Grandma and the iPod

I'm trying to think of ways to make this post about the baby, so here goes: Grandma is going to use the new iPod touch to look at pictures of Emmett. OK back up.

Over the Xmas break Grandma had occasion to play 'muddled' on Karen's iPhone. Muddled is one of those make-a-bunch-of-words-from-a-bunch-of-letters games. She had such a fun time playing that she decided she needed an iPhone.

I was a little worried since the iPhone and Grandma did not seem like the best matchup—mainly because she did not really need the cell phone, and the contract which went along with it. However, I did not want to be too discouraging since she was very interested in taking her gaming to the next level. OK back up.

Grandma has always been an early adopter of electronic games. She has more hand held electronic games than Karen and I combined—only issue is she never got herself a gaming system. It was always a one-off, one game only application—think Yahtzee or BlackJack. Once she got bored of the game, it had to be put in a drawer until the grandkids showed up looking for something to do when it was not snowing.

The other reason I was worried is that despite her affinity for electronic games, Grandma is a bit of a Luddite when it comes to computers. For the record I consider the iPhone a computer—a definition which is not a stretch when you consider what the thing does. Consider she has no email. Consider she has no internet connection.

OK—done considering?

So back to where we were before I backed up. Grandma and the iPhone—a match made in heaven? Well, when one thinks about it—sure! Why not? With the computing power of the iPhone—or iPod which is what she ultimately ended up getting—coupled with a readily available base of games which can be had for many times less than what she was paying for the one-offs, the platform is perfect for her application. Don't forget that the iPod can be dropped in a purse and taken to Emmett's house with the greatest of ease!

Well after all that consideration I was a little less worried when I got the call tonight for the order—a 16GB iPod touch. Nice! She was quick to let me know that she'd done her research, including talking with the kind, friendly folks at the Apple store (probably the Aspen Grove location). They let her know that she could us her friend's network to get all the games she needed. She was ready.

I don't think she was expecting me to be able to place the order right then and there (thanks to a nice VPN connection). But she quickly got the CCard warmed up and ready. After the transaction, which included getting her name and phone number engraved to make it hers, I could tell she was excited.

Her new gaming system should arrive within the week. How cool is that?