My first computer was a Packard Bell desktop that I reformatted so many times that I think the platters in my hard disk must have been paper thin. My first laptop was a Sony SRX and it was a little larger than a current netbook. I ran the laptop like a desktop, keeping it constantly connected to an ethernet cable and power cord. My first mobile device was a Sprint Samsung i-300 that was a gift to me and I wanted to take the web with me wherever I went. Life has never been the same since that device.
In the course of the past 6 years, I have been through more devices than I can count. I have probably lusted after more devices than I have owned. Currently, I am married to an iPhone 3G. I say married because my wife will remove parts of anatomy should I purchase another device and the parts of my anatomy that she would remove would be the fingers and hand that swiped the card. For every device that is released, I analyze and agonize over its every feature and lack thereof. I, like many of you, seek the Holy Grail of Mobile Devices; a product that has every feature that I want, has the right interface, and plenty of battery life. For the time being, the iPhone 3G (with a few upcoming software releases) is as close to perfection as I can achieve at this time.
My phone has become an addiction. I can rationalize buying uncounted software, cases, and accessories. It is because of this addiction (and remorse for so much spending) that I feel that I need to have my phone with me all the time. The addiction doesn’t stop there. Ever since I owned a Treo and it was near me, I felt the need to pick it up and do something with it; almost a compulsion, if you will. When I can’t find anything to do at that moment, I simply put the device down and feel a little sad, like some how my device let me down. It is that feeling coupled with a compulsion to spend money that drives me to look for what might be newer and better.
In the end, I tend realize that what I have is just fine. My wife is also key in reminding me of this. Patience has never been a strong suit of mine, but if I can learn to get better at it, I can learn to be a devoted fan of a single platform and single device instead of a mindless freak collecting every bit of technology I can get my grubby little hands on.