[Bob Russell]

I was in a hurry this morning. In the rush to get out the door, I forgot something. Thank God it wasn't my whole Treo, but it was close. I forgot my SD card. It sits at home in my card reader attached to my PC, and I'm too far from home to go get it.

That means all my iSilox clips with news, weather, movie listings, daily devotionals and so forth are not in my pocket today. It means that I have no videos or ebooks or mp3s in my pocket. It means that many of my reference materials are not available. I have no dictionary with me. No Bible. Just the basic PIMs. Heaven forbid I end up with a long wait somewhere on the way home like a grocery store line or a car service department.

Now, I have to admit that I don't really need any of that, other than the mp3s and maybe a video to watch at lunch. I may go out for lunch with some friends anyway, and I don't have time for the other stuff until I get home. So why is it such a big deal, and why do I feel so naked?

Basically, given a choice between doing something on a mobile device or another way, I'd choose the device almost every time. It just feels good and makes everything more enjoyable. It's a fascination that doesn't even have to be practical. I could get not a single benefit from a pda and I think I would still use one and enjoy it. I'm just as excited about these little computers now as I was when I saw the very first programmable calculators and home computers. Even remote access teletype machines from the 70s that actually allowed you to write and run programs.

So, yes, mobile devices are fun for me. But suppose I had left my Treo at home altogether. Oh my, what a disaster that would be. Now we're talking real issues, that even a "normal" person might relate to. I would not have had my schedule, my address book, my memo notes, my passwords. No phone, no shopping list. You know - the stuff a regular person might get a pda for. Heck, it would be kind of like back in the 80's before I discovered Franklin Planners. How did I ever do it?

For me, a mobile device is a lot like ATMs and microwave ovens and the internet. Once you get used to having one around, it's hard to imagine life without it. If you're the geeky/techie type, it can easily become one of the great joys in life. And if you are not the techie type, you may just be scratching your head for a long time trying to understand what the fascination is for people like me!