communications functions vs. a phone

Paul sent me this link about the rumored iPhone with a comment that it could be really cool or really lame. I agree on that point.

But the thing I really want is for all my devices to have communication capabilities so that I can just take the one I want at the time I want it rather than having to take them all. For example, why not have a full function phone and PDA that I use during the day, and a sleek RAZR that I use at night or have my iPod mini serve as my phone when I'm around town or at the health club? Camera phones are convenient, but when you want to take really high quality photos, why not have a cell radio in your Nikon D70 so you can send the pics to Flickr? In other words, when will I be able to untether the phone number from the device without going through the inconvenience of taking the SIM chip out?

Communications are a set of functions that should be built into other devices, not the other way around.

The counter argument to the above is that we should all just have a single device that does everything. I disagree on the basis that there will always be single purpose devices that kill a category, like the iPod, simply because they don't make compromises, which is what you inevitably have to do when you start to combine things together.

Comments

[W]

Jeff Nolan asks, "when will I be able to untether the phone number from the device without going through the inconvenience of taking the SIM chip out?"

http://eightdiagrams.typepad.com/eight_diagrams/2004/12/super_phone_pho.html

[Paul J.]

Well, let me put it like this. If they can manage to get a RAZR type phone with the functionality of the iPOD integrated, this would be a step in the right direction. I personally don't care much for integrated cameras, or at least not until they get the video call thing down. At most importantly, the phone simply has to have reception, period! They still haven't figured that out completely no matter which phone you have in your hand!