Yes - it's true - I've joined the ranks of those who have an iPhone. So let me start by saying for me, it's not just a clever phone - it's a new iPod and a new PDA. It was time to replace the Sony Clie (PalmOS based). The new iPhone has the AppStore and that means more than just the bundled apps. Yes I could have got an original and jailbroke it. But too many stories of things going wrong. And also insufficient decent apps - that is coming true for the new AppStore - though it is earl;y days and I'd say that in the main - many of the apps look good and don't do a lot or look naff and still don't do enough. The second set will those from other platforms merely recoded for the iPhone. When you see it as a replacement for a iPod and a PDA and you get a phone and a GPS as well then the cost in my terms is great.

I did take the tariff with O2 that was the lowest and I paid up front for the phone. It turns out that this is the least expensive over the time. The free WiFi at the Cloud and BTopenzone are very welcome.

So what's it been like?
Initial acquisition - not good. I find it incredible that for a) a mobile phone company and b) selling a mobile internet device like the iPhone that I was astounded to be filling out paperwork. It's like going to buy a new car and being fitted for new walking shoes. As for Apple - I expected that they'd learned the lessons of last year's hypo-hype of the launch and scaled the systems to cope. They hadn't, they didn't. It took me most of the rest of the day to activate the new iPhone. I had iTunes 7.7 ready. What made matters worse was the obscure, unhelpful dialogue boxes with error messages that didn't tell you a) what was wrong and b) what to do.

Usage - good - as I live in a rural area - it was only when I went to local city that I even saw 2.5G (aka EDGE) I have still not seen 3G. At home it's GPRS. Fortunately the wireless (WiFi) connect is great both at home and in various places (Caffe Nero).

AppStore - good but needs to improve - both in terms of the apps on offer, and better ways of navigating the categories and getting the number of downloads accurate - how can an app have 15 reviews and zero downloads? I guess that reviews are global but downloads are local (ie UK only). I have 4 apps installed and in use: Evernote (already been updated once); Twitterific, Remote and GuitarTooklit (this being the only non-free app). I've been intrigued to see that there is a PalmOS app under development - so maybe some of those apps I liked can be redeemed. Also I've noticed that developers selling in the AppStore already feel constrained - I have asked whether users of a desktop or previous version of an app can get the iPhone version at discount - they have used the excuse or it's a proper reason to say "We cannot give discount in the AppStore because it is not constructed to let us do that."

Push Email - yes that's working and it's good along with Contacts, Calendars. I do wish that notes and todo would make it. But I'm looking at my GTD app (OmniFocus) which has a proper iPhone app that syncs. Evernote is OK - but the notes are in the cloud rather than on the iPhone.

MobileMe - as a .Mac subscriber since I was an iTools user (also all the way back to eWorld!) - MobileMe is still getting there. I'm very disappointed that iCards are going (there is a petition) - what is the point of that - it clearly cannot be highly complicated, expensive to maintain. Or is this something that will be replaced with something from Google? My judgement is still out on MobileMe.

It's that time again. The Tour de France is back on and yet again we cannot see it directly. There do seem to be a number of youtube videos but we cannot get it on TV as we're still in the analogue-only region and still waiting for the great digital switchover. Next year we should be able to watch the TdF directly.

It's a sign of the times that our usual mechanism is to get our next door neighbours to record the TdF off Eurosport on VHS. However, like most people they've migrated away from VHS onto a DVD recorder. However, with our tests we cannot get the DVD into a normal DVD player or computer to play back the recording. It looks like the DVD recorder has a proprietary format. So it looks like You Tube will be the 2008 TdF means. Next year on TV (I hope).

I have recently had the opportunity to spend some time aboard working. It's really the first time that I've done this in the past 7 years other than a brief 3-day visit to Copenhagen. This was a two-week stint in Johannesburg, South Africa. Well - I found that the preparations were familiar to me - but strange things like trying out the modem on the work laptop. Hearing those dial sounds brought back quite distant memories - my oh my haven't we moved on here in the UK. As it turns out I didn't use the modem. But still it was good to check out the laptop. Also intriguing that my personal MacBook doesn't even have a modem.

Anyway, I was to travel out alone and the project manager would join a day later. The main frustration was with our internal company bureaucracy in getting the flights organised and then the hotel. Sometimes I'm sure that the main reason that these departments exist to stop the very things they are meant to do. I was happy to fly business class both ways and with the airline selected (Emirates) it flew from Manchester to Dubai and then a brief stop before another flight onto Jo'burg. Emirates is neat as they include, for business class, free pick up and drop off on each journey. No travelling by train or car and parking. That's such a help and lessens the cost.

Business class has changed a little since my last trips in 2000-2001 - more in-flight entertainment, somewhat better seats. What I did notice is more people travel business class. Other than that - they little else different. And the prices were about half. Though I'm not sure whether that is our company discount levels.

There are much more people using the business lounges - they are filling up. At Dubai I managed to find the showers and grabbed one - thanks to a colleague for suggesting that - a wonderful improvement. After 7.5 hours, though somewhat pampered, to have a shower in the business lounge was a good move.

So how was flying? On these flights it was pretty much as before - there are distractions such as films etc. and food. Even so I didn't expect much difference.

I considered the whole flying thing. When you look at it you see historical continuations from the shipping business - given away in the terms: captain, hostess, steward, purser. Maybe as early flight and even later flight was a rich person's mode of travel that it included such things as food, drink (why serve alcohol that dehydrates in a plane that has an atmosphere that dehydrates and then causes behavioural problems with no escape?) I guess when Virgin get their tourist spacecraft up and working then it'll be similar. I wonder what the difference between business and coach classes will be like on those flights? Comfortable space suits versus one size fits all for coach? It's not how I read most SF books when I was younger. There were lots more individuals flying about (Note to self - good time to re-read the Larry Niven belter series) or very much the commodity stuff.

The main point of this ramble - was to say how much I dislike being in a hotel. I'm sorry to sound very ungrateful - but 15 nights in the same hotel - even though it was 5 star - are mind numbing, soul destroying, and drives me stir-crazy. It was made worse by two facts: 1) the hotel was part of a complex that had two other hotels, a casino complex with several restaurants. 2) for our personal safety we didn't go out or have our own transport. I know a bit like an animal in a zoo - all the food you want, the bed is made, etc. but I want to get out, explore and meet real people - not employees who say Morning Sir!

I'd better stop - as I am sounding very ungrateful. But I was glad to get back home - detox on normal food - like baked beans on toast and fish & chips. It was a good reminder to really enjoy and be thankful of where I live and how I live.