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I did not want an iPhone. I wanted earrings. One small pair of slim silver hoops, not a fancy overhyped phone I was never going to use. It was my birthday and my husband brought the phone home in its own sleek box. Sheepishly he pushed the phone my way and I smiled smugly, "Just what I've always wanted for my birthday, a phone." I held the phone in my palm for about five seconds before turning my "present" back to its rightful owner.

My husband wasted no time and quickly proceeded to set up my new phone. I half paid attention. He showed me how the phone integrated with iTunes, contacts, and pictures directly onto our desktop. Well, I guess that was interesting. Then he showed me the camera, state-of-the art mapping layout, and simplified texting functions. "Now wait a minute, let me see that silly thing," I said.

Over the next week what started as disinterest in this new gadget turned into an all out tug-of-war as my husband and I competed for time with our new friend, iPhone. My husband downloaded his entire reggae collection much to my annoyance and listened to it on our commute to work. I downloaded the last month's episodes of NBC's Meet the Press and listened to it while getting ready in the morning. Then, I put together a collection of toddler tunes for our daughter and played it as a soundtrack to a picture slideshow I'd taken of her in the past few days. She loved watching the montage and stayed in her highchair longer than usual after dinner while I did the dishes. That did it. This was the best phone I had ever owned.

Finally my husband had to concede that he did indeed give me the iPhone as a gift and it was mine. I don't think he'd banked on my infatuation with this new device. But, iPhone and I were fully integrated now. Sure there are a few issues with the phone; sometimes the visual voicemail goes down and you can't touch the screen very well with gloves in cold weather (this is an issue for me living in Chicago). But, because of my blind loyalty, I am able to look the other way and make due.

There is no universal definition of a smart phone except a broad discussion about how the phone is an important improvement on others' design. I cannot talk to all carriers on the market, but since cell phones are pervasive we all having voting rights. Many people on the train glance over my shoulder to look at my iPhone. Some ask me if the phone is difficult to use. I reply that it is incredibly easy to maneuver. I work full time and I'm a mom. When I get to work, I look down to make sure my shoes match. So if it isn't easy, I don't have time to figure it out. The iPhone addresses what many in the tech industry overlook simplicity. Just because you can technically run 100 features on a phone doesn't mean the user wants all of those features; Apple understands that.

And in terms of smart design, my favorite feature turns out to be one of the most basic: the notes application. This is a digital notepad that allows you to type up any type of list. This feature serves as a great dumping ground for my mind. Best of all after you type up a list, you can email it to yourself for future reference. My past and current lists include: drink orders at a bachelorette party, grocery lists, to dos/now, to dos later/but still important, presents to buy, to dos/family, to dos/work, and this article. Yes, I typed most of this article in my iPhone's note application on the train before emailing it to myself to edit. If the notes application didn't exist, this article probably wouldn't exist either. Smart.

Learn more about this author, Maggie Paravel.
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