Well, I finally purchased my iPhone.  I've actually already had it for well over a month, and, as I knew I would, I LOVE IT!

Even after having the phone since mid-December, I still am blown away about what I can do when I'm away from home or the office (and in some cases, at the office).

The biggest issue I thought I would have is relying on the "slow" EDGE network when not in a wi-fi hotspot.  I thought it might be a big deal for me, but I quickly came to the realization it wouldn't.  I mean, when have I ever been able to read a blog waiting at a stop light?  Or read up on who's winning a presidential primary while waiting for a movie to begin at a theater?  Exactly.  So, why would it bother me that it may take ten to fifteen seconds for a browser page to load?  Having the internet in my pocket truly opens the world to another dimension when needing to fill downtime.  And out of all the downtime, I have learned that there is nothing more fulfilling than having access to the internet while in the bathroom at work.  Yes, I just said that.  From checking the stock market's latest dive to watching that cool scene from last night's episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (well, the latter only if no one else is in the bathroom), you can't go wrong having an iPhone simply for the perks it can bring you at work ... in the bathroom.

One of my favorite features (and most utilized, this being my first PDA), is having e-mail on-the-go.  I really have been missing out on this over the last few years.  And with the iPhone, you get HTML e-mail, so I am able to view e-mail with photos or graphics, just as I would on my notebook or desktop.

As you may have read in my recent Macworld 2008 post, there are continual software updates.  So at any given time, through an accepted update, my phone can completely change and add capabilities and applications.  No phone I've ever had could do this.  It's great.  The last update earlier this month added a GPS-like feature to the Maps app, which triangulates your position wherever you are.  So just like that, my phone can now find me on a map.

To top it all off, there hasn't been a formal announcement of a second generation iPhone (like some thought there would be at Macworld) -- so I am not in immediate danger of being stuck with the "old" model anytime soon.  With their most recent iPhone update, you can see the direction Apple is heading -- updating the phone with new software rather than introducing newer models at a frequent rate, like we've seen with the iPod over the last five years.  Still, look for a second generation iPhone soon.  I would guess this holiday season, rather than this summer.

Thinking back on the best, or life-changing, purchases I've made throughout my life, I'm at a loss thinking of any that could top how my daily life has changed as it has with the iPhone.  You know you've made a good purchase when you can say that.

FILE:  LIFE, TECHNOLOGY