Because Japan is behind in technology
I'm a big fan of my HTC Thunderbolt smart phone. I would recommend it to anyone. It has 4g and 3g capabilities which makes it faster. Considering VA is on the east cost I would assume they have 4g coverage in that area maybe someone can correct me. Being a college student myself I found it nice with being able to get my emails and such on the go. It helps when I don't have a computer sitting in front of me.
You made mention about a house phone. Let me honestly say my parents still have one but I have no idea why. To me anymore they are just a waste of money. I live without one and live perfectly fine without it. I use my cell phone for every call I have to make.
Netflix is the way to go anymore. Honestly we have comcast tv with something like 400+ channels and I think I watch like 5 of them so I could do with basic cable. I stream live most of my stuff with netflix through my PS3. Plus it is really cheap as you know and I don't think it costs anymore for the streaming live feature (someone can correct me on this I don't pay for it my family has a plan we all use).
The iPad though cool isn't really all that needed. However it does have its perks. I have seen college professors use it for their notes so they don't have to look at the screen. I have also heard of a lot of business people using it for when they travel. To me though its not worth the price at least not yet.
When you come home have a safe trip and enjoy. Hope you enjoyed Japan and didn't get hit too hard by the recent disasters they had there.
