Bert,
My point about the contractor's experience with the iPhone changing his business is just that you never hear this from users of Windows Mobile products. There is no excitement in the windows mobile platform because people like me are sick and tired of this product that is always buggy and unreliable. There are certainly situations where the Windows Mobile products are better. I am sure that many a drug rep are using this product to coordinate their sale forces and inventory on a large enterprise level. But for the average small business user like most AC users (I am only assuming) I think that the Windows Mobile product provides no appreciable benefit.
With my iPod touch I synced up the iTunes and it imported the outlook, synced music and apps in practically one step. I have never had that happen with Activesync. I am lucky if the activesync can even find the PDA let alone sync it. Of course the single minded, limited hardware of the apple platform makes this easier then all the multitudes of Windows Mobile products but Activesync should be better than it is.
You can do anything on a windows product that can be done on an apple product. However the apple actually works and consistently works and that is the difference with the iPhone verses the Windows Mobile.
Unless Microsoft is able to figure out a solution in their platform to enable easy syncing and installation of 3rd party apps then it is doomed. I am not a particular fan of Apple, I think an Apple dominated IT world would a very bad place to live. However I am tired of the fractured nature of the Windows platform both on the Windows Mobile and Windows Vista side.
I am stuck with my USCellular because that is the only reliable cellular network where I live. The actual phone feature comes first since I am on call. I would pay the money to get rid of the BlackBerry, there is just no other option at this time.
Bert is absolutely right about wherever product you choose that it needs to meet your needs. An iPhone that has poor connectivity or does not work with a critical mobile application is a waste of money. The smartphone needs to meet YOUR particular needs first and foremost. However I think that most needs are met with a iPhone and that is your best option (except with the modem requirement which many plans do not allow anyways, at least the ones around where I live).
Geoff
