I'd lust after other phones, but for me one of the single most important things is that my Phone/Organizer integrates seamlessly into my workflow. I manage contacts, appointments, and emails from at least 4 computers and my iPhone. It's the only thing out there that just plugs in and works with iCal and all the other items that work with MobileMe. I'm cranky that the iPhone doesn't have copy and paste. I'm kinda neutral on the keyboard. I wish the IM clients were better. Overall it is still the best phone/PDA I've had, but it is not without weak spots. I will say I have been enjoying the App store. I now have a DB meter, signal generator, FFT, and spectrum analyzer on my phone, which is pretty great.

One of us. One of us.

Drew did it again. I wonder if he get's toaster ovens or something.

The iToaster Oven. You can surf the Web while your bread toasts.

I'd lust after other phones, but for me one of the single most important things is that my Phone/Organizer integrates seamlessly into my workflow.

This is the thing that finally threw me over the edge of the cliff -- no toaster for ND, I'm afraid; it was a couple of my colleagues going to a week-long tech conference without taking laptops and still managing to both keep us posted and keep up with work back home that got me. Convinced me that it's reached the point where it's more computer than phone, which is the only way I'd drop that kind of money on a phone.

Yeah, I use iCal, but don't mind switching to Google Calendar (especially since it can do some web-syncing with iCal that is pretty cool) once I get the G1. And I already use GMail exclusively. The only thing that will totally suck is Google Contacts, I'm afraid, but I'm not especially worried about that. I don't use the contacts feature very thoroughly anyway.

The G1 is lower on my list than a Kindle 2 at this point, though, and neither is happening very soon. Have to make it through the moving stage to have money again.

Yeah, I used to do app switching and conversion stunts and used Missing Sync with the Palm, but I ended up having things in too many places. I like one unified Addressbook, one mail account system which works (Which is actually dealing with 5 different email addresses at this point), and a one point Calendar that does push updates.

Actually brining up the email issue, has anyone here moved their Dreamhost email accounts over to Gmail's system? I've been reading about it and it seems like a good thing, but I'm wondering how much of a hassle it is to actually make the move.

These discussions amuse me as I lazily contemplate which cheap phone to get for a pay-as-I-go plan, as my entry into the cellphone world. This reminds me of that Dilbert cartoon where Alice gets a computer with all the features and says "Watch me launch the space shuttle."

For me it's a matter of being able to run my business. When things are crazy I can go a week an only be in front of an office computer for a few minutes at a time. Before I started using a phone that had email and calendar and everything else I'd work a 14-16 hour day, then come home and have to spend another 2+ hours reading and answering emails and updating calendars and everything else. With everything connected I can do it right when I'm dealing with a client or a vendor and I can have a high degree of confidence that when I check my availability on any of my computers or phone that it is accurate and I'm not double booking myself. It ends up being a huge time saver for me.

When I consider myself a technological neophyte, I think of the folks back where I grew up, who are still bitching about the new traffic lights that went up downtown and why are so many people driving so many damned cars around, dammit. I wonder if my mother ever brought herself to use an ATM.

My mom is that way. The biggest tech she ever got into was an electric typewriter. I got Dad onto a computer around 1990, but mom insister on getting her typewriter repaired around 2002 rather than ever learn to use the computer.

My parents were like that too. In fact, my mom still had her manual typewriter when I left for college. Beyond that point, they suddenly got a microwave, new vhs/dvd setup, eventually a large flatscreen, two laptops and a desktop. I exclaimed about it and they just kinda laughed.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that they'd gotten all that stuff with the money that they'd saved for my college, which I'd abandoned to elope. Hee. Good on them for spending on themselves.