My iPhone :-) Presuming we get to take a charger too? - David Adam

A smartphone, although it would be useless without a network - Nikos Anagnostou

N82. maps, gps, photo, video, music and all consuming minimal power. Give me a small solar panel and ill be happy. - Steve 'Chippy' Paine

We talking a typical island stranding or LOST? And why is there no 160GB solar powered video iPod yet? I'd bring that if it existed. - Robert Seidman

Assuming power, a laptop. Whenever I'm on a smartphone (e.g. now) I feel like I'm partially cut off from the world. - Ontario Emperor from fftogo

iPhone, and I'm with Steve on the solar panel. That's the combo I have with me now at the beach. - Logical Extremes

can I take a satellite phone so I can actually get off the island? Considering you are talking about being stranded on an uncharted island as opposed to vacationing in Bali! - Rahul Das

my iphone - Mike Hussein Cohen

Laptop. Assuming you can connect. - Warner Crocker

I take my bathing suit and forget about the digital culture for a while - Christian Van Der Henst

huh ?? why smartphone / laptop ? the one thing that you really need is an axe - not a darn phone or laptop !! I wonder how long Steve will survive with his iphone /laptop on an island. (assumption: tropical island is not a vacationing and you are just thrown onto it !) - Peter Dawson

The iphone would be my choice...easier to carry around. - Chris Rossini

its a given that survival is at the top of the list. Lets assume that Steve is having a tech conversation! - Steve 'Chippy' Paine

Assuming there is food, electricity and water aplenty, and I'm not "stranded", I'd take a laptop. - Bwana

Assuming I am going on vacation to get away from it all? My Nokia N95. Good camera to take pics and videos of me drinking MaiTais. GPS so I can get around. But hard to use for Web and Email so I am not too tempted. - Robert Scoble

It would be a Tablet PC with EVDO and a solar panel (we WILL be connected, right, because I'll be leaving the island within a few days, otherwise!) - MiniMage (FakeLifePerson)

If vacation, smartphone, because it costs less to replace if I lose it and I won't be using it, so it doesn't matter what the functionality is. If stranded on tropical island, probably laptop, because it's bigger, and bigger == higher trade value with the natives. Again, there isn't much I'm going to be able to do with it. - Wade Dorrell

On second thought, maybe shiny == higher trade value. In that case I choose iPhone 3G. I will set up a little tiki genius bar on the beach and the natives can line up along the lagoon. - Wade Dorrell

my iphone of course! - Alemsah Ozturk

interesting that most people assummed that they were stranded. I guess I am the optimist here. :-) - Robert Scoble

Robert, I read it the same way and I'd say a smartphone to use on the way there and on the way back. While I was there however, I'd power it off and forget about it until it was time to leave. - Akiva Moskovitz

Laptop. I could watch any of the pirated DVDs that would float up in the flotsam - Andrew Leyden

laptop...as long as i get some Wifi or 3G coverage :) - Jeff Douglass

Laptop (if I buy one) - I'll get some code written :) - Yuvi

I live in a tropical island, Madagascar. If you plan to stay near large towns, take your laptop. If not, take your smartphone. - Thierry R. Andriamirado

I would say my iPhone. Gosh there are so many choices. I make use of every bit of my iPhone, so I'm just going to stick with that. - Dennis Jackson

The real questions are would there be power and wifi? - Admiral70

if there's wifi than clearly a laptop. no advantage to the phone i can see, as i've a skype out subscription :) - jon madison from twhirl

Laptop. You can't write for hours on a smartphone - Martin Liechti from fftogo

@peter: tropical island are usualy not 'so' dangerous ;-) if one is paranoïd, I'd suggest the smartphone solution. Who's afraid by an axe? take your smartphone so you can call for help, or deal it with your agressors ;-) - Thierry R. Andriamirado

Does this tropical island have 3G? - Daniel Smith from twhirl

providing power is not an issue - Laptop. I need all those groovy things it can do and that big screen. i am a writer and content creator - harder to do on that little bitty device - John Bell

Neither. once the battery goes out, you're screwed. - Outsanity

iPhone and a hard wired solar charger for it. Gonna need some 3G or Wifi infrastructure behind that though. - Ernie Oporto

MacBook. I can always Skype. As a writer, the smartphones are kind of limiting. - Bill Brandon

Laptop - Jeff P. Henderson

We can assume there's 3G coverage? I'll take a smartphone. Don't need the extra weight. - Carolyn Chan

A tropical Island? You mean one with Sunny Beaches and Pina Coladas and gorgeous Women with lovely tans? Why on earth would i take either??? Believe me; All my plans are to disappear without a trace and end up in that place! - Parth Awasthi

The answer to this is so obviously a laptop. - Sam Pullara

laptop, as in MacBook Pro but only if I could bring my AC adapter as well because the MacBook Pro's battery life sucks ass. - Thomas Hawk

I am with Parth, Akiva, and Robert. Get me to that island stat so that my vacation can begin. - Mathew A. Koeneker