Just wondering... why does Google app engine recognize "special" string data types such as Link, Email, PhoneNumber, PostalAddress and such? They seem to be simple text types, and don't even have any helper methods which would, for example, extract host/port information from Link.
What design decision would warrant such a distinction?
And, to continue with a bit more down-to-earth concerns, what benefit do those data types bring to programmers? Why should I use them instead of simple Strings?