When the iPhone was first released to the public, I had still been clinging on to my Palm Treo. Since I usually do not even think about getting a new phone until it is approaching upgrade time, an iPhone was really not on the front of my mind. As renewal time did approach I read that it was not necessarily the choice of business professionals. As a Project Manager, I need my emails fast. RIM’s push technology allowed me to be kept up to speed on all client communications, at all times.

As it became time to upgrade again, I decided to make, what I thought would be, the leap. An article on Tech Republic about CIOs and their weakening resistance highlighted the fact that the trend seems to be changing. It appears that more and more are finding out about the capabilities of the iPhone and it’s applications. I quickly learned to navigate the iPhone and all of its tips and tricks almost as soon as I had it connected to service.

As a Project Manager, I used my Treo and Blackberry for four main purposes; phone calls, email, task management, and calendaring. Any other function was more or less extra-curricular. The iPhone is a productivity powerhouse. Sorry business dudes. So, for the time being, the iPhone is lacking the email push functionality but is amazing in so many other capacities that I am thrilled that I made the switch.

In addition to the functions that I used my phone for in the past, the iPhone boasts a more intuitive and more efficient user interface. This is a big bonus because it allows one to add entries and navigate items faster. I actually use a couple of task management tools (I will be covering in more detail at a later date) that have more functionality that I have ever seen in a handheld version of a task management application.

Additionally, some of the available note applications extend your generic note pad to the extreme. Imagine categorizing, filing and password protecting notes, making your note pad used more frequently than just on occasion. Or, taking snapshots of your notes to upload them to have them transcribed. Recording voice memos, which recently came out on a firmware update, has been available in free third-party applications and can really be a time saver.

Also, if you are a contractor or you simply have the need to track your time on a project, you can do all of that from the phone as well. As a matter of fact, the project management and task management software that I use on a daily basis integrate with the phone.  As long as I stay off of the games, I know that I have been much more productive as a result of the iPhone.

Are you a business girl or guy that formerly uses a BlackBerry or Palm device and have switched over? What do you think?