But one key component to making the WebTone a reality is the emergence of converged devices that could handle both voice and data at the same time. Enter, the Apple IPhone, billed as "Internet in your Pocket" (http://www.apple.com/iphone/internet/).
While phones have allowed you to browse the internet and do email in some fashion for years, the IPhone will take that experience to a whole new level. (Or at least that's what they're promising.)
But even now, Apple isn't rolling out a true WebTone--where your phone calls and data are tightly integrated. Out of the box, it seems that the IPhone really is just the "Internet in your pocket." You can surf, do email, search, and make phone calls from one cool-looking gadget.
The true power of the WebTone comes when you create business applications that use a converged device like the IPhone to improve customer service or enhance the efficiency of a critical business process.
And that, I believe, is just around the corner.
