Apple - iPhone (8 GB) Cell Phone Review

• Activation: I was a Sprint customer whereas iPhone is AT&T only, so I had to break contract. I was really pleased with how smooth this process was. All iPhone activations occur through iTunes software. I had a couple extra steps to fill out regarding my Sprint account info. Amazingly, my iPhone was fully activated and my number was ported within the time it took to transfer over 3Gigs of music!
• Usability: I wasn't sure I was going to get an iPhone until I was able to demo my coworker's phone. I was hooked! Everything just plain works. This is how mobile OSes should have been set up all along. The different programs (maps, web, mail, phone, etc) can be navigated seemlessly with a minimum of clicking. The UI is fast and responsive.
• Web Broswer: Wow, mobile web surfing is finally usable! The iPhone features a full Safari browser (the same browser that ships on all Macs). You can easily zoom in on sections of the page by double tapping or "pinching" with two fingers. The resolution and readability are better than any other phone I've seen (and my wife has had quite a few smartphones over the years, including Sidekicks and Windows Mobile devices)
• Maps: The iPhone integrates Google maps. This may be my favorite feature as far as daily use. Search for a business and it pin points it on the map. Click the pin and you can view the website or call them with just one more tap. This is a great and very usable feature when getting around.

• EDGE data network: The iPhone supports data connectivity via AT&Ts 2G EDGE network. It is slow...it feels like I'm on a modem. Many people may want to wait for a next gen iPhone with 3G support (more like DSL speeds).
• Instant Messaging: There is no IM client for the iPhone. This seems like an obvious hole considering that you have an always on data network. The sad fact is this is probably due to AT&T wanting to make $$$ off of SMS text messages. Hopefully we'll see this in a software update.

Notice that I haven't mentioned the keyboard. A lot of people are complaining that without a tactile keyboard typing accuracy will be very poor. From my point of view, coming from a phone with a standard phone pad where I had to multi-tap out my txt messages, the iPhone is so much faster. I'm already significantly faster and my accuracy seems to be pretty good as well.

One other note that I want to make, which differentiates Apple and the iPhone from any of the competition is that they are a software company as well as a device manufacturer. They have an easy intutitive channel for releasing bug fixes, updates, and new software features via iTunes. No other device/manufacturer out there can compete with Apple's ability to release features and fixes for their phones.

In Summary, the iPhone is a radical shift in mobile devices. It's all about the software. Other vendors are going to try mimicing aspects of the iPhone but in typical fashion will miss fire. Apple realizes that the whole package needs to work together seemlessly and intuitively. They've launched a great first generation device. And after years of shunning and ignore the mobile revolution, I've finally found a device that feels right to me.