A Personal Computer

Much has been made lately of whether or not the iPad is a PC or not and should be counted as such. To me, the answer is obvious (of course it is). And, if the iPad can be counted among that number, then the iPhone surely should be a worthy and accepted candidate as well.

In my recent emergency trip this past week (brief update: My Dad is not out of the woods but the path ahead is a clear one), my iPhone 4 became my most used and primary computer for many reasons. This despite the fact I had both my iPad and MacBook Air with me and close at hand. It was the one best fitted to almost every situation I found myself in. Unobtrusive, agile, and the one with a constant and reliable internet connection.

Here are just a few of the things I used it for:

• Searching for and booking flights using Hipmunk.

• Finding and reserving a hotel using the Priceline app.

• Using Orbitz in Mobile Safari to check car rental rates so that I had proper reference for negotiating the price I wanted once I got to the counter (ended up with a Ford Escape for $20 a day).

• Using the heck out of Maps.app to find my way around.

• I read a book in the Kindle.app (It’s a really great book by the way. Highly recommended).

• Took lots of notes with Simplenote.

• Found the closest Starbucks and Chipotle with their respective apps.

• Looked up tons of medical terms and procedures with Mobile Safari.

• Showed off the latest family and vacation photos and videos to my Dad, nurses, and doctors.

• It was my parking meter timer and alarm clock.

• It was my tip calculator.

• Captured tasks in OmniFocus.

• Scheduled appointments in Agenda.

• Started a few draft posts in PlainText (where I’m writing this now). Completed one and published it here. In fact, I write most things less than 1000 words these days on my iPhone, in landscape, using my thumbs and the onscreen keyboard. I’m pretty sure I’ll be hospitalized for this eventually. The only question being, “Which ward?”

• Used FaceTime to talk to and see my wife and little girl (whom I missed greatly).

• Updated, communicated, and otherwise stayed in touch via phone, email, and Twitter.

This is all just to say that of all of the computers at my disposal, the iPhone was the most personal and therefore the one most often used.