The wait is over, decision made, a shiney new iPhone

So my long debate over what phone to get is finally over. Yesterday morning I picked up an iPhone at the Fido store. I had already played with the first iPhone and the second iPhone along with the iPod Touch so I knew what it was all about. Even though I had played with them, I was still blown away at the ease of use and so far I’m extremely pleased with my iPhone.

My first iPhone street car ride home was spent catching up on my Google Reader feeds. People have asked me why I need to be connected all the time, so I tell them it’s really not much different than reading a newspaper in the morning only my preferred method is digital and the content I want to read for the most part won’t show up in the morning newspaper. Couple that with the fact that I hate how a newspaper feels, lets face it, they have a horrible user interface.

The main reason for getting an iPhone was staying up to date on gadgets, web trends and being connected whenever I want. I talk about being connected all the time in my post Why am I so addicted to the web? The iPhone is so much more though, now I have an iPod, video player, hand held game console, maps, text, chat, and the list goes on. Oh and lets not forget it’s actually a cellphone, something easy to forget, especially for me since I have never felt the need to own a cellphone. It will be nice to avoid the Ebola-ridden payphones of Toronto now, and finding one these days can be a real challenge.

Two great devices

When it came down to my final decision I was swaying between the Blackberry Bold and the iPhone. I really do believe that these two phones are the best out there right now, but they do have two types of users. The Blackberry seems a bit more business practical then the iPhone. It has a removable battery, a huge plus for travelers. It has a better reputation in the business world with exchange servers and Unix, although their is an iPhone ssh client in the app store now. Some would say the keypad is better too, but I am getting used to the iPhones keypad very quickly and the predictive typing is really good. Both devices are very cool, but the iPhone had a little more cool factor to it for me. I’m sure either phone would have made me happy for what I need them to do, but a rich browser experience was number one for me, and that is where the iPhone excels.

Does this mean I’ll stop talking about smartphones? Not a chance, I find the current ongoing innovation in hand held devices extremely interesting right now. The way many of us experience the web is slowly shifting from a desktop or laptop environment to a hand held experience. There are lots of great gadgets on the way too, although Android has had some setbacks it will be interesting to see what comes of it when it does finally arrive. The Blackberry Thunder (RIM’s respond to the iPhone) could also shake things up in October.