Unlimited Internet on my phone: Is this a mistake?

I was the last person I know to get a cell phone (not counting my parents, who also do not have a computer, but that’s another story for another day). When I finally succumbed, it was because I was forced into accepting someone else’s hand-me-down phone.

Point 1: I am not an early adopter of phone technology.

However, I bought one of the earliest Palm devices (back when they were still called Palm Pilots), and I loved that thing to death! I upgraded it early and often. I kept everything stored on it, especially my calendar. (I never liked the Windows-compatible PDAs.)

Point 2: I can be an early adopter of devices that help me manage information.

I hand-coded my first Web page and put it online in March 1995. However, I did not buy my own domain name until fall 2000.

Point 3: My adoption pattern for Internet uses is probably unpredictable.

Now that you have some context, I can tell you that I recently acquired a BlackBerry phone (model 7105t), which came with unlimited Internet access, unlimited e-mails (send and receive), and 1,000 “anytime” minutes of phone use a month. I was tired of carrying two devices. Plus, I usually also carry either a camera or a iPod — all this in my purse. (How do men function without a purse?)

But most important, I had been having trouble keeping my calendar up to date. I missed a couple of appointments. In analyzing my problem, I concluded that I was failing to update my Palm PDA because (a) sometimes I forgot to recharge it, and (b) sometimes I left it at home.

I never leave the phone at home. I always keep the phone charged. Hence my solution: I would get a new phone that would encourage me to practice better calendar maintenance.

Through a long and difficult process of reading reviews online and comparing prices and plans, I signed a two-year contract with T-Mobile for this BlackBerry 7105t (if you want specs and software and tips, etc., go here).

Point 4: I didn’t buy this phone because it had Internet access. I bought it because I liked the calendar applications.

Now, not only do I have a calendar that is always with me and easy to update; I also have my e-mail with me no matter where I am — and the entire Internet too. And Google Maps! I have Google Maps on my phone! And my entire collection of Flickr photo sets. My Bloglines subscriptions. Updated weather from the Weather Channel. Headlines from numerous newspapers around the world (and from the BBC), with links to complete stories.

Unlimited access, everywhere.

We already know that, using CSS, we can make our news Web sites accessible and easy to use for people on a variety of digital platforms. Bloomberg is one of the masters of the game, and they saw the big picture very early.

If you don’t know about the MySpace phone from Helio, you should think about that. It’s not necessarily a success, but it’s provocative.

I’m not suggesting that you run out and buy one of these. (You may like the Treo 700P instead.) I’m not even suggesting that a significant number of U.S. residents will be buying an Internet phone, or “smart” phone (see Gizmodo), anytime soon. Maybe not. (If they have to pay per minute, they definitely will not.)

I am suggesting, though, that journalists and news organizations need to be looking at applications for mobile data right now – and not next month, and certainly not next year. NOW.

Because I am NOT an early adopter. And I’m hooked.

• Recent news (InfoWorld, July 5, 2006): More mobile Internet users than wired in Japan: Users in Japan are more likely to access the Internet from cell phones than PCs
• Related post (ClickZ): The Utilitarian Life of the Mobile Internet
• Related post (Russell Beattie): Browsing: The Mobile Data Killer App
• Related post (BoxesandArrows): Location and Presence in Mobile Data Services
• Related blog: The Mobile Weblog

Update: A very interesting analysis of why smartphones have “failed” (from The Register, July 21, 2006) reminds me of the smug pronouncements in the 1980s about the failure of online information services. Before the Netscape beta, we had a lot of slow, ugly and disappointing options for doing what we now do online with such grace and aplomb. Some people looked at those early online efforts and said, “Game over!” Well, they were wrong. I think it’s much, much too soon to declare the mobile Internet a failure.

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