Ok, so in the past 18 months i've gone through a Sony Ericsson K810i and K850i, an LG KE970, a Nokia N95 and N810, a Motorola Z8 and a Blackberry Curve. I'm planning on picking up an XPERIA X1 and probably the HTC Touch Pro too, but i got a 3G iPhone just before my trip and it's probably the best phone i've ever had. Granted, it doesn't do video and the photo's are shit, but it does everything else flawlessly. It's important for me to have internet and email access on my phone which is why i bought the N810 and Curve, and while the Curve has proven to be invaluable for me, the iPhone is just in a class of it's own right now.
I nearly bought the original iPhone, but i'm glad i didn't because i would still have bought the 3G version when it came out anyway. I don't know what the score is in the US, but on 02 in the UK data usage is both unlimited and free meaning that i can jump on the net absolutely anywhere and it won't cost me a penny. Ofcourse, i've had several phones with unlimited data plans already but the web browser on the iPhone (and Touch) is by far the best available on any mobile device. The Push e-Mail functionality (which is also available on the Curve) and fact that it supports Microsoft Exchange means that my emails come through instantly and i don't have to carry the Blackberry around with me. In short, i get the best of both world in one device that has a larger feature set than the vast majority of phones. While i do almost always have some sort of bag with me, it'll be nice to be able to leave me apartment with just the iPhone. Obviously it's not exactly life and death, but it's nice not to have to wait while your phone checks whether you have any new mail.
The GPS functionality using Google Maps is cool, but obviously not a replacement for a fully fledged satnav. I suspect i'll use it quite a lot abroad and probably while i'm on foot in the UK, so it'll likely come in handy to have.
I'm slightly disappointed by the lack of user created ringtones and the fact that you can't just use any track; instead having to download them from iTunes for a fee, ...but it's a minor frustration and i rarely have my phone on anything other than vibrate anyway. I'm also slightly annoyed that Apple didn't increase the capacity to match the newer Touches. 16GB is fine i guess, but i would have prefered 32. Again, it's not an actual problem, but it is a slight annoyance.
The user interface is obviously nothing new to any of you guys, especially those of you that already have an iPod Touch, but it's still worth mentioning that it's unrivalled at the moment and i honestly can't see how it could really be improved. iTunes may blow, and OS X may be a serious pain in the ass, but they nailed it for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
I've downloaded a multitude of apps from the App Store and while most of the stuff is a bit meh, i've found the audio phrasebooks to be pretty cool (i need one in Hebrew now) and think Super Monkey Ball is the best version since the Gamecube original - even if it does take some getting used to ;) Even though a lot of the stuff is pretty lame, there's an awful lot of room for development and improvments over some of the current apps (like the Facebook app) and since the App Store allows users to expand the fuctionality of the device, i can't think of any negatives surrounding it.
Battery life is comparable to the Touch when playing video or music, but since i'll primarily use it as a phone that translates into a much longer timescale. Using it as a phone and web browser, it outlasts many of my other phones... so yeah, no complaints.
I don't know if any of you guys have already bought one (Adam? Rampage?) but if not, i'd highly recommend it. It camera sucks and doesn't do video, but other than that the thing is virtually perfect. There are similar phones by LG and Samsung on the market, but neither are actually comparable.
I'd actually be interested to know what kind of phones you guys use, and whether any of you (save for Adam) use mobile devices for internet access and to post here!?

Nokia E51 Smartphone with 2 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, MP3/Video Player, MicroSD.
I bought this phone for my brother and this is a good phone. I am always mobile and need the internet wherever i go. There is an Opera browser which works fine and a MS Office so documents can be composed, viewed, edited, etc. Having Wi-Fi is extremely handy, if your ISP charges you extra just for the internet service for mobile devices like mine this is good since one can use the internet at the local hot spots at no cost. Memory is little but with the SD slot hopefully by the time the 16GB goes down in a couple months and 8GB comes cheep memory shouldn't be a problem but would do right now.
Wouldn't play/put much games on it though, maybe some music and a few pictures.
Another downside is no touch screen though and the buttons are a bit small so people with giant fingers wouldn't like this phone, other than that  it is a good phone for a good price.

while its all well and good, do you really need the internet everywhere you go?

I haven't read your block of words yet (I will) but right off the bat I just want to say iPhone along with anything Apple makes is trash.

If you want a media device (no phone) look at the Cowon A3 or Q5W.  Those kick ass, I'm thinking of getting one.  I'm switching from 32-bit Vista to 64-bit when I get the GTX 290 and I won't even bother to re-encode all my tunes to that shit piece iPod.  I'll just give it to my younger brother.   

I don't own a cell phone and I likely will never buy one.  I hate talking on the phone. 

All I need is a good MP3 player.  If it can do other stuff then great.  The A3 and Q5W has peaked my interest.  They're what the iPhone wished it was minus the phone and diminuitive stature.  The Cowons are a bit bigger but as a media device and function wise in general it blows away the Touch and iPhone.  Imagine a media device that supports drag & drop has amazing sound video quality and is loaded with features up the ass.  They make the Touch and iPone look like toys for kids.

