I am a self employed freelance designer. I have a 4 or 5 year old Razr on AT&T that still works, though the original battery charge time has gone shorter and shorter!
I work out of my home studio a lot, so I have internet access on the desktop and laptop via my Airport base station. I do work outside at times with my laptop at a client's studio. And with Leopard, I just finally got onto a client's Windows network and used their printers, pretty neat!
So I thought it might be a good time to go with a new 3Gs iPhone. Most of my clients use them. But it seems overkill for my needs. Since I get email at home and don't use the cell phone in my home office, unless a client calls my cellphone.
I spoke to my accountant who also uses one! She loves it, but says I can only write-off a percentage of it's use for business, since it would be used for personal calls too.
So it seems a lot of the usage could be for fun and for personal communication via apps like Ping and downloading email. There are Paint and Drawing apps I want to use for my work. The camera with the higher rez could be very helpful when visiting clients and taking pics of the stuff I'm designing.
Also I am interested in the iPad too. And if I got an iPhone, it's got 3Gs, so I figure it would be a waste to pay for a 3Gs version of the iPad and would go with a 3Gs iPad, but not use it for 3Gs, unless I really needed it. But I figure I have wi-fi and can use the iPad that way. So a non-3Gs version makes more sense.
The main thing that holds me back is the cost of the data plan. Of course, I realize one job I'm doing now would pay for it. And assuming I keep working, it becomes a cost of doing business.
So, the only really good reason to get an iPhone is that I just want one! And it would be a tool for my business as I do need to have a cell phone. So it would a fun gadget for non-work times. I don't talk on my cell phone that much, and the emissions from a cell phone scare me, and I limit my use and use a headset. The main thing for me is the use of the internet access and drawing apps, and drawing should be better on the larger iPad.
I suppose though for what I do, being in the hi-tech world a lot, I might look too out of touch without one! And it would be fun to outrun my non-iPhone friends who use other devices when accessing movie times and stuff like that though!
Thanks!
PS, I forgot to add, I realize the 4G iPhone is months away with likely improved performance and a possible new design. I thought it might be better to sit out that iteration for an improved version of that one when my 2 year contract expires.
I work out of my home studio a lot, so I have internet access on the desktop and laptop via my Airport base station. I do work outside at times with my laptop at a client's studio. And with Leopard, I just finally got onto a client's Windows network and used their printers, pretty neat!
So I thought it might be a good time to go with a new 3Gs iPhone. Most of my clients use them. But it seems overkill for my needs. Since I get email at home and don't use the cell phone in my home office, unless a client calls my cellphone.
I spoke to my accountant who also uses one! She loves it, but says I can only write-off a percentage of it's use for business, since it would be used for personal calls too.
So it seems a lot of the usage could be for fun and for personal communication via apps like Ping and downloading email. There are Paint and Drawing apps I want to use for my work. The camera with the higher rez could be very helpful when visiting clients and taking pics of the stuff I'm designing.
Also I am interested in the iPad too. And if I got an iPhone, it's got 3Gs, so I figure it would be a waste to pay for a 3Gs version of the iPad and would go with a 3Gs iPad, but not use it for 3Gs, unless I really needed it. But I figure I have wi-fi and can use the iPad that way. So a non-3Gs version makes more sense.
The main thing that holds me back is the cost of the data plan. Of course, I realize one job I'm doing now would pay for it. And assuming I keep working, it becomes a cost of doing business.
So, the only really good reason to get an iPhone is that I just want one! And it would be a tool for my business as I do need to have a cell phone. So it would a fun gadget for non-work times. I don't talk on my cell phone that much, and the emissions from a cell phone scare me, and I limit my use and use a headset. The main thing for me is the use of the internet access and drawing apps, and drawing should be better on the larger iPad.
I suppose though for what I do, being in the hi-tech world a lot, I might look too out of touch without one! And it would be fun to outrun my non-iPhone friends who use other devices when accessing movie times and stuff like that though!
Thanks!
PS, I forgot to add, I realize the 4G iPhone is months away with likely improved performance and a possible new design. I thought it might be better to sit out that iteration for an improved version of that one when my 2 year contract expires.
Yeah, I think I have a solution since I posted last. My client might be able to acquire the parts I need. So hopefully, problem solved.
