A smart way to get the most from your mobile
SMARTPHONES, modern mobile phones that can do everything from browsing the web to video calls, can be great. It’s amazing what they can do, all in a gadget you can fit in your pocket and take with you when you go out. But when you buy one there’s something missing. It’s not the charger (hopefully). It’s not a case, though it’s a good idea to buy one to protect your new phone... it’s a manual, something to show you how to use the thing.
The manufacturers seem to assume that you’ll just know how to use it, as if by magic. It’s “intuitive” they claim.
Well it can be. In parts. But there are other things you simply need to know how to do.
It’s not obvious that you have to swipe from the top of the screen, pull up from the bottom or tap with two fingers instead of one.
Who would know you had to use two fingers and pull them apart on the screen or rotate them... or that they’d bury the option you want behind three little dots?
Things like that you just can’t know, someone has to explain them to you.
But if you do ever find a book about it or get someone to tell you, they always seem to assume you already know how to do it. Daft, really. You wouldn’t be asking if you did.
But they whizz through it so fast you can’t possibly take it in. Not to mention the steps they leave out because, “... everyone knows that”!
That’s where a new book from a small company in the north of England comes in. The company is called The Helpful Book Company and lots of its customers say it certainly lives up to its name.
It has recently published iPhones One Step At A Time and Android Phones One Step At A Time, which have proved hugely popular with all sorts of people who have a smartphone but who aren’t experts at using it.
WHETHER you’re frustrated with the very basics, want to know what else it can do for you or wish you knew how to do some of the slightly fancier things, these books might be just what you need.
The books explain everything nice and simply, in plain English, without all the confusing jargon and gobbledegook. And they have lots of pictures showing exactly what to do, where to tap the screen and so on. The company has already published books about computers and tablets that have helped thousands of people but it actually started much smaller, the author (Tim Wakeling) wrote some notes to help his mum and dad on their PC and realised that other people might find them useful too. Several thousand happy people later, he decided to bring out a book on smartphones as well; and if you’ve ever been frustrated with your smartphone, it’s worth finding out more.
As a small independent publisher, the books aren’t in the shops or available on Amazon, but you can get a ree information pack telling you about what’s covered in the books, who they’re suitable for and how to get hold of them from the company. Just ring 01229 777606 or DE1017@ helpfulbooks. co.uk