iPhone: Tool or Toy?

Making the transition from Blackberry to iPhone is a journey. At times a roller-coaster ride whose high and low points are hopes fulfulled and expectations dashed. And along the way are some moments of unexpected beauty.

I made that trip and many people asked me about it. At the time I answered, rather simplistically, "do you want a tool or a toy?" I said that because if you want to type out long emails, something that's easy on a mobile device that has keys you can feel, the iPhone isn't for you.

But if you want a world of everything else the iPhone is most definitely for you. It's a world that is as strong as all the apps you can find in the App Store. And there are a lot of apps in the App Store.

Months after getting used to the idea that I won't be thumb-keying wordy emails to colleagues and friends anywhere at any time, I find I can't imagine living without the idea that I can have a fully integrated phone and audio device that cruises the Web fairly smoothly.

Life changes, and in this case improves dramatically. Sure there are issues. The idea that you can't cut and paste anything is a significant drawback, but it's the broken egg shell of this omelette.

And I've yet to get a message saying "where are all those long emails you used to send me in the middle of the night?" Hmmm...