I continue to marvel at all the hype over Apple's new iPhone -- the gotta-have, pocket-size gadget that lets you make and receive cell phone calls, surf the Web, take pictures, listen to music, watch video and, I assume, cure cancer and bring about world peace all for the low, low price of $500 (activation fee, cost of add-on services and the expense of canceling your former cell phone account not included).
I have a cell phone. I got it for free last time I signed up for service.
I have Web access -- not in my pocket, mind you, but I'll find a way to survive with the handicap of having to actually sit in front of a computer, with a 19-inch screen, to use the Internet.
I have music-playing devices coming out of (and into) my ears -- home stereo, radio/CD player in my car, CD player built into my home computer, CD player built into my alarm clock, a little MP3 player that cost next to nothing and can store a megabyte of music, and so on.
I have video-viewing capability -- no less than three TVs, three VCRs, three DVD players and three computers with DVD drives in my family's home. Oh yeah, and a portable DVD player that we bring on vacation.
And though I can't cure cancer and bring about world peace, it occurs to me that the iPhone can't either.
So, as it turns out, I have sufficient gadgetry to perform all the tasks that an iPhone can handle. The only difference is that I can't perform them all on a single gadget that fits in my pocket ... and that I didn't get duped into spending gobs of money to buy capabilities that I already have.