I have had a couple of days now to try out my new gadget and it is time to let everyone know what it is like. First of all, I jst need to say that I am a sucker for Apple products. I haven't always been, but after I got the Mac Book Pro, I have been sold on everything Apple. I have never been disappointed in anything made by Apple, and that probably means that this review is totally biased. However, I have had experience with other PDAs and Smartphones, and actually have an iPhone in my pocket right now, so I think that gives me the right to review it. I will try to be as unbiased as possible and point at its flaws.
Size and Shape
The size is almost perfect. It fits in my hand wonderfully and has a large screen that is beautiful to say the least. Although the iPhone has a large footprint, it is very thin for a smartphone. I can put it my pocket and not even know it is there, which is a major plus for me. I had the T-Mobile MDA and although it had a smaller footprint (I think) it was about twice as thick as the iPhone if not more. It was thicker than my Mac Book Pro even (well close at least). Anyway, the MDA was thick and the Apple iPhone is thin, that is the point. I love the way that it feels in my hand. I can grip it easily and comfortably, but it seems light in my hand. The rectangular shape is the obvious choice, and it works great here. The Neo 1973 that I have compared the iPhone to in the past has a more rounded shape, and I think that the more squared off shape is an advantage for staying the right way in my pocket. On to more exciting stuff.
Screen
Since the screen is not just the output, but the input as well, I will have to spend a little time in this area. The screen is gorgeous as I have mentioned before, but you really have to see it to believe it. Everything is crystal clear and bright and colorful. This is vastly different from other phones that I have had in the past. Most phones I have had in the past have been hard to read outside and in the direct sunlight. I took it out of my pocket in the brightest sun of the day and used it in direct sunlight. You would think that this would make it hard to read or see, but I hardly noticed that I was outside. It looked as clear as when I am inside, and this made me happier than ever. Widescreen is great for movies. I have had an 80GB Video iPod before and this screen put that one to shame. I don't think that they should even sell those video iPods anymore. They have very out of date screens. So does the touchscreen really work. I thought that it would be sluggish and unresponsive, but I was completely wrong. I have never used a touchscreen before that works so great. I feel one with the iPhone because I can manipulate things on the screen. There is not only no need for a stylus, it actually makes having to have a stylus look stupid. I love the way that it works. I have never had any problems with things not responding on the touchscreen, and that is very important since this is the only way that you can use the phone.
Software
The software on the iPhone is amazing. It is not the full OS X as we already know, but it feels like OS X nevertheless. Everthing is very smooth and fluid. I haven't seen any slow down and I can have browsers, music, and a call all going at once without it crashing. This is something that was simply impossible to do on the MDA. When you transition from one program to another it moves with elegance. I truly thought that the videos that were on the Apple website for a long time were prerendered and made to look like it was easy to use and quick, but that the actual experience would be slower and less fluid. Again, I was totally wrong. The iPhone performs beautifully and never skips a beat.
Features
The Wi-Fi works like a charm, and conected in a matter of seconds to my home network. It asked my for the password right away and then worked great after that. When you are out of range of the wi-fi then it switches almost unnoticably to the EDGE network. People say that this is not a good thing that it is on the EDGE network and not the 3G, but I beg to differ. When I had the MDA, it had the worst battery life I have ever seen. It would hardly last a day on a charge, but I have only charged the iPhone once since I got it, and it still says that it has close to a full charge. I have been using it like crazy of course. This is why they chose not to go with the 3G network. It is not consistently available like the EDGE and it drains battery life like wi-fi. I am glad that they did not include the 3G even. The one major complaint I have about the iPhone is the lack of GPS. This is something that I really would have liked to have seen in this phone. It has everything else I could want, but it lacks the GPS with a locator so that you can see where you are and how to get where you want to be. However, Google Maps is great. I used it the other day, and it gives turn by turn directions in list format or with the overhead view of the turns and the distance and estimated time. I really wanted GPS, but this can tide my over in the mean time.
Overall
It is an Apple product throughout. It has its flaws, but I am sure that there are good reasons for each thing that was not included on this phone. One major problem was the fact that no wireless network really has a good fast data network. They all claim to and some are better than others, but in the end it is just something that does not exist in America right now. When it does and it works great with optimal coverage, then I am sure that Apple will have a product that will utilize that. Until then, I will be enjoying the best phone that I have ever owned. This is without contest the best phone ever made. If you love Apple products, then this is a no brainer, but even people who know nothing about Apple will love this phone.
I will rate this phone 9.5 out of 10
