iPhone

I've had my iPhone for two and a half weeks now. I already can't imagine not having it. It's everything my various past PDAs have tried and failed to be: calendar, contacts, maps, entertainment while on the go, and, yes, phone. I use it to time the laundry so I get it from the washer to the dryer before it starts to mildew.* I use it to make critically timed attacks in Travian** when I am away from my computer. On rare occasions, I even use it make or receive a phone call.

I would really be thrilled to be using it for my grocery shopping list, but I can't. I have a couple of free, "lite" game versions that I would like to upgrade to the full version, but I can't do that, either. I can look over a vista of commercial apps for my iPhone, but I can't buy any of them.

You see, the iTunes Store and my bank have a disagreement about zipcodes. The iTunes store insists that a zipcode has 5 digits and only 5 digits. If you enter a "zip plus four" zipcode on the billing address for your iTunes account it rejects it. Contrarily, my bank insists that a zipcode has 9 digits. If you enter a 5 digit zipcode on their address change form, it automagically adds the other 4 digits. Hence, whenever I try to use my bank card to buy an iPhone app, I get a failed authorization due to a zipcode mismatch.

I have had the bank manually change my address, but the extra digits reappeared.

I have emailed Apple support about this issue, too. They suggested some other ways to pay -all of which required using a credit card, which will then be rejected for a zipcode mismatch. The only viable option was Paypal, and I am not interested in hooking that up to my main bank account. As Borg of America does their routine issuing of new debit cards as the old ones expire, complete with 9 digit addresses, more iTunes users will fall into this little catch-22. It makes no sense whatever for Apple to resist the addressing system of one of the largest banks in the country.

But until Apple crumbles I am stuck with free apps only, and no grocery list.

* Please note that my wash cycle is from 1¼ to 2½ hours long. It's easy to get involved in something else and forget the laundry.

** Do not click this link. If you do, be prepared to give up large chunks of your life to this addictive, real-time, year-long game.