In short -- it's a convergence device custom-made for the corporate market. Its whole appeal is the tight integration with corporate mail servers and easy user interface for text -- you can get your messages ANYWHERE, not just in a location with WiFi/VPN access, and respond to them quickly. It's not an ideal cellphone form factor, but that isn't the point. Email is FAR more important than phone for busy execs, but since you need the phone capability in some cases and probably don't want to carry two devices...why not bundle them?
I've realized most of your points, but not the bolded parts...thanks! The way we send emails back and forth...it's a nice international instant messenger. But that's all I've considered it to be...and I guess that's all it's supposed to be, really (phone and PDA features were probably second thoughts)
And I thought that Smartphones are capable of getting messages everywhere as well. Lyte, can you receive emails without being on a VPN or WiFi Network? I had the impression you'd use your dial up connection and leave it on.