Time flies…. and before you knew it… Iphone was just as important as your liptstick in the handbag.

I still remember the days when I pulled out my smartphone and people would frown and ask me why I cared so much about the internet? Isn’t a phone’s function sufficient enough to just call your friends? I had to justify myself, but did not convince them that the internet is the thing thats going to be a part of your life, even while you’re outside. Some 2 years later, that same person turned up with his new IPhone, babbles me with “Which App do you have on your phone?” and “Have you used the sync function” and “are you on facebook too?”….. I had a smurk on my face, but I didn’t say why.

I must say, I have been an dedicated diciple of smartphones. I started off with WIN CE and saw this developed into WIN mobile 5. And then it was time to look for a new phone. You must be aware that I have been using all this time a combination of a PDA and a smartphone, using it as a dialer to get me into the net. Why a PDA, since Smartphones were invented? It has a huge screen that enabled me to display all the topos i brought along with me and it was easier on the eye. It has applications that was compatible with my Office programms with which I can document my texting and reviews, I was able to install .NET on my PDA which enabled me to put my text into my very own WIKI, yes it was easy…and yet i had always 2 devices with me. Somewhere along the way, I got tired of that. And the Iphone era walked into my life.

From the first day I held the Iphone in my hands I was convinced. The movements were very natural and logical, so that absolutely everybody would get use to it really fast. Many complained about the missing the console, and having problems with typing sms. I didn’t, actually I found that you have only one screen to take care of, there’s less chances of dirt, chalk and dust to get inbetween all those numeric keyholds of your phone. And if it does get dirty, one wipe across your trousers and the screen is almost new!

One thing that dazzles me is the number of Apps available. Gone were the days when you have to save all your favourites from your browser, transfer it to your smartphone and then start the slow internet with a mind blasting download of ernormous gigabytes on your phone that costed you a fortune. Iphone Apps are here to save you! With a wise selection of Apps, you can get hold of the local and foreign weatherforcast with just one button, and 300KB. With a touch of a button you get the all text Alpine weather forecast for 20KB.  With another touch you get the precipitation radar and check for yourself if the weather forecast is not giving you wrong hints. Yes it helps… gone are the times when you stay home when they say it rains – but the sun is shining, gone the times when you depend solely on the weather frogs. Vive la Iphone!

All Topos and bits of information that I have gathered from the net is all saved in my Iphone. View them with Good Reader, synchronize them if necessary. Pull out the topo when you need them…never worry again about leaving your papers at home and forgetting to bring it along to the crag.

Traffic jams are a pain the a**. Even worse if you have precious time only in the weekends. It would be disastrous to spend 2 hours in the jam and not getting anywhere closer to where you have planned climb. The ADAC App shows you how jammed the roads really are. It shows even how fast the traffic is flowing so that you can plan out an alternative route.

I’ve tried numerous GPS apps to track down Trails, newly discovered spots or when you’re just tracking down how fast you’ve been running. So far, this app beats them all. If you’re seriously tracking a trial to that place or showing off your back country trial with elevations and time, this is the app to get. Once tracked, it uploads immediately to the web and enables you to share this all with your friends or implement it in your website. This has been the best app that also saves on your battery life. Used up to 40% after 2 hours at minus 10°c. Well done Every Trail!

Then there’re Apps to navigate you with it’s GPS system to the Hot Spot your friend has been telling you about. If his description to the crag don’t work, if he has GPS coordinates you know now you won’t miss it. You can then use GPS tracking Apps to track your trails and share them with your friends. Or keep it for yourself and find it again the next time with a map. You cann even keep track of the time you need for a certain distance and use this to document.

SMS is expensive. But not with Cherry SMS. They have seasonal promotions that are best bets for your pockets. Travel apps for certain regions makes life a little easier when you’re looking for something. Tripadvisor brings you tips on every corner of the earth and tells you what other people say. Why learn from your mistakes when you can read them before hand and make it better.

Use your Iphone as a shopping list, gone are the days when you need pieces of paper to remind you of what you need. One touch and you have them all in a glance. Even then there’s an App from Mammut – the Mammut Packing LIst to help you out with a checklist when climbing, ice climbing, trekking, etc. It’s awesome – Try it out!

The Iphone has been a true partner for some 1.5 years for me now. I’ve used it on tours when small cameras are all you can carry, it’s been through every cold damp night outside, it has it’s place in my rucksack, and honestly, I can’t imagine why did I not have gotten an iphone so much earlier already So far , my fear that it was going to be a pretty sensitive machine has proven me wrong. I  do take special care that nobody is going to sit on my rucksack while the Iphone is in there and that it does not fall from great heights, and hoping it’ll stay intact for a long long time – well at least till Vers. 5 is out