I was going post this on HowardsForum first but I figure this would bemore interesting and I could get one viewpoint before I get the other. Hopefully people who own both devices can comment (as well as those who own the tablet + a data plan. Is the iPhone for Me?

I have a Nokia n800 Internet Tablet. It is NOT a phone, it was sold by Nokia as an internet web-browsing device for use with WiFi or tethering. It could also do media to a certain extent. But thanks to its Linux core and a great community it quickly expanded to be able to run various operating systems and have a great variety of applications from GPS to Office Programs, etc..I can even use it as a phone due to a variety of reasons (SIPP, Skype, or Google Voice [formerly GrandCentral] as long as I'm near an access point. I have it up to 32 GBs of storage thanks to two 16 GB SDHC cards so I rarely have memory space issues from the music, pictures, video, maps, etc.. I have on it.

However, like I said. It's not a phone. A major problem is that I'm reliant on WiFi. Which isn't bad right now since I'm an undergraduate and the campus has complete WiFi. And the graduate school I will be going to in Fall also have complete WiFi. Another problem is the hardware is quite dated. The next-generation tablet is coming out with 3G (but it won't be a phone) and much better specs. While the n800 is showing its age against modern smartphones (though surprisingly it holds up pretty well still functionality wise).

But I feel the iPhone can fill that gap that my n800 has. If I plan on taking photos I usually bring my Canon along with my tablet. But there are occasions where I forget my camera or I didn't bring it. It was a built in GPS compared my n800 + bluetooth GPS situation. Which works just as great but again data connection problem. I can't plan a new route without the help of one. While the iPhone can do that (as long as it has an internet access.. I'm guessing without it, it'd be a fish out of water since it doesn't actually download the maps). I also use Google Voice's SMS so I can't check it without an internet connection.

I'm 100% sure that if I got an iPhone I would have to jailbreak it to install the useful applications for me (the ones that Apple doesn't like) such as OpenSSH. Also there are some interesting programs that Apple just doesn't like. Another interest I have in the iPhone is Evernote. Can you clip information from the web? Or is that not allowed due to Apple's forced system of one app a time (which is one of the things I don't like about the iPhone?) Also how much multi-tasking can you do without installing an app like backgrounder. Can you chat, listen to music, and surf the web at the same time for example? I've browsed through some applications for the iPhone (and I've used one myself since my cousin has one thanks to the University of Maryland [he's one of the people in the program that got one]). Some applications seem impressive, some games seem impressive (though I can't imagine myself playing them often since I rarely play any of the games I've installed on my tablet). Most application lists I browse online (like top ten, fifty, hundred, or useful apps) I already have on my tablet in some shape or form.

Another issue I have is that I usually am in Ubuntu on the Ubuntu/Vista side of my laptop. And Ubuntu on my Ubuntu/XP side of my desktop. So iTunes integration is pretty much a no go (I'd boot into it just for updates and what not).

I think what I might just do is tether the iPhone to my n800 over Bluetooth. But if I do that then couldn't I just get another phone say the Android G1 and do that? Both the iPhone and Android seem to have location aware applications for restaurants and what not. Or I could wait for the next-gen tablet which has 3G support and more modern specs.