The next best thing

I have long been a person who loves gadgets; anything that makes tasks easier, cleaner and more fun - I want a part in it.  It's funny that nearly 15 years ago my husband (then boyfriend) bought me my first electronic organizer. He had one that I admired so he bought me one. It stored phone numbers and addresses and had a calendar. This was before we had cellphones and when people actually memorized phone numbers or used a paper phone book where you scratched out information every time someone moved or changed their phone number. I stopped using it after replacing a dead battery and discovering all my input was gone (no computer, no backup). Funny how times have changed, (not just technology), now I have to do a little more than just admire something before I actually get it - beg and plead is more like it. Years later, I backslid in available technology when my mom set me up with my first daytimer through Daytimers. It had a nice leather binder, pretty colored paper and tabs that organized my calendar and addresses. I believe I reordered the next year before I jumped on the Palm wagon when they rolled out with the Zire 71.  My brother had showed me his Palm and I thought the whole stylus things was cool. The selling point of the Zire 71 was that I could take pictures with it, listen to music and read books on it which were bonuses to what I actually bought it for (and the fact that it was blue). Additionally it had "apps" (The Palm Store) and I believe it held at least 8 songs that I listened to when I worked out. I stuck with Palm for many years, eventually graduating to the more sophisticated Palm TX, it was capable of storing documents though I don't think I ever used it for that, more songs (maybe a whole CD), no camera on this one but by this point my cellphone had one. Then my brother introduced me to the iPod. He had the one that was shaped and as small as a stick of gum (the original shuffle I think). I really liked it but I didn't want to add a third device to what I was already carrying around. Though the size of his iPod was nothing to carry around in comparison to what I ended up buying. When the iPod classic came out, it could store A LOT of music, play videos and the bonus was it would sync my calendar, addresses and phone numbers. I still ended up carrying around three devices. The iPod classic screen was entirely too small to view my calendar and a pain if I wanted to actually add something to it via the iPod.  I never used the extras in my phone, I just stored numbers of a handful of people so I still needed my Palm. It was a crazy sight to see me use all three at once.  I guess it would be the equivalent to when people used a pager, a cellphone and a 2-way (remember that?). Years later when my brother bought me an iPod touch, that changed everything. This was the device that made me say goodbye to Palm. Now I was down to two devices again, my cellphone and my new iPod touch, which I had my whole life stored in and never left home without. In the midst of "I love everything Apple",  I was swept up by the Oprah effect when she gave everyone in her audience an Amazon Kindle and then announced a reduced price for viewers of "today's show". So back to three devices again. But, still longing for that all-in-one-one-and-only (the iPhone); I could read my Kindle books on it if I had one. Still, I remain loyal to Verizon.  I've been with them for eight years- oh yeah - there's that contract cancellation fee that keeps me loyal too (which by the way cost less than anything I've bought so far). Seriously though, I get great reception with Verizon and had always heard about "not so great" reception with AT&T (around here). So I've been holding on to the rumors that Verizon would get the iPhone; I hope they do before my contract is up - or adios Verizon - it's been real. So while I drool over every iPhone update that Apple announces sticking to my guns (Verizon) BOOM, here comes the iPad. I was blindsided, and love struck at the same time.  Did I already say I had a device that changed everything? Well this really did! It eliminated carrying around the Kindle, since I can read Kindle books on the iPad. Kindle has its home at my bedside now. I still love her but she doesn't need to go everywhere because she can't do everything. But I am still carrying around three devices, one GIANT iPod touch (my iPad), my little iPod touch (why I feel the need to take both doesn't make sense) and my raggedy free phone from Verizon.  It's not really raggedy and I really don't take my iPad everywhere. I held out two months before I bought the iPad, once I had it in my hands, loved it, no plans to return it, BOOM, here comes the new and improved, beautifully sleek iPhone 4. Do you see where I am going with this? No, I didn't get one. YET. I can not hardly stand the fact that I am still under Verizon contract - oh yeah - then there's that $300 price tag of the new iPhone too. When I do get an iPhone, I'll be down to carrying just one device. I am sure I will believe this is the one that changes everything until the next best thing comes out which is sadly probably less than a year away and STILL before my Verizon contract expires.