They always look shinier in the box...

The line between want and need sometimes gets a bit fuzzy, doesn't it? My newest toy arrived a few days ago, courtesy of Apple Co. Yup, they sent me a FREE(!) iPod Touch and pretty flowered case to put it in. So I've been playing around with it, trying to figure out how it works, and wondering if/what kind of apps should be added to it.
Of course, there is no data plan with this gadget; it's completely dependent on the kindness of strangers and their non-password protected internet access (or libraries or coffee shops). I haven't quite figured that part out yet.
However, the potentiality of having internet on the go is alluring; it's making me consider: Gee, do I need a Blackberry or an iPhone, with its never ending stream of internet all the time, all the time, all the time? Do I need to pay for a data plan so I can always check my email every second of the day? Wouldn't it be a good idea to be able to do that?
I find I have to fight that urge: why do I need to be tethered to an additional electronic leash all the time? I already have a cell phone. I already have internet access at work and at home. I also have survived this long without having constant access to my email or google, and I haven't withered away to a meaningless nobody (at least, not yet).
The siren song of being constantly wired is there, however. I think, sometimes, the fetters and chains of constantly being on-line outweighs its freedoms and opportunities. The temptation of new toys and gadgets also constantly ups the ante; people were already cooing over my new "iPhone" (though I had to correct people and say it wasn't an iPhone).
Hopefully (and very likely), I'll withstand the temptation, and quickly get bored with my toy as another daily piece of my purse...