Poll: Pencil Gives iPhone a Run For Its Money

As technology aficionados lined up around the world today to buy Apple's iPhone 3G, Portfolio.com decided to find out how simple gadgets invented centuries ago stack up to the tricked-out electronic toys of the 21st century. We asked readers, which one is best?

Bells and whistles were by no means a predictor of success. Though 22 percent of the 214 voters selected the iPhone, the lowly pencil came in a close second with 19 percent of the vote. Sharing the third-place berth were two gadgets with very little in common: the always-beeping BlackBerry and the strong but silent Swiss Army knife. The top four gadgets left the others in the dust: G.P.S. attracted only 8 percent of voters and the Taser (coming to a New York police station near you) won a mere 7 percent. Perhaps as an indication that the iPhone's older cousin, the iPod, is here to stay, the Walkman came in last, taking just 6 percent of the vote. It was tied with--wait for it--the abacus. But as the pencil's success indicates, some gadgets never go out of style.

The Results:

iPhone.................. 22%
Pencil................... 19%
BlackBerry............ 16%
Swiss Army Knife..16%
G.P.S........................8%
Taser......................  7%
Walkman................. 6%
Abacus.................... 6%

-Caitlin Roman