Smartphones rock, mobile internet sucks

It was only 1999 when I had my trusted companion in the form of the Nokia 3210, the iPhone of its day. By today's standards, the handset was a brick and had the equivalent of just three apps: Memory, Rotation and, everyone's favourite, Snake. Still, I loved it as it didn't drop every other call, like the iPhone.

But before I am attacked by Apple fanboys, I should point out that I appreciate the iPhone. It helped to usher in a new era for handheld devices, and forced other manufacturers to up their game. Smartphones in general are great little inventions and, in 100 years, historians will look back and mark them as a true turning point in technology. If Siri hasn't taken over the world by then.

Since the iPhone's release in 2007, smartphones have improved dramatically and we probably wouldn't be able to live without one now. They are the jack-of-all-trades in the technology world. You can get a desktop-like internet experience, read and send emails, update Facebook or Twitter, take hi-res pictures, make notes, listen to music, and the list goes on.

The only thing preventing me from getting the most out of my smartphone is the terrible excuse we have for mobile internet. OK, I exaggerate a little bit. In most urban areas, 3G is pretty decent so I can look up Google Maps or browse the web without a problem.

However, on the overground train to work, it really is bad. The internet connection for the first 10 minutes of my commute into London is decent, but the connection between Harpenden and King's Cross is patchy, and that's before we start shooting in and out of tunnels.