I'd actually be interested to know what kind of phones you guysuse, and whether any of you (save for Adam) use mobile devices forinternet access and to post here!?

I have an enV 2. I use it's mobile web when I get bored and am away from a computer. I have used it, to post on kikizo before, but I prefer to just wait until I have computer access.

I currently with Helio and there offerings. When it comes to apps it is very user friendly and community oriented. Tons of possible stuff out there just as long as it can be put into JAVA format or whatever. Helio offers the 3G network which while combined with Opera Mini makes mobile browsing easy and quick. Helps speed up the boredom at work.

The hardware side of things my phone the Helio Fin has a small 100mb storage (but is expandale with a mini sd card). The camera is quite nice at 3.0 mp (all the pictures i post up here were taken with it) but the video can be kinda shoddy.

Helios are pretty much a cross between your standard cell phone and a smartphone I would say.

No Silent, i guess it's not a necessity to have internet access wherever i go, but i also remember a time when nobody had cellphones. For many people, especially business users, not having a cellphone now would be unthinkable. Since i use my phone and email a lot for work... it's just nice to have the lot available at all times.

There was a time, just a couple of years ago when i wouldn't have dreamed of using a web application one  phone; mostly because it was awfully slow and basic. But now that it's not only easy to use and it's rapid enough over 3G... why not use it?

Silentbomber


while its all well and good, do you really need the internet everywhere you go?

For me yes. It is how i communicate. Especially, since like now, i am away and need to keep in contact with persons who cannot reach me in any other way.

I use the original iPhone, and yes, I love it.  I thought about getting the new 3G, but decided it wasn't really worth it.  Then again, that's subject to change. ;)

And in case anyone was wondering, the Cowon devices that Agent mentioned do NOT have lightsabers!  Dealbreaker?  You decide!

I decided against the A3 and Q5W mostly because I know I won't carry around anything so big outside of my home, where it's useless given the fact that I have a PC.  Also the short battery life would have been an issue for me.

I did however buy a COWON D2 16Gb, more of an MP3 player.  I also picked up a 16GB SDHC card.  In the sub 300$ range it's the best MP3 player on the market. 

Just waiting for it to be delivered. 

On agent"s slight off topic I just ordered an Archos 605 today.
http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/archos-605-wifi-30gb/4505-6499_7-32477556.aspx?tag=prod.txt.1

I debated for a while whether I should do so, but I removed my unlimited access plan and what not from my cell and needed an alternative. This has opera with adobe flash, 30 gigs, 4.3 inch touchscreen, resolution of 800x480 plus I can get the dvr docking station for real cheap so I can record anything off of dvd players, tv and maybe even some gameplay footage.

I've never owned a device like this so its should be interesting.

It is the best phone for browsing the internet, period.  Nothing else compares.  You cannot go back to other phones like blackberry for web browsing, they are primitive and just way, way, way behind, it will take some time for them to catch up if ever.

As for needing the internet everywhere you go, if you knew how convenient this is, you would need the internet everywhere you go from now on.

It is especially cool when visiting other cities, countries, etc.  you don't feel as lost when you have a database of information in your pocket.

^ Bingo.

While i can understand why some people don't like Apple or how their software works, there simply isn't a comparable device of the market right now. I might hate iTunes and the fact that i can't drag and drop a range of differently encoded video files onto it, but in the face of it's pure awesomeness, those are just minor niggles.

There will be a day when it's commonplace for people to have internet access everywhere. We'll become as dependent on it as we have on cellphones.

Mass, the 605 (WiFi?) is ok. It's (still) a litle buggy, especially when used with the docking station, the screen is pretty meh in terms of sharpness and contrast and the touch screen doesn't always respond properly, but it's definitely servicable. At least it's cheap.

I just got a BlackJack II for work a few days ago.  I haven't used it much yet but it has all of the stuff like email and internets.  I checked my email with it and there was a word document attached and I could view it right there on my phone which was nice.  It doesn't have a touchscreen, the querty keyboard works great along with the wheel/dpad thing.  Don't really have any complaints.  But I've barely used it so far.  
2 of us at work picked up new phones at the AT&T store.  They didn't have any iPhones which we may have gotten if they did.  Apple is kinda stupid for not meeting the demand. If your plan is up and you're getting a new phone you aren't going to wait around and go phoneless.  

...I just messed about with another iPod Touch...

Nitro is absolutely right. The interface is unparalleled.  I need one.

The HTC Dream also looks good . It will have the new Andriod OS from google . I think its coming out in November .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggR18cBzd8I&eurl

    

I'll have an iPod Touch 2nd Gen by Saturday. I'll be leaving promptly from the Apple store to work, so you'll receive a full review in a few days time, including the new design, and handful of features.

http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/home/

All iPod generations (except iPhone and iPod touch) were reported to be working under:

Mac OS 10.3 or newer

Windows 98SE or newer

Any linux distribution with GTK 2.0

Was that link supposed to be for me? 

Yeah, it's an alternative to iTunes.