The irony here? I took this picture with my iPhone.

Look anywhere on the Internet for an article or blog post that mentions Android phones or the iPhone. Then, scroll down to the comments and duck as venom will begin to spew through your computer screen.

The vitriol, name-calling and idiocy that once were the hallmark of Mac vs. PC debates has been overtaken by fanboys of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android devices.

It is one thing to enjoy your favorite mobile platform. It is quite another to ridicule and throw insults at users of the competition. It seems that many people (mostly men) get a ridiculous, Alpha Male attachment to their phone and must defend its honor when any perceived criticism arises.

The reality is each device has its distinct advantages and weaknesses. The iPhone benefits from Apple’s maniacal focus on design and control to create a smooth and minimalistic user interface. Its control of the App Store prevents some buggy and unnecessary apps from making it onto the device. Of course in exchange you surrender some freedom: your choice is only one device on one network (and for now just one color).

Android offers more flexibility and choices of devices and carriers. There is a good Android phone now on all four of the major carriers. Some have keyboards, some don’t, and two even have enormous screens. Heavy users of Google products like Gmail get tight integration with those services and are not locked into iTunes. Yet more and more Android phones are getting loaded up with bloatware and have ugly skins like Motorola’s BLUR or HTC Sense running on top of them. This forces users to wait for the latest version of Android while the carriers and device makers figure out when it won’t break their software.

It’s a phone, not a religion. Just because I have an iPhone does not mean those who choose Android have done so unwisely. Interest in technology and mobile devices should be about discovering innovation and expanded knowledge. Instead many readers of the popular blogs have chosen sides and engage in all-out war.

So read and enjoy technology and gadget articles. Just skip the comments.

But then reality hit. We learn that Gizmodo paid $5,000 for the phone from someone who found it at a Silicon Valley bar. Its unfortunate owner apparently left it behind. Instead of giving it to the police or making a more concerted effort to give it back to Apple, it was sold to the highest bidder. This was after the Apple employee was identified through a Facebook app and the phone was remotely wiped by Apple. All clear evidence that the phone was property that should have been returned.

So this is what we have come to. If something comes into your hands that isn’t yours, resort to the playground ethics of “finder’s keepers.”

This is why when someone returns money that is not theirs or engages in some other act of unforeseen honesty people are shocked. Too many share the view that if the world is ruthless and cutthroat, then we should be too.

There is an old saying about how each of us needs to have a moral compass to serve as a guide when we face such situations. Unfortunately we have another case where it just didn’t work. Maybe there’s an app for that.

Wrong. I caved and pre-ordered a 3G model. Despite its limitations, I feel the iPad has tremendous potential and is a glimpse into how computing may evolve.It also doesn’t hurt that the no-contract 3G plan is a fantastic option for frequent travelers like myself.

Is it a bit overpriced? Yes. Does it come with the usual Apple limitations? Of course. But like most Apple products, the things it CAN do are amazing and enough to sell you on it. When it finally does arrive I expect to be giving plenty of apps a trial run and publish the reviews on AppCraver. This week I will have a series of Q&As that should help iPad owners, fence-sitters, or those impatiently awaiting theirs to arrive.

Now comes the usual wait for an Apple product’s arrival. Rumors, news leaks, more rumors, then out of nowhere a shipping notification. Next comes incessantly hitting refresh on the UPS page, as if somehow that will makes its journey from China to California go faster.

As always, it will be a geeky adventure. Let it begin.

It was a marriage of convenience. But like most such marriages, there comes a time when it just doesn’t work anymore.

So has been the case with Google and Apple. Despite the recent Steve Jobs-Eric Schmidt coffee date, the companies are going in two diametrically opposed directions – punctuated by Apple’s lawsuit against HTC.

Google’s primary aim is to get everyone on the web through its services to increase use of its search engine, thereby benefiting its online ad business. Hence the push for Google’s Chrome browser, Chrome OS, and Android. Apple’s cash cow comes through its proprietary hardware and software via iPad, iPhone, and iPod. If you use those devices, all official software comes exclusively through the Apple-controlled App Store.

To illustrate the point further, consider how both companies are working in the mobile space. If Google has its way by the end of the year many netbooks will be running its Chrome OS, which is essentially based on the Chrome browser. All data will live on the web, which means that developers are free to make anything they want for it as long as it’s accessible by a browser. Of course, most of your data will probably end up on Google’s servers in the form of Gmail, Docs, Calendar, etc. (I have already discussed how Google owns my soul.)

Apple, on the other hand, has created what will likely be another very popular device in the iPad. By all accounts it will have excellent apps and create a great user experience. The catch: everything goes through Cupertino. Developers from The Wall Street Journal to The White House must submit all their apps for approval.

