iPhone News Updated

How 2 . . . Quickly send messages on an iPhone

The iPhone’s lack of a virtual keyboard can make it hard to fire off a simple, quick e-mail or text message, such as “I’m running late” or “call me.” But the free “Pastie Lite” iPhone app makes it easy to send quick messages.

1 Go to the App Store, search for the “Pastie Lite” iPhone app, download it, install it and launch it.

2 The app comes with two default replies or “pasties” — “I’m in a meeting. I’ll call ASAP.” and “Call me on my cell.” You are limited to three saved replies. To delete one of the default ones, tap “Edit” and delete it.

3 To add a new pastie, tap the plus sign and enter the text you’d like to save. Choose if you want to assign the pastie to an e-mail message, a text message or the iPhone’s clipboard. You can also choose to assign that text to a specific person’s e-mail address or phone number. Tap “Done” when you are finished.

4 When you need to send that quick message, open up the app and tap on the pastie. If you set the pastie as a text message or e-mail to a specific person, tapping on it will launch a new text message or e-mail addressed to that person. The e-mail will have the pastie pasted in the subject line.

If you’ve set the pastie as a text message, after tapping on it in the app, hold your finger down in the text field and tap “Paste.” If you’ve set it to go to the clipboard, after you tap on it, you can paste the text in an e-mail, text message or other application.

5 If you’d like to have more than three saved pasties, you can download the paid version, “Pastie,” for $1.99.

[Thanks: http://www.tmcnet.com]

New coupons have users clipping less

Electronic coupons, arriving by cell phone, Twitter, e-mail and Facebook, are helping generate an old standby’s comeback and bringing in new, younger customers.

Many shoppers, especially young consumers like 30-year-old April Englebert, used to reject coupons printed in newspapers and direct-mail booklets as passe or cumbersome.

But Englebert, an accounting clerk in Portland, Ore., was so thrilled when she cut her monthly grocery bill from $500 to $300, mainly with electronic coupons, that she recruited friends and co-workers to try them.

“It’s awesome,” Englebert said. “There is a lot of free stuff to be had.”

Coupon use had been declining since 1992 as consumers found less need for or some embarrassment in using them. But as the economy worsened, frugal became cool and their popularity grew.

Use of electronic discounts and coupons more than doubled in the first half of 2009 compared with the same period last year as overall coupon use rose 23 percent, according to coupon-processing company Inmar. They now account for more than 3 percent of all coupons used, up from roughly 2 percent in 2008.
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