I'm starting realizing this myself, because I've been using an iPhone for over six months now, and I've become pretty much addicted to it. With it, I do stuff I never dreamed I could do before!
Actually, some people did realize this back in the eighties, and thought that the coolest thing they could have was a digital watch.
In an infinitely large universe, such as, for instance, the one in which we live, anything; even the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; is POSSIBLE, when other things are NOT! -- especially when you own a digital watch.Douglas Adams
I carry in my pocket the instant access to all my pictures, all my music, all my notes, all my work, all the people in my world (phone numbers, emails, addresses,...). And I can show it all off at social events in a useful and convenient manner.
While traveling, I'm fully aware of my location, of the route I want to take and of what's happening around me. I can get the instant access to the History of the place around me or any place in the world. I can get answers to every single question that might spring in my mind. Find out which of my friends are near me, and engage them to do stuff (Not yet actually. I still can't do that, but I'll get there someday).
Sounds familiar? To me, it sounds at lot like The REAL Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy :)
So what makes these hand-held devices different from the other devices? The looks? Nope, think again. It's the sensors! The difference are those wonderful little sensors that enable location and orientation awareness to the device. They give ears, eyes, skin and mouth to the device, and they are well programmed, so they start to become a living and breathing extension of our own limbs and organs.
Then again, this is nothing new, and I'm expecting, any time now, someone crying at me saying:
[...]that's no problem. just stick this fish in your ear.
Douglas Adams.