I used to carry a cell phone, but I haven't for the past year. I don't miss really miss it. Being able to whip it out and call someone any time I wanted to is nice, but not being able to call someone any time I want to is nicer, I think. In our hyperconnected world, we, as a society, have lost "alone" time. Sure, we're more dependent on others than we ever have been before (at least outside our immediate families), but how much should have affect our life? With cell phones, plans can change at any time, and everyone can be told about it instantly. That's good if you get in a car wreck. Is it good when you forget milk at the store and call your spouse so they can pick it up on the way home? Maybe I'm just a non-control freak, but I say that's worse. The world isn't going to end without milk; drink something else. Sure, it might be inconvenient, but maybe it'll help you remember next time.
I feel the same way on my motorcycle: the visor goes down and the world goes away. If I'm late and driving a car, I rush. If I'm late on my bike, I just don't care. If I have to go somewhere and I've got the car, I leave as late as possible and drive fast. With my bike, I leave early so I can avoid taking a route with traffic and/or stoplights as much as possible. I don't know what the difference is, because it's not a conscious decision; it was a distinction I noticed in retrospect after I'd been riding for a while.
With that prelude complete, I'm debating getting a phone again. I would love a device with JME that I could install my own apps on, but with the modern age, a solid browser is just as useful (probably more so). Being able to whip out a computer that's always on and do something online real quick is of great interest to me, because I find myself consciously skipping certain things I want to do because getting my laptop is to much of a pain. But I'm not sure I'm willing to pay the price of carrying a phone, both the permanent availability and the actual physical device being in my pocket (or wherever) all the time. The iPhone is really quite a massive piece of equipment, and I already know what it's like carrying one of those around (ahem!). The Blackberries are a noticeably smaller, but with a much smaller screen (smaller factor and dedicated keyboard).
An interesting dilemma to be sure, and with a large helping of irony on the side considering my profession.
Well as a phone carrying junky who is addicted to constant communication with the outside world, I can tell you that I recently traded in my BlackBerry Curve (arguably the best BlackBerry ever) for an iPhone. I traded up from a standard phone to a treo a few years ago. Having the keyboard was nice, plus it made it so I could admin servers remotely. Restarting cf was never less of an issue. Then recently I switched from my treo to a blackberry. Push email on the blackberry was nice, but I ran into problems with the 3rd party apps not working on all versions of a phone.
This last weekend I got an iPhone. My wife had one for a month before I caved and got one myself. And just the browser alone and the big screen make it more than worth the money. Having IMAP to manage mail beats push mail hands down. And although its not legal yet, its fairly trivial to allow 3rd party apps to work on the iPhone. And there is an apple approved SDK on the way.
If you want a phone I say go for the best. Having the touch screen makes things so simple no matter how cool the little ball on the curve and pearl are.
Resistance is futile.
Check out some of the HTC Windows Mobile Devices, especially this one: http://www.htc.com/product/03-product_tytn_II.htm
Touch screen plus qwerty keyboard. Can run Blackberry Connect (ie is a blackberry too), and, unlike iPhone, you can copy and paste text. Kinda useful!
Get the device you want just don't give out the calling number….
why not get an ipod touch? it's got wifi and a web browser, and no phone option.
jon,
I considered that, but wifi isn't ubiquitous enough, unfortunately. It's nice and fast, though, unlike the EDGE. I'll probably end up waiting until the 3G iPhone comes out.