My cell phone can handle voice and data (web/email). The voice works are you’d expect – quite well for a cell phone. The data works as you’d expect – like shit. It’s ridiculous. Typing on the numeric keys is so slow it’s embarrassing and the three line screen is just too small.

There is hope for those of us who have some type of phobia of disconnection. Danger is a company about to release a handheld device that is about the same size as my cell phone works are a traditional cell phone, and has data features that look as though they may actually be usable.

The device is mostly screen and slides open to reveal a full thumb-keyboard. It can handle all of the web/email data features of my current phone, as well as always-connected data features such as instant messaging (not sure what protocol).

Handspring has a similar device coming out with more advanced PDA functionality, but will not be ‘always-on’ connection ready until next year. It is available with either thumb keyboard or graffiti and was designed by the bad-ass geniuses at IDEO.

Is any of this necessary? We threw out necessity as a factor years ago. I wonder if our language will eventually discard the word ‘necessary’ the way equatorial languages have no word for snow.