No one vision is necessarily right, although Apple’s penchant for control raises some concerns for both users and developers. Getting data from iTunes to the iPhone is not exactly the most streamlined experience. Juggling data between an iPhone, iPad, and my PC is not a pleasant thought. Steve Jobs’s stubborn refusal to allow any Flash on the iPad has sent developers scrambling so their content is available. So instead of visiting Hulu in your browser, there will be an Apple-sanctioned app.

The web has created an expectation of liberty and openness. Let’s hope Apple’s modus operandi doesn’t change that. Not that any of  such concerns will stop the iHordes from lining up outside Apple Stores nationwide tomorrow. Of course, there is always a decent chance I will be one of them.

Despite its unfortunate name this new mobile operating system may actually hold some promise for resurrecting Microsoft in the mobile space.  For a company often criticized for it’s failure to innovate, Microsoft looks like it really got it this time.

However, Redmond may have to fight the too-little-too-late feeling from many consumers. Apple, Google and Palm all have mature operating systems with a couple of years’ worth head start. Android releases a new device hourly and has won the hearts of most major phone manufacturers an many users with a deepening collection of apps. Palm has developed a core group of followers. And we don’t even need to go into Apple’s success.

However, I still think there is hope for Microsoft in mobile by playing up to how our business and personal lives intersect. Steve Ballmer talked up this very idea at Mobile World Congress.  I know plenty of people who carry a BlackBerry for work but then an iPhone for personal use. The lines between work and personal contacts and tasks are often blurry, so having a device that can be your music player, Internet device, office contacts and documents (and if you’re into it, your Xbox Live friends) might be attractive.

Then again, many people already have such a device. They call it an iPhone. And even with some of its glaring omissions, it still offers the best mobile experience – with some new functionality likely coming before the new Windows phones even hit the market late this year.

While it is encouraging to see Microsoft take bold leaps forward, it’s time to be a major player in the mobile space may be winnowing. This year will tell us if this bold move will succeed.

Awaken – This is a pretty cool app if you are bored of the alarm clock settings on the iPhone. I was especially a fan of picking any song from your music collection to wake up to.

Night Recorder – Part sleep aide, part spy tool. This app records even when your iPhone is on standby, meaning you can finally catch your partner’s snoring or those spirits that haunt the attic.

The Inferno – Dante’s Inferno is all the rage with the launch of the new video game, but this iPhone game avoids turning Dante into a weapon-wielding steroid mutant freak. It’s a nice puzzle game that I found to be quite addicting.

**Shameless self-promotion here: My web site performs quite well on your iPhone or Android device thanks to the WPtouch WordPress plugin (The above logo is the button it places on your iPhone if you save the bookmark). If you run a web site in WordPress and want a super easy way to create a great looking mobile site, I highly recommend it.

Apple’s unveiling of its unfortunately-named iPad this week was a major letdown for mostly one reason: openness. By opting for the iPhone operating system on the iPad, Apple maintains an iron-like grip on the device. Applications must go through the App Store. Want to get work done? You are stuck with iWork. Steve Jobs’ hatred of flash means lots of Lego icons when surfing the web.

Probably the most crippling limitation is that in its current form the iPad can only handle one app at a time. While this is moderately annoying on the iPhone, it is ridiculous on a computer with a 1 Ghz processor.

In fact, the iPad unveiling probably leaves more questions than answers. Will developers start making more in-depth applications specifically for the iPad? (For example, imagine a full-blown version of Office or more detailed magazine and newspaper apps) How well will applications sync between your iPhone and iPad? Will AT&T’s network be able to handle even more connected devices?

It would be unwise to call the iPad a flop. Even with some quirky restrictions, you can never count out a device that comes from One Infinite Loop. The Apple fanboys and geeks will line up to get one of these. The question is if the masses will follow.

When these rumors began (somewhere in the middle of the Bush administration) I thought I would never have use for such a device. I’m already happy with my laptop (a Toshiba tablet running Windows 7), iPhone 3GS, and a brilliant 23-inch Samsung monitor attached to my desktop. Seems like another gadget is the last thing I need.

But it looks like this Apple tablet thing is less a replacement for these other devices than what may turn out to be an excellent companion device. We didn’t know we “needed” an MP3 player until Apple made the iPod franchise a hit. My suspicion is that this device will be an eReader/music/video/Internet device on steroids that could over time change how we engage with multiple types of content. 

Many people, myself included, have dropped newspaper subscriptions for reading news online. Some similar movements are happening with television. Full programs and highlights are available on sites like YouTube or Hulu. Most of the college basketball I watch during the week is on espn360.com. And while I haven’t made the leap to an eReader because I am not a fan of the black and white eInk screens, I am intrigued by the idea of a small reading device with access to my books, magazines, newspapers, and other media.

While I am firmly in the Windows camp for my desktop computing, the iPhone is the most compelling smartphone around with an excellent ecosystem attached to it.  A touch-screen slate device that could revolutionize my media choices is an intriguing concept. When that black turtleneck appears Wednesday I will be watching.