# Two iPhone questions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204 "2009-11-28T04:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/1 "2009-11-28T04:16:53Z")
So my 65+ year old mother has just gotten an iPhone. I’m helping her get the hang of it, and I have two questions: (1) are there any iPhone apps that anyone would recommend for someone who has very erudite taste… Bach and Shakespeare and Vermeer and so forth. She likes traveling and gardening. I’m imagining either some super-interesting PBS-ish thing, or else some basic utility like google maps which is just so unbelievably handy that everyone needs to have it? (2) is there a way to import addresses/contacts from a .csv file or something of that sort? The only options I saw in iTunes were to sync with outlook or some other app that she doesn’t use. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/2 "2009-11-28T06:28:33Z")
You need to somehow get the contacts into an app that the iPhone can import from. Outlook is a good one to aim for, since it’s so widely used. As for apps - there is a field guide to birds. A bunch of dictionaries. Weather apps. Chess apps. News apps. All kinds of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/3 "2009-11-28T13:40:29Z")
[Shakespeare](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shakespeare/id285035416?mt=8). Puts the entire works of Shakespeare at your fingertips. Price: free ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/4 "2009-11-28T13:54:38Z")
Free quotes… Very entertaining and my personal favorite ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/5 "2009-11-28T14:06:53Z")
She likes to travel? I have a GPS app for my Storm. I suspect there is also one for the iPhone? It’s nice that I know longer carry a second piece of equipment for a GPS. ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/6 "2009-11-28T23:38:39Z")
NPR has a nice app that is free. Both written stories and podcasts. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/7 "2009-11-29T01:16:57Z")
There is also a BBC app. I’m finding it kinda slow and unstable though. Another fun one is The Louvre. They have information about the museum and images of paintings and information about them. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/8 "2009-11-29T02:26:30Z")
There’s a National Film Board of Canada app. It’s the anti-Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/9 "2009-11-29T03:01:56Z")
Import the .csv into outlook, then go to itunes, with the iphone plugged in, click the iphone on the left hand side of the program and browse through the tabs. There should be an option to sync with this or that program, choose Outlook (as a note, you can also sync with Yahoo, Google or AOL Contacts). There are **plenty** of NPR/PBS style apps, from free to 5 or 10 dollars a pop. Search through the app store for them, they’re a dime a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/10 "2009-11-29T05:09:58Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Import the .csv into outlook, then go to itunes, with the iphone plugged in, click the iphone on the left hand side of the program and browse through the tabs. There should be an option to sync with this or that program, choose Outlook (as a note, you can also sync with Yahoo, Google or AOL Contacts). > There are **plenty** of NPR/PBS style apps, from free to 5 or 10 dollars a pop. Search through the app store for them, they’re a dime a dozen. Great advice. However, I’d also pair up the NPR apps with a bunch of NPR podcast subscriptions (free) - then you can pause and rejoin where you left off whenever you switch tasks. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-iphone-questions/519204/11 "2009-11-29T05:17:49Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Import the .csv into outlook, then go to itunes, with the iphone plugged in, click the iphone on the left hand side of the program and browse through the tabs. There should be an option to sync with this or that program, choose Outlook (as a note, you can also sync with Yahoo, Google or AOL Contacts). > There are **plenty** of NPR/PBS style apps, from free to 5 or 10 dollars a pop. Search through the app store for them, they’re a dime a dozen. Great advice. However, I’d also pair up the NPR apps with a bunch of NPR podcast subscriptions (free) - then you can pause and rejoin where you left off whenever you switch tasks.