Hopeless Geek

While I have the means (via my employer) to get an iPhone, I’m conflicted as to if it’s worthwhile to use that avenue to get it. That’s a frustrating place to be in while being a technology whore.

For a personal device, I’m all over it. Widgets out the wazoo and movies and music and everything. There’s no argument for that; I want it. However, for a business device for a developer the argument is less strong. I don’t talk to people on the phone for business. A lot of my email involves projects I’m actively working on at that precise moment on the computer (code) so there’s little use in email on the mobile. My current phone does OBEX Push for VCards so I can get information to the phone for keeping addresses around (not optimal) and backup in bulk to another phone or computer (not optimal). So, for business, I’m left with Safari on the phone, which is just like the Safari I’m writing this in.

Add to that that I’m in the middle of a Sprint contract for two lines right now that ends next year. They want $200 per line to cancel it (they go by the phone, not by the plan or bill recipient). I’d need to cancel both lines as the wife and I talk a lot between the two phones with the free wireless-to-wireless minutes so she needs to be on the same company as I am. On top of that, I’ve been with Sprint for eight years and customer service tends to do whatever is needed to keep me happy and with them when I call (sometimes they start out quite bitchy but when enough time passes that I know they’ve seen the account they change their tune).

I don’t foresee a CDMA version (I would hope not; it needs to die) so the only solution would be … two mobile phones: one personal and one business. Well, with no business reason for it (and, really, two mobile phones? WTF?) and every nuance of sanity in my head saying that it’s ridiculous, I’m left with the sad conclusion that the iPhone, as great as it would be for me on an entertainment level, is simply not something that fits into my lifestyle at this point in time. The cost of moving to the phone would be astoundingly silly and then, well, I’d have an iPhone and the wife wouldn’t, so I can only envision going three months before I have to get her one out-of-pocket. To summarize:

Now is it worth it? No, not really. Not at all. It’s kind of disappointing, really, because I know I’m not alone in this situation, either. Just because there’s high demand for it doesn’t mean that it will work for everyone logistically, especially Sprint and Verizon customers who won’t be able to ever use the phone with their current carriers. Sure, that’s one more reason not to use Sprint and Verizon, but while we’re here, we’re screwed.