I've had a smartphone since the first Palm Pilot came out (around 1997-98) that could connect to a cell phone and then I got the first Palm phone when it came out. It was HUGE during a time when cell phones were getting as tiny as possible! People would make fun of it until I showed them all it could do - "Look, I can download my email!" LOL! They used to jokingly ask "Can you get the space shuttle on that thing??" LOL! I was a real estate consultant, so it was great to have all that client info & email access with me before laptops (and even email) became really common. It's funny because smartphones like the iPhone are back to about the same size now - basically mini computers.
Can't afford to use my Pixi right now because Verizon requires the $40/month data plan. I can't believe these companies still charge so much for web service on cell phones!! Eventually we'll be able to buy one subscription for web access that will work on the phone, laptop and at home. I liked that my Palm Pixi also could act as a mobile hot spot, so I didn't need an air card for my laptop and if it was a bit faster for gaming, could probably have replaced my wireless modem at home.
The nice thing is I was tethered to Palm phones for years because my whole contact database was Palm-based but the Pixi went to web-based. So, when I can afford a smartphone again, I'll have a lot more options to consider!