Oh the perils, the perils of being a tech groupie

I'm in a moral, ethical, and fiscal dilemma. The iPhone gets released in less than 1.5 hours. I want one, I don't want one, I need a new phone, a new contract, and I have no money. In fact, I checked my balance, and I have less than no money, because I forgot about pesky things like having to pay credit card balances, bills, tv licence, and food for eating.

Oh, what to do. My current phone, an HTC Universal, does everything I could want in a phone, namely web browsing, text messaging and even the odd phone call, but mainly the web. It does it for free (Web 'n' Walk Contract, natch), and oft over 3G. But given that most of the websites I read (Facebook, Google Reader...) have cut down mobile versions, or are not graphics heavy, then do I really need 3G? I've only recently managed to get it up here in the bubble that is St Andrews, and I didn't really notice before when I was on GPRS, and not EDGE as the iPhone has.

A quandry indeed. Were it not quite so expensive, I would get one, and were the contract not quite so long, I would get one, but the combination of the two is making my credit card smoke just thinking about it.

And yet, and yet...

I really need to get out more. I shouldn't get this worked up about a phone. But if Stephen Fry can write a blessay (his word, not mine) about phones, then I can ramble for a bit. And for those interested, I've got one of those AgendA Microwriters at home, and it's ace, best input system ever.

I think Dave and I will hit up the CPW when it opens at 6.02 tonight, and then I shall at least, hopefully, get a little play with one and see how it works. I've used a Touch before, and the interface on this will be much the same, but more phoney. We shall wait and see.

In other news, I'm going home for Reading week, and I'm taking the Beast. Which means a lot of driving. 8.5 hours, or thereabouts. Thus, while I should be packing things now, I'm just trying to make a playlist for the car. I've got a cool Harman Kardon system all wired up, so I have a little controller for the iPod, and a screen that shows all the menus etc. Pretty cool, and remarkably not stolen yet.

So I will have to load up the car at somepoint tonight, as we;re supposed to be leaving sharpish in the morning, although given that most times we do this, we end up drinking red wine and being hungover in the morning, that could all change. Especially after the mother-of-all-hangovers I had on Thursday, that's still there a bit now, thanks to me drinking Mat's Absinthe, and thanks to the numbing powers of it, not noticing how much neat gin I drank.

My head hurts.

Reading week promises fun and games, as I think I'll be heading to Ox to visit Mike, Cam to visit Lol (hence why I have the car with me), and there's also an OA drinks evening at the Club to contend with, which comes with free canapes and alcomabooze. Who knows what will end up happening? Not I, dear reader.

And with that, I should go and at least start some packing.