G iPhone when it is (finally) released - and if Mr. Apple is reading this in Apple valley, US of A, please send me a 3G, V2 iPhone as soon as you can - after you've sent one to Mt. Pogue!

Useful

2008-06-09
I found many things in the book that I would not have found on my own. Very useful.

This is THE book to get on iPhone

2008-06-01
I finally coughed up the $500 for the coveted iPhone, and swallowed the bitter pill of having to be indentured to a cell phone company for another 2 years. And I couldn't be more thrilled with the purchase! I LOVE my iPhone - some would say a little too much.

However, my newfound love affair wouldn't be nearly as sweet if I hadn't also shelled out the $14 for iPhone: The Missing Manual.

While I would never consider myself a technogeek, I am not un-savvy in the ways of Apple computers, software and iPods. I've been using Apple products for 15-20 years. So, I was a bit concerned that this book might be a bit too much along the lines of "How To Turn On Your iPhone" -- you know, basic stuff I'd already figured out.

I was delighted to find that this book is chock full of hidden (and not so hidden) tricks and workarounds. Some of this stuff I would have NEVER figured out on my own. It's made my iPhone so much more useful and fun.

Some examples:
* How to send photos to your friend's cell phones. For some reason unknown to me, Apple didn't enable this phone to send photos directly to other cell phones. (possibly because this is more of an awesome iPod with a great phone feature, not the other way around.) Pogue gives the easy workaround, as well as the email addresses to make it happen.
* Great tips on how to use Maps. This has become an app that I use much more than I thought I would, simply because it's sooo much more in-depth and useful than I ever imagined it would be. The app isn't very intuitive, however. If I hadn't read and re-read this section in the book, I would be totally missing out on this powerful application.
* IF you don't want to be locked in to a 2-year agreement with ATT, BUY THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR iPHONE!! Yep, there's a workaround for that, too!

This book is easy to read, and it's easy to remember and immediately apply its tips and tricks.

What a Waste!

2008-06-01
I was skeptical about this book from the beginning. I mean, you take something as simple and intuitive as an iPhone and there really is no need for it. Tricks? What tricks? I discovered most of the 'tricks' in Pogue's manual in about a week of playing around with the thing on my own. I was so disgusted with the lack of substance in this book that I sent it back to Amazon the same day I got it. I like David Pogue's columns, but I am extremely disappointed in this book.

most important information

2008-05-28
As you'd expect of Apple, the iPhone is gorgeous. iPhone: The Missing Manual is a book as breathtaking as its subject. Teeming with high-quality color graphics, each custom designed page helps you accomplish specific tasks -- everything from Web browsing to watching videos. Written by New York Times columnist and Missing Manual series creator David Pogue, this book shows you how to get the most out of your new Apple iPhone.

Written by New York Times columnist and Missing Manual series creator David Pogue, iPhone: The Missing Manual shows you everything they need to know to get the most out of your new Apple iPhone. Full of humor, tips, tricks, and surprises, this book teaches you how to extend iPhone's usefulness by exploiting its links to the Web as well as its connection to Macs or PCs; how to save money using Internet-based messages instead of phone calls; and how to fill the iPhone with TV shows and DVDs for free.

Book Review and Extra Resources 2008-05-20
Given that the iPhone doesn't come with a manual, this book is a good shortcut to figure out ways to use your phone, so I highly recommend it.
In case you're interested in learning more, you may also take a look at free eBooks such as the Everything You Need to Know About Your iPhone. Using the phone is really exciting when you learn some of the tips that are available in the book and online.

MLT in CA 2008-05-19
This "manual" was helpful. It reaffirmed what I had taught myself before it arrived. It is very easy to understand and follow.

iohone: the missing manual 2008-05-09
A+. This man should get a prize. I have been dissapointed in the past with this type of help book, but this is a great book. If you own the iphone you have to buy this it!

Definitely the missing manual, but little more 2008-04-27
"iPhone: The Missing Manual" is definitely a good replacement for the user's manual that was not in the box ... and probably much better than what Apple might have put there. The author covers most if not all of the functionality of the device and includes relevant screenshots and diagrams. His prose is readable and generally devoid of technobabble. It is easy to read, easy to reference, and certainly easy on the eyes.

Pogue's book arguably deserves five of my review stars since the content does indeed follow the title, but it is a little *too much* like the manual in my opinion. While he does present some interesting anecdotes about the development and marketing of the device and some tips you wouldn't ever get from the manufacturer, I expected more from a third party and especially O'Reilly. The troubleshooting chapter is not much longer than one would expect in the manufacturer's version. The "Hacking the iPhone" section, which is where one would think might be the meat in an O'Reilly book, is a disappointing four page appendix.

I wholeheartedly recommend this for the lay user, but the technically-savvy can get all they need from a ten minute perusal at the book store.