Gear Life Online: Taking the SmartPhone Plunge

I'm a long-time Palm user that is getting ready to migrate over to a Smartphone. I've purposely shied away from this move because I love the Palm desktop software and the ability to hotsync with my PC. However, the array of communication devices I'm carrying in my briefcase is getting ridiculous. I have a Motorola Razr cell phone, a Palm V and a company issued BlackBerry for corporate email. Unfortunately my company has chosen not to enable the phone capability on the BlackBerry, and I hate the Lotus calendar and contact software. So this is why I'm still stuck with the manual Treo.

My cell phone contract expires in a week so I've been researching the phones available through Verizon along with investigating the the enormously popular iPhone. Apple has done a fantastic job of pulling in new customers through the iPod movement. I've got (3) iPods at the moment and several of my co-workers have purchased the iPhone and claim to love but I've convinced myself that it's not for me.

Here are the key reasons why I'm not going to buy the iPhone:

Switching providers from Verizon to AT&T Wireless will drive up my minute usage because I currently get unlimited in-network minutes, and most of my frequent contacts are with Verizon.
I will not be able to import my Palm desktop information (calendar, contacts, notes, etc.) to the iTunes platform with the iPhone
Verizon continues to have the best network and my co-workers have complained about more frequent dropped calls with the AT&T Wireless
I'm used to the BlackBerry keyboard and the iPhone keyboard is more difficult to use and does not provide any sensory feedback when characters are selected from the touchscreen
With (3) iPods already do I really need a 4th device to manage my music with? I just don't see myself listening to music on my phone while I'm in work, and if I'm traveling I'll use my binder-clip size iPod Shuffle.
I will not be able to integrate my corporate email because my company owns the BlackBerry and monthly data agreement with Verizon

So now that I'm committed to stay with Verizon I researched the new Smartphones available on-line and found the Samsung SCH i760 which appears to be positioned as an iPhone alternative. After taking a look at it first-hand in a Verizon Wireless store first-hand I became hooked.

Here are the key reasons why I'm going to buy the Samsung SCH i760 and dump my Razr and Palm V:

The screen size is great and the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional Operating system will allow me to use Outlook on my desktop and wirelessly sync with the phone
The slide out keyboard is even easier to use than my BlackBerry because of its size
The touch-screen is very nice and the built-in stylus comes in handy for those of us with fat finger and can't correctly select the smaller icons within the start menu
Removable SDRAM memory for extra storage capacity
PocketCopy from Chapura gives me the ability to migrate my Palm Desktop information over to Microsoft Outlook enabling me to sync with the smartphone
Although I still have the same issue with my corporate email I will at least link to my home email account