One device to rule them all...will it be the iPhone?

I AM a big fan of convergence. I don't like carrying a belt full of gadgets like batman. I want one device to handle my calls, play music, play movies (not exactly movies but episodes of Simpsons) and have good PIM functionalities.

This is why I got my self an O2 Atom Exec. In retrospect it's a bad decision. It's

• bulky
• clunky
• Windows Mobile 5 crashes every second day (feel like using Windows 95)
• the phone interface is really bad and freezes regularly
• has a really poor battery performance

If you are wondering why didn't I just buy a mobile phone, I am asking the same question myself :). I was seduced by the large touch screen -I have a love affair with touch screens, I strongly believe touch screen will be the next step in user input evolution- and the handwriting recognition. But sadly, my experience with the latter has made me feel a mobile phone keypad and predictive text is far better than the handwriting recognition. I was also attracted by the fact the device will allow me to check emails and work on Word and Excel -the features I have never used. My inner geek over powered the inner pragmatist.

To be fair, I find it so easy to manage the PIM functionalities in the Windows powered devices and I use the "Notes" extensively. Considering, the last "real" mobile phone I used was a Nokia 6210, I don't think I am in a informed position to compare these functionalities with what is available in the latest smart phones.

This where I like iPhone. I know it's a good MP3 Player (that is an understatement), has a wide screen for movies and has the next gen touch screen (the inner gadget geek is playing up again) and it is sleek and will definitely have more user friendly interface than anything powered by Microsoft. I assume, it has a decent phone too.

But.... I will still not buy an iPhone in it's current state. The deal breaker for me is, lack of connectivity for the hi-speed mobile network (HSDPA). If I am going to buy a device of the future, I want it to use the technologies of the future, not past. Apple's decision makes sense in US -where the wi-fi hotspots are widely available and HSDPA is not- but in Australia it's other way around. Also, I have following concerns:

• I don't know anything about the PIM functionalities of iPhone
• I don't have a Mac and I am in the verge of switching completely to Linux, and I don't like the fact Apple doesn't support Linux (iTunes) even though OS X is built-upon Linux
• I can't sync it with a PC