Friday I had a tecnological meltdown. I had been on the fence for months about whether or not to trade in old faithful, the crackberry-blackberry, for an iPhone. I was already sold on the concept, the Mac, but something had been holding me back—and no, it wasn’t the brand new pimped out 4G debuting in the US next week. We won’t be seeing that in Chile until North American fall.

Friday I decided to hell with waiting. So I went and got my iPhone. With it in my hands for less than 72 hours, I can safely state now, How Did I Exist Without It?

Ok, you PC guys are gonna laugh, roll your eyes, and say “those Mac freaks”.  I mean yes, but there’s a reason for the hype. There’s a reason that Apple has sold 30 million of them to date worldwide. This is the next generation of technology. All those Star Trek, futuristic TV shows we loved as kids—it’s here. Welcome to the future. Planet iPhone.

So here’s what I love so far (err, everything?!) about iPhone as I discover the world within it. Beyond basically being a mini version of my computer and an organized extension of my brain.

1. The world at my fingertips: If I originally got a Blackberry for functionality purposes to run my business (this was before iPhone came to Chile), the difference between Blackberry and iPhone can be summed up as follows: e-mail capacity versus the world. Literally, it is now a mini-me of my Macbook and anything I could ever need or want to know is in my pocket. Super powerful.

2. It’s fast and looks cool: The speed of the 3G is pretty amazing to be honest. It downloads quickly and shuts out unnecessary programs. And yes, Apple gets major points in the sleek design category. While the iPhone is heavy-ish for its size, it is thin and quite compact for the potency of the machine. I can deal.

3. Safari Rules: One of my major gripes with Blackberry was surfing Internet felt like the Dinosaur age. Pokey, counter intuitive, not dynamic, no zoom, at moments, I would have flashbacks to high school when the Internet age was just starting. iPhone and safari are just like being on any computer and better even. With the tips of my fingertips, I zoom in, zoom out, giggle and rotate for a better look. Awesome.

4. Books, E-books, Songs, and Pics at my Fingertips: I was one of those weird people who never bought a bonified iPod. I got a pack-of-gum-sized shuffle which I loved (and still use). This weekend I loaded my libraries: music, books, e-books, and photos which I started syncing with people’s contact info.  How amazing to have all of this in one place. Now how can I make my own ringtones…

5. App Mania: I love, love, love the iPhone apps. That is a huge draw of the machine. Just in downloading and seeing the universe (or a slice of it) and what’s out there, I had at least 20 ideas for new business projects. My favorites right now are: Epicurious, Gymboss (interval timer for my Tabata workouts), NY Times, U Stream, all the social media sites, and my husband is digging the golf apps. My only gripe is that Pandora doesn’t work in Chile, boo! Please share any apps you guys love that are must-haves. Most definitely though, Eat Wine Santiago, will be transformed from an e-book in the near future into an app—although I am reading it now in PDF form on my iPhone using Filemaker.

6. Never lost again: GPS rules. What can I say? Perfect directions every time. I cannot wait to try this with Yelp when I get to the US on Wednesday.

7. Camera and Video: The phone is pretty decent and may delay my need to get one of those pocket-sized cameras with lots of pixels since I am so not carting our Nikon D80 all over town for obvious reasons. I love the spontaneous, playful nature. It forces us to become Interactive, share, play. Isn’t that what life’s about anyway?

8. Sync it Up: Friday night we had dinner with some Chilean friends of ours recently back from a 5-year stint at Stanford. In their time in the US they have been tecnological junkies, like my brother who works as an Apple Genius in Chicago. Everything in their house talks to each other—the hard disc, the computer, the iPhone, the sonos stereo system. All wifi and remote.

I had a glimpse of the future. Beyond the music and file sharing, I envisioned everything you needed in a home eventually working from the remote of an iPhone. Turn on the lights, electrical appliances, heating, control the thermostat in your house and wine cellar, put on some tunes or a movie, feed your cats. And then when you get in your car, the same.

What can’t we do? The sky is the limit. Especially with the creativity and forward-thinking of Apple folks. If you are on the fence, don’t think about it. Come into the iPhone family. Whatever PDA you were using before will seem like ancient history. This, I know.

Thanks to Chris Chan for the pic.