I'm not hip enough for that phone

We currently do not own an iPod, but Rick Steves' museum podcasts, which are available (free!) for the Uffizi, were motivation to purchase one.

We had three options: the 4 GB Nano ($150), the 8 GB Nano ($200, but it comes in fun colors), and the Touch ($300), which has a better screen and games. The Shuffle wasn't ideal because it doesn't have a screen, so we wouldn't know which podcast to play next.

My first impulse was, naturally, to go for the bare minimum--if we survived this long without an iPod, surely we could make do with the 4 GB vanilla Nano. But my internal upselling instinct kicked in, and I realized that B might enjoy the games capability during his long train rides, and wouldn't it be convenient to download movies or TV shows to watch on the plane and on our long train trips in Italy?

I asked B if he would prefer the boring Nano or the blingy Touch, and he admitted that he was leaning toward the Touch. But then he pointed out that we could get the full capabilities of the Touch for cheaper by buying the new iPhone.

I was skeptical about using a single device for so many capabilities--cell phone, email checker, music and movie player, and games central? Would life be too easy if we could do so much in one small, sleek device?

B explained that the all-in-one concept was exactly what Apple was going for when they designed the iPhone, and that a Touch would be redundant (not to mention pricier).

Conveniently enough, I'm planning to switch from my parents' cell phone plan in just a couple weeks, so I'm going to have to buy a new phone anyway. But the idea of having an iPhone--a device with capabilities that go far beyond what I want and need--was daunting. My cell phone is more of a security blanket than a device because I use it so rarely--the occasional phone call (usually incoming) and text message to B when he's on the road.

B was a much more obvious candidate for the iPhone. He's hip and technology-oriented and uses his phone for internet surfing, amateur photography, games, email, text messages, and even a phone call here and there.

We visited our local AT&T store to inquire about my taking B's phone (a Blackberry Pearl--rest assured, I am not important enough to require 24/7 access to my email, so I will not be using the data capabilities) and B's using the new iPhone. No problem, said the guy, all you have to do is switch the sim cards.

Great, we said, and handed over our debit card. The iPhone was sold out and had to be ordered but should arrive in the next week or so, and then B's status as a Hip Person will be official, and I can continue my techno-averse lifestyle for a little while longer.