Ever since I saw my first iPhone (the day after its launch in 2007), I knew that it was a revolutionary device. Getting my wife the first generation iPhone and seeing how she incorporated it into her life further convinced me of the power of this little pocket tablet, and getting one myself the day after the 3G debuted in 2008 made me a true believer.

Since then, I’ve found this little device taking on an ever-greater role in all of my daily activities, both professional and recreational. I blog on it (I’ve gotten quite comfortable typing on the virtual keyboard.. in fact, this post you’re reading was written on the iPhone as I relaxed in Millennium Park in Chicago one day), I record podcast segments with it, and I use it as my MP3 player, car stereo replacement, GPS device, camera, eBook reader, movie player, email, calendar, and contact machine, and web browsing device. In fact, I probably spend much more time surfing the web on this than I do on my desktop machine, and anything I bookmark on the iPhone is also bookmarked on my machine at home through MobileMe.

I really appreciate how this device untethers me from the computer. I love being outside and doing a little blogging if I feel the urge, then reading for a while on the Kindle app, doing some sketches for an upcoming podcast, and responding to email when I take a break. This may, for some, seem to reduce their freedom by making them too easily accessible by work, friends, and family. Not for me–I find it liberating, and I can’t wait to see how this great device continues to evolve.

I’ll have to skip this current 3GS generation since I’m only a year into my AT&T contract (though my wife got one and loves it), but I think I’m a hopeless convert to this little device, and I can’t imagine what it was like not having one of these with me throughout the day.