[canabiz]

Do you have one?

How much has it helped you/made your life easier? and in what way? Do you justify spending the monthly fees on it or do you get it through work?

I have been eyeing the new iPhone, sure it's nice to have but to me it's more of a want vs. need thing. Do I want one, absolutely. Do I need one? Not at the moment.

 

[canabiz]

brad, you touched on several good points regarding the smartphones. I could see people like marketing executives or real estate agents using them and taking advantage of their numerous features to make things more efficient...for the rest of us consumers, it is more of a toy than anything, albeit a productive toy for some folks.

Regarding the GPS and maps apps/features...my understanding is the iPhone needs to get signal from the network to give accurate position and locate points of interest...but that will incur exorbitant roaming charges when you are overseas so does it somewhat defeat the purposes?

I feel more comfortable bringing my portable GPS or paper maps when travelling rather than getting a surprise 3 or 4-digit bills in the mail when I come back.

I really like some of the apps for Iphone, i may get an older iPhone for a good deal and just try things out.

 

[canabiz]

Word is Telus and Bell may offer iPhone services as well. It will be a good move for them to take a bite out of the GSM market that Rogers/Fido have dominated in Canada for so long. I will see how that goes and if prices will go down before making the jump.

I could see Telus getting anxious about this, the Winter Olympic is fast approaching and the potential revenues from international delegations with GSM phones are there.

Speaking of Fido, i do believe they don't have the system access fee and they bill by the second so they are an attractive option for the frugal folks who also want to dabble in the latest and greatest.