Sometimes the right thing just appears at the right time.
I've been working with people who recently adopted so-called "smartphones" like the Treo and the Blackberry. These are very cool and can do a lot. I've been playing with them a bit and can see how they would be useful, but I've been less than overwhelmed by the user experience. My sense is that if I got one it would end up with my Palm. That is, at the bottom of my bag and rarely used.
At the same time I've been traveling with my laptop, and finding myself frustrated by lack of internet access in hotels whose wireless wasn't working as promised and airports that either don't have wireless or charge for it. Whether or not I should be so bothered - dare I say despondent - when I'm forcibly off-line is perhaps fodder for a future post or a session with a shrink, but let's just accept it as a fact for now.
Yesterday, while I was off-line, Apple announced the iPhone. Wow. If it works as promised it addresses all of the shortcomings of the smartphones I've seen. The fact that it's also a video ipod - which I've been threatening to buy for a year - is a huge bonus. The internet access looks fantastic and works through the cell phone network as well as wi-fi. I can see traveling with just the iPhone and leaving the laptop at home. That would make packing a lot easier and lighter! And being a quad-band phone is a plus for trips to Ireland.
Michael, take this as official notice. I see an iPhone in our future. It's not going to be available until June, so use the next few months to get used to the idea.
