Earlier this month, I attended two conferences back to back in Austin (CoSN and SxSW Interactive). For me, the unfortunate side effect of attending conferences has always been some combination of a strained back, stiff neck, and sore feet. But for the first time ever, none of these were the case. This time, something was different: I wasn't carrying my laptop bag everywhere I went. Instead, all I had with me was my iPhone.

Before the iPhone, I used my MacBook at conferences to keep notes, research resources presented in a session, correspond with others attending the conference, catch up on work back at the office, and keep track of which sessions and appointments I had each day. As a result, the laptop went with me everywhere at conferences: attending sessions, participating in conversations, mingling and meeting new people and trekking miles and miles through a convention center and downtown Austin. And doing so always came at a price: fatigue and discomfort.

Reluctant to endure seven long days of two conferences back to back, I decided to put the iPhone to the test: Will the iPhone enable the same level of productivity but without all the side effects due to schlepping a heavy laptop bag? The result: Most definitely!

I was surprised with the positive results. Not only did my back, neck and feet feel remarkably better, but I was also able to enjoy the events more, participate without distraction from fatigue, and not bother about finding a power outlet or a place to securely store the laptop bag if going to dinner or a social engagement in the evening.

The iPhone is a remarkable device that significantly changes the way I think about personal computing or communication devices. To assume it's a cell phone with enhanced features is to think of automobiles as "horseless carriages". The iPhone and it's cousin, the iPod Touch, are in an entirely new class of device capable of entirely replacing the function of a laptop, as it did for me in the context of attending conferences. And I doubt it'll stop there.

I think it's safe to say that we'll see the iPhone and devices like it start to supplant laptops more and more in other contexts. For example, why bother with 1:1 laptop initiatives?  For the same amount of money, you could have a 4:1 iPod Touch initiative instead.  (Of course, there's no need for a student to have four devices, so instead, cut the budget by 25% and use 50% of what's left after buying the iPod Touch towards increased professional development and curriculum development, the two most critical and overlooked aspect of 1:1 initiatives.)