Traveling with the iPhone 3G.

I just came back from a great week of snowboarding out in Snowbird, Utah. Before I left for the trip, I contemplated whether or not to bring my laptop. Traditionally, I've always taken my Macbook with me. I actually considered buying a netbook just for this trip. Although, it would have been great for surfing and checking email, I decided that on this trip I would bring nothing but my iPhone and my digital camera. I made sure to bring extra SD memory cards with me, as I wouldn't have a computer to download my photos to. It would have been nice, if the iPhone had an adequate camera, I could have done the whole trip with only the iPhone.

I also brought along the PSP, but surprisingly I only used it once and for about a 1/2 hour. It seems the PSP has dropped to the wayside as my iPhone is now my device of choice. My last gadget along for the ride was the Solio Charger. From the get go, the iPhone was a tremendous help. On the flight there, I used the ebook reader, watched an episode of Patrick Swayze's new show "The Beast", listened to music and played a few games. The in-flight entertainment on Delta was lacking and it seems like everything now has a price tag on it now, from $2 headphones to $8 meals. It's great that I didn't have to pay $6 just to watch an inflight movie.

Upon arrival, I used the iPhone's GPS and maps program to guide me to the resort. En route, we saw a billboard advertising Cracker Barrell, which happens to be a favorite of mine. We got off the highway, but some how got lost. Using the App "Man-go", we were able to get back on track and find it easily. While there we took some pictures with the iPhone's crummy, but functional camera. Sent a quick text to my buddies to let them know we were on the way. I loved that the phone changed time zones by itself.

While on the mountain, despite being 8,000 feet above sea level, 3G worked great, and our resort had free wi-fi. Although my buddy's laptop picked up the wi-fi fine, I noticed that the antenna on the iPhone was unable to effectively pick up a usuable signal. I ended up turning off the wi-fi as the 3G speeds were faster. I checked email, with the twitterfon app and facebook app, updated all my friends and family back home with pictures and stories from my trip. On our first night, we used the maps program again to find and get directions to Bohemian the restuarant. After dinner, I hooked up my iphone to the TV with my composite cables and we all watched a movie together. Who needs to rent dvd's?

On the 3rd day, I got a text from a friend that someone we know was mentioned in a newspaper article, so using my iPhone, while sitting in a chair lift, I was able to pull up the article and read it for myself. I used the phone to check weather and ski conditions every day, and keep up to date on all news from NY.

Finally on the last day, we decided to take a tour of Salt Lake City. Again, the only guide we had was google maps. I was amazed at how easy it was to get around the city, and we were never lost or without direction. We were able to check out reviews for a restaurant before eating there, then we used the phone to look up history of points of interest such as the University of Utah, the State Capital, and even to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints. Since we used the phone so much, I was happy to have my Solio Charger to recharge the phone while at the airport. We checked in early, so again I used the phone to check stocks (I'm a glutten for punishment), read news, and check weather back in NYC. Once on the plane I entertained myself with "Don't Mess With the Zohan" I've had this movie on my phone for so long, but kept putting off watching it. I'm sorry I had because it was pretty funny! When that movie was done, I went back to reading my ebook.

Lastly when we finally arrived, I was able to text my brother and let him know that I've arrived a little early and to pick us up. Over all, I never missed not having a laptop with me at all. I didn't have much down time there so, as we were on the move the whole time, perhaps if I had more time to sit and chill, I might have missed my Macbook more. On this trip, the iPhone rose to the challenge and was all I needed!