Finally talking iPhone

There's no avoiding it. It's everywhere. Once the hype settled down and sales were in the "disappointing" category for Apple, I thought I'd hear less about the iPhone. Then it happened: people started hacking it like they got lessons from OJ Simpson himself. Even smart tech bloggers I like (Chris Pirillo and John Tokash are my most revered examples) love theirs iPhones.

I suffer from iPhone envy. I do. I'm bored with my Motorola Q and have had numerous problems with it. The only reason I still have it is because I need mobile broadband and am tethered to Verizon's network for another year. If I were free of the contract, would I get an iPhone?

That's a hard question to answer. The Four Fatal Flaws, as I call them, would make it impossible for me to fully enjoy it:

1. No 3G data
2. No Bluetooth DUN
3. No Bluetooth A2DP
4. No Flash in the browser

The other flaws (price, closed applications, sealed battery, AT&T, etc.) can be overlooked if balanced by other features, but the Four Fatal Flaws still hold me back. I need all four of those. I use them all every day (three of which on my Q and one on my N800) and cannot live without. But then the hackers came. They figured out how to tether the iPhone for mobile data. They're hacking in their own applications, features, and fixes for the hobbling that AT&T/Apple did to it before it was shipped. Every time a piece of code is cracked open or a solder trace adds functionality, I want it more.

I finally realized that I wouldn't hack my iPhone. First - it's too expensive to risk damage. Second - I need it every day. I love hacking my Nokia 770 and Nokia N800 and they're both much more hacker-friendly than the iPhone. The key is that I could, if needed, live without my tablets. I don't need my tablet to buzz guests into my apartment gate. I don't need my tablet to talk to friends and family every day. I don't use my tablet to manage my life. My smartphone does all that and I couldn't live without it if I messed up while hacking it.

If I could pick one dream phone that is CURRENTLY on the market, I'd buy a Nokia N93i or Nokia N95. Having the freedom to take high quality photos and video everywhere will certainly enhance my blogging as it will show me in more real-life scenarios where the tablets are handy. Having a rich but small portable media device means I can liberate myself from my dying iPod nano. I wouldn't even have to give up my iTunes library with Nokia Media transfer.

I just can't afford to buy either right now, so I'll wait and hope this whole blogging thing picks up.