More than a Gadget

I am convinced that I have more gadgets and cell phones collecting dust in my electronics closet than any man alive. Every time the greatest new technology in hand held devices and/or cellular technology is released, I'm the first in line to try it out. I am almost always dissappointed, but I have apparently not learned any lessons from this. For the first few days after a purchase (the "honeymoon" period), the new functionality and convenience provided by my new toy is enough to keep me excited about it, but then the quirks start showing up. Undependable bluetooth connections, awkward form-factors, abismal battery life, strange choices relative to user interface design, and plain-old poor quaility eventually have me back on the market (or digging through my closet) for a replacement device. I've tried three different models of the Palm Treo and every one of them was garbage. When the iPhone was released a few months ago, I told myself that I would not buy into the hype and that it was just another gadget that I'd end up wasting my money on. Then, my boss got one and I had to set it up for her to connect to the office network and mail account. I had an opportunity to play with it for a couple of hours and it didn't take me long to realize that this was not just another techno-toy that I would get tired of in the matter of a few days. The following day, I marched into my local AT&T store and walked out with a shiny new iPhone. This was several weeks ago and I am as fascinated and impressed with the device today as the day I bought it. This hand-held wonder is without a doubt the most well thought out and designed, intuitive, and significant pieces of technology that I've ever owned. My iPhone won't be collecting dust in the closet anytime soon. I can't wait to see what happens when Apple releases the iPhone SDK in January.