Here it is folks! We’ve had some time to play with the Apple iPhone, and we’ve got an introductory review for you. If you caught our live webcast of the Apple iPhone’s unboxing, you also heard our initial impressions of the device. If you missed it, you should really keep checking back on our front page (or through your RSS reader) more often. Our initial impressions of the device (after only a handful of minutes of actual playtime) were that the device was solid, sleek and refined, and super fast. The iPhone is built to Apple’s exacting standards - everything fits perfectly, there are minimal lines, no flexing, no superfuous movement, and the buttons (those few that the iPhone actually has) give some great feedback.
But buttons aren’t not to “clicky” but not to “mushy” - they feel and sound just right (I would liken it to the feel of a Porsche’s shift gate - smooth and refined movement with a satisfying click that doesn’t sound too harsh).
The glass screen is a beautiful piece of work in and of itself. Free of any defects or bends, the display blends with the bod of the iPhone with precision and polish. But, the best part is that the glass display doesn’t just cover the screen - it exteneds the full face of the iPhone. This gives the iPhone a sleekness that no most other phones out there just don’t have.
The body of the iPhone is just as smooth and refined as the glass face. The few seams and lines that are visible on the device are fit together so precisely that you barely notice them at all. The device seems to be crafted from a single, solid piece of aluminum (aside from the glass and little plastic bottom-piece, of course). Build-quality on this phone is amazing - rivaled by nothing I have ever owned (in the mobile phone world, that is - all my Apple products are on the same level, naturally).
Like we said, the body of the phone seems to be crafted from a solid piece. And, as such, there is no flexing or twisting of the chassis. I’m not about to test that statement to the breaking point (I did wait over 24hours in line and payed over $600 for the darn thing). But, I can assure you that the iPhone is likely to resist any twisting or flexing right up to the snapping point.
As far as any superfluous movement, we just have to reiterate how precisely built the iPhone really is. Aside from the marvelous feel and feedback of the buttons, they are rigid and firmly set in place. The buttons have no play - unyielding to your finger until you apply enough pressure to actuate the button. It’s a very minute detail, but that’s what the iPhone is all about - the refinement in the details.

Ok, so we’ve covered what the iPhone looks and feels like - but what’s it like to actually use it in the real world? I won’t lie, there are disappointing niggles about the iPhone. But, they really are niggles (niggle: a trifling complaint, dispute, or criticism). The overall user experience is amazing - after following the device since it’s conception, there really aren’t any let-downs. It’s not hype if it’s true!


Keyboard
Keyboard? What keyboard? Oh! You mean the on-screen smart-character-input feature. We don’t like to call it a keyboard because keyboards provide a basic, fixed, what-you-see-is-what-you get type of interface. But, seeing as how “on-screen smart-character-input feature” is a mouthful, we’ll just resign to calling it the virtual keyboard. So, the virtual keyboard is a pleasure to use! Those of you used to your Blackberry or Treo’s keyboard are likely to fumble around and make more typos than we have - and that’s after one measly day of practice! Are we more dexterous and agile-fingered than the masses? Likely. But, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to type away with abandon on this thing. We still suffer from a slow(ish), fumbling typing speed on every physical keyboard we’ve ever used (and that’s pretty much every one of them). But, the iPhone’s virtual keyboard promoted the kind of typing speed that would rival a full-size keyboard. The key (pun intended) to this keyboard? You just have to trust the software to correct your typos. Viuld yoi rwad rhis if I types it like this? No, you couldn’t understand what sentence could possibly be saying - unless you were an Apple iPhone. In that case, you would read that sentence as “Could you read this if I typed it like this.” While the tactile feedback of physical keys gives you verification of actual key-presses, you still have to make sure that you hit the right key - a struggle on the small keyboards on most mobile phones. Hit the wrong key, and you have to stop, delete, search for the right key, and re-type. With the intelligent virtual keyboard, you can fly along, tapping the general area that your intended key lies, and be fairly confident that the software will figure it out for you. The only downside is the iPhone’s inability to deal effectively with pronouns. Try having the software figure out that you’re really trying to send an SMS text message to “Yoeau Slivkoff” - yea, it ain’t happening. Still, with a little concentration and light-fingeredness (no, that’s not a real word - you really wanna argue right now?) you can get through pronouns with decent speed.


Screen
The screen is a marvelous combination of size, brightness, and resolution! As a testament to our favorite saying “numbers do not a mobile phone make” (we can’t remember if that is someone else’s quote, so we’ll just claim it until we hear otherwise) - the screen looks “huger,” sharper, and more “resolution-ier” than the technical specs would indicate. The screen is easily the best we’ve ever seen. The beautifully sleek design of the OS could have something to do with our perception of the superb display. Regardless, it’s the cat’s meow.


Web surfing
As expected, surfing the internets is a joy. Although, EDGE data speeds can temper that joy with a dash of impatience, but, overall, it’s a great way to browse the word wide web. The automatic wifi detection is totally trick! All you have to do is come within range of a wireless hotspot, and the iPhone will ask if you want to join it. Simply accept the connection and you’re flying through your websites! It’s fantastic - until the wifi signal is lost and you are downgraded to EDGE speeds again. Still, EDGE is more than enough for the less complex websites and email. If you are a power user and you really need to have quick access to your complex, image-packed sites, then you will want to stay in range of that wifi connection. For us, we like the compromise.


Camera
The 2 megapixel camera is decent - not great (like the rest of the phone) - just decent. We can’t imagine having to use this camera as our sole means of documenting everything that is interesting in the world, but for the casual daytime, well-lit photo, you can’t go wrong. And framing that picture on the marvelously huge screen is a novelty all its own.


Activation/Sync
The activation process is as seamless and hassle-free as you would expect. If you caught our live webcast, we were worried that current AT&T customers would have to have their existing SIM card handy for the activation process - but, no. Just plug in the iPhone to the data cable and off you go! Within a few minutes you will be playing with a fully functioning iPhone! Our previous assumption that the SIM card would not be swappable with other GSM phones, once activated on the iPhone, was wrong - the SIM works beautifully with other GSM phones. And, if you have a 3G device, you can get your 3G fix by swapping the SIM into said 3G device! How great is that?

That’s it for now. Hopefully you have a better understanding for how the iPhone feels and works. We will be bringing you a more detailed review, with photos and opinions galore, in the next couple days - we need more time to put the iPhone through its paces. Stay tuned!