It’s been said that the entrepreneur is a natural gadget geek. And many I’ve met are that way, whether they see themselves as one or not. They crave the iPod, latest MP3 players, portable video players, smart phones and now, the iPhone.

If you visit the blogs of iPhone owners, you’ll see many of them are Entrepreneurs, founders of companies. Maybe it’s because we desire so much to be free. Free from the desk, free from the office. Isn’t that why most of us become our own bosses anyway? Freedom to work (or not to work) from wherever we want.

As the world bustles around the iPhone, I am on a whole different path. Yes, Lynette purchased a piece of technology that’s 2 years old and gushing over it. But why? I can already imagine all those questions. Don’t you like the iPhone? Are you an iPhone basher? You’re that out dated and call yourself a tech advisor?

My reasons are simple and more of a personal issue than anything else. Would I like to have an iPhone? Sure! I wouldn’t be a geek if I didn’t crave one. Yet, on the week of the launch, I upgraded to a humble Palm T|X instead.

Lately, I’ve been forced to re-evaluate how much time I actually spend being connected. Every minute I am connected, I take it away from my kids. But wouldn’t it be great to catch up on those websites, email etc while you watch your kids play? How is that taking away from the kids? Well, you know, that’s the problem. I’m physically present but not there.

I’m not playing hide and seek with them. Not building sand castles with them on the beach. Reading them a story, teaching them how to ride a bike or growing a garden with them. They  are doing all that while I… sit by the sidelines staring into a screen.

Yes, it’s a matter of discipline. I admire those of you with the will. But to me, a connected equipment is an enabler for my work addiction. If I can remove as much of it, I’ll do so. Sure, the Palm can still send emails, get online and do all those wonderful things. And yes, I’ll admit I sent my programmer an email from my bed at 1am in the morning the other day. Even wrote a blog post.

However, the key is, to get online, it needs a wireless connection. So, I’m not always connected every waking moment of my life, like I would if I had the iPhone. Maybe in the future when I learn to be more disciplined, I will. For now, I’ll pass.

Have you needed to cut out some of these gadgets in your life? Why? And if you are a proud owner of the iPhone, congrats and enjoy it!