For the longest time, I had a vague notion that I should look into getting a "smart phone". I saw all these people with their various devices browsing the internet, reading their e-mails effortlessly and just generally doing cool stuff.

By way of review, a "smart phone" is a mobile phone that has features beyond simply making and receiving phone calls. They often have keyboards and can do many of the functions of a PC.

I'd think about it and think about it some more, and decide, "Nah, I can do without it." While I do work full-time, I don't have a job where it's vital to keep in contact when I'm out of the office and I wondered if these phones were simply more than I needed.

But, I've learned that these phones aren't only for work.

I was given a Samsung Blackjack II to try out (pink!) I discovered (and re-discovered) so many handy things you can do with these phones that I now can't imagine not having one.

First, since I have a teenager, I've used and used and used the full QWERTY keyboard for texting. Though I can certainly text with a regular phone, I have to admit, the full keyboard sure is nice to have.

A smart phone can sometimes eliminate the need to carry multiple devices around. They have cameras (though not meant to replace your digital camera, the Blackjack II's camera is actually pretty good for quick, spur of the moment outdoor shots) and many smart phones also have enough memory (you can get memory cards, too) to hold songs, videos and lots of photos, too.

Windows Mobile is one operating system for these phones and there's lots of handy stuff to use. If you have a PC, the phone can be easily synchronized (seriously, even I can do it) with your home computer and you can take all kinds of stuff with you on the go.

You can send and view all your e-mail just like you do on your PC at home. You can even use Outlook Mobile and have all your contacts and mail from your home computer.

With a smart phone, you can access the Internet anywhere. You can even import all your favorites from Internet Explorer.

I wondered if internet access was a luxury I didn't need, but there's been several instances where I've used it, that I really think it's worth it.

I've been able to quickly find directions to places I "thought" I knew how to get to, I've been able to quickly check the bank balance while Christmas shopping, I've looked up movie times, locations and run times while out and about with the teenager and have quickly gotten the weather radar during outdoor activities when the skies looked ominous.

I've also enjoyed being able to do things on my down time. I find myself waiting a lot of sports practices and doctors offices. I'm able to catch up on the news, my e-mail and some online work I have to do.

I admit, I also do fun things with the internet access such as keeping up with Twitter, blog reading and instant messaging (Windows Mobile supports most IM services you already use).

If you do need to take work with you or you get an e-mail with an attachment, there's Office Mobile where you can open and edit Microsoft Office Word and Excel documents, and view PowerPoint documents.

Another cool thing I discovered was Windows Live Search mobile. I admit to being unclear about all the Windows Live terminology, but this is really neat.

Windows Live Search Mobile is a search tool especially for mobile phones where you can do things like browse and search for business categories, get turn by turn directions to a location, get traffic information, gas prices, weather forecasts, movie times, restaurant reviews and more.

There's voice recognition, you can just speak the location you're trying to reach and you can even search for things near your current location (depending on phone) such as "grocery store" or "mechanic". Having had a car break down on the way to vacation this past summer, I know that would come in handy.

The one thing you must understand, though is that you need a data plan for a smart phone from your cell phone provider since the cool stuff is very data intensive and can cost a lot of money if you don't have a monthly data plan. See your service provider for details.

I'm learning there's so much you can do with a Windows Mobile smart phone, it's not just a work thing. I feel like I've only scratched the surface. But, I'm making better use of my time and have access to all sorts of useful information when I'm out and about and now I can't imagine being without it.