I love my iPhone and take it with me constantly, but if you think a smart phone is a full on substitute for a Mac (or Windows) notebook, think again. John R. Quain of Fox News tried an iPhone, a Palm Pre, and an Android G1 to see if they could replace a laptop (John, they’ve been called ‘notebooks’ for many years). His troubles are common:

In the end, I only managed to make it 4 days with the smartphones before I gave on my digital expedition and returned to my laptop. Certainly, if all you need to do is send e-mail and occasionally surf the Web, the latest crop of souped-up cell phones can get you pretty far. But for some tasks — such as finishing this article — only a full-fledged notebook will do.

The laws of physics play into this, too. Try writing a lengthy article on any smart phone keyboard. Ouch.