[Rene Ritchie]

KEVIN!

a) I bought an iPhone 3G the day it came it out. I'd hate to be though of as a pure fan boy, so figured this was the best way to know thy competition.

Fan boy!

d) When I want to, I can type on it pretty quick. but i hold with my left hand and peck with my right. any recommendations on technique/device usage to be super speedy and accurate?

Trust the smartware. Most often it will just magically correct as you hammer ham fistedly at the little virtual keys. Trusting the smartware is key to the... er... keys.

e) Despite all of the above, it really sits on my desk and collects dust. I pay a monthly bill on it and don't use it.

Fanboy.

a) what do I have to do make it all push email and fast

Since you only really need it for a week, grab the free MobileMe trial. Not only will it automagically sync everything in your address book, ical, and mail.app to the cloud and iPhone, it can sync everything (doc, preferences, app settings, etc.) between your iMac and (collectible Dieter) MacBook. It will also enable Back-to-my-Mac, which is very sweet.

b) is there anything i can to so the device "calls to me" like my BlackBerry does? better notifications when I get an email, make it be a more efficient communication tool?

If you turn notification on, it will beep and vibe when you get new stuff. No little morse-code flasher, but sound but shake is good. If that doesn't work, just imagine all the email you might be missing and you'll be checking that sucker every minute! It's like the device is playing hard to get, and is all the more seductive for it...

c) what are the WOW apps I have to try. Not just games, but stuff that is mind boggling cool

Aside from the UI? New Google Maps could tell you how to take a bus from your place to Waterloo and what it'll cost ya. Google makes great stuff in general, from Earth to the speak-enabled Mobile App. Some of the games are stunning, as you already mentioned.

d) are there any tricks, must-dos, must-knows that i should be aware of with this device that I may not be aware of?

Lots: iPhone Help and How-To Guides | The iPhone Blog

e) How do i take screencaps??

Answered already.

f) anything else??

Alter your state of mind. The iPhone is not a BlackBerry. It's not an up-converted pager with instant crack-addiction that wants you to do more and more constantly while putting up with all sorts of legacy cruft.

It's a fresh, new, completely-designed for touch consumer smartphone that's meant to literally renew your childlike sense of wonder. It's meant to be *fun*. You can get lost in it one moment, and then just marvel at the simplest of interface transitions the next.

The medium very literally encapsulates the message.

Sure, a bare bones stripped down frame-only buggy might get your from a-b the fastest (if you ignore traffic laws and don't kill yourself in the effort), but this baby makes the trip a pleasure.