My Journey into Smartphones and Back

As an avid technology fanatic and gadget lover, I believe that the Smartphone is dead. Well, maybe it is not exactly dead, but I think that the Smartphone will be surrendering to the tablet in the next few years.

Let me explain. I bought the first iPhone when it debuted in 2007. I was one of the idiots who waited in line for the new class of device that would change everything for me. Since then, I have owned all of the iPhones including the 4s, a Motorola Atrix, an HTC Inspire, and my wife has had a few Blackberries and now sports an iPhone 3Gs. If there is one thing that owning a Smartphone has taught me over the past five years, it is that they are essential for me and at the same time, absolutely not worth it.

Let me explain, I have become accustomed (or possibly addicted) to always having data and connection to my cloud-driven world. I travel quite a bit and I am often lecturing and teaching on the road. I need to be in touch with my family, my data, and my world. Because I owned a iPhone, the iPad became a must-have. In the same period, I have owned an iPad, iPad 2, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Pantech Element. Smartphones got me hooked on tablets, and I surrendered my laptop many months ago. As time when on, I began to use my tablet more and my Smartphone less; my Smartphone was becoming less and less valuable.

My Smartphone was just not powerful enough and certainly not large enough to accomplish anything productive, and so I was dependent on my tablet for any real work. The only phone that held my attention longer than a few months was the HTC Inspire, but even the huge screen of the Inspire was not enough. With the inclusion of tethering on my Smartphones, I made the logical leap of tethering my tablet device to my cell phone. This increased my monthly data expense and data usage. I had to constantly remember two devices now, and managing my data connection become an extra step when it came to staying connected and it got in the way of productivity. The smartphone was becoming a bit of a burden, and I was using it less and less to communicate with people. Most meaningful conversation took place via Facetime and Skype or through email and messaging. The Smartphone was getting dusty.

Then it hit me; it was time to bite the bullet and simply get a 4G connected tablet and ditch my Smartphone. That is exactly what I did. Currently, I am sporting a pay-as-you-go phone, and I make 4-5 calls on it per month. I am also sporting a Pantech Element 4G tablet on AT&T's LTE network. The combination is perfect, and I am spending $20 less per month thanks to a data-only plan and my employer's corporate discount (data plans are not discounted on phones, but they are on tablets). The tablet allows me to be productive, mobile, and effective at work, and I am in constant contact with friends, family, and co-workers thanks to Skype, E-Mail and Google Voice. I have no need or use for a Smartphone.

Not all people will find themselves in my position - yet, but once the Smartphone bug bites, you realize just how amazing the device is at helping you be productive, and just how restrictive the device is at allowing you to get work done. We are a mobile, information addicted society that is storing and creating more and more of our lives in the cloud. Cell phone manufactures are catching on. Look at the Samsung Galaxy Note - it is a tablet and phone hybrid; even the iPhone 5 is rumored to be bigger and more tablet-like. RIM is struggling with their Blackberry only concept while HTC with a collection of 4 and 5 inch screens is thriving.The Smartphone is not dead; it is dying. I am excited to be one of the first to move forward into the tablet-toting, cloud-connected future.