I was invited to an "ubercool" party recently where the official dress was described as "trendy." I looked around my closet and clearly trendy had taken a hike, so I thought I might trade "looking" trendy for some arguable position of "being" trendy.

I finally came up with what I thought might pass as a trendy idea: I would go to the party without a purse. (Hey, fellas, women carry purses. Even Queen Elizabeth carries a purse. And I was desperate.)

The idea came quick but executing was a bit of challenge. Female clothes frequently have no pockets to speak of, but I was able to tuck my driver's license and a couple of bills into the watch pocket of a pair of dressy trousers, a pocket, frankly, I had never noticed before. Thanks to the ubercool valet parkers, I was able to ditch my car keys, as well.

And how well did it work? Great! I was free, free, free to eat, drink and talk with both hands! And the resounding #1 response to my attempt to be ubercool? "What about your cell phone?" "I'm fine," I insisted, shrugging off the consequences of being for the moment out of touch.

As soon as I got my car back, I dove for the glove box, retrieved my cell phone and pushed talk. I very nearly broke out in a sweat.

I don't know if you've noticed, but cell phones are becoming the uberappliance. Far beyond the basic phone service with voicemail they once were, they handle email and search the web, while taking, sending and receiving digital pictures. They can just as easily record video of little Darby's kindergarten tableau or Sammy's game-winning single, while entertaining us with tiny video games when we have a spare twenty seconds or so.

In fact, the latest game to traverse the badlands of cellphonization is Etch-A-Sketch, and in lieu of turning the box over and shaking it to start again with a fresh screen, your cellphone vibrates while the bits of your picture fall away

By next year, these phones will have the memory to download songs and talk shows just like an iPod. And while the big cellphone manufacturers are adding first-rate digital cameras and giga-storage to their cellphones, Apple is busy adding cellphone capability to its iPod.

It's the convergence of the tiny, right before our eyes. And for us, the lowly consumer: Why carry around two items when we can carry around one?

If it seems like everything seems to be doing everything, you're right. All our electronics is morphing into all our other electronics, even if we don't use a particular function or two or ten. And it's not just limited to cellphones.

Think the kids are playing video games on their Playstation or Xbox? They just might be taking a break to watch a DVD. And doesn't the familiar profile of a big, stationary personal computer with a boxy monitor seem dated? Monitors are slim, computers are mobile, and wires? We don't need no stinkin' wires.

The arc of technology - and technology convergence - is apparent all around us, and the breakthroughs just keep coming.

What an interesting time to be alive.

I'm Moira Gunn. This is Five Minutes.

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