Apple iPhone: the definitive review

If you want to love the much-hyped Apple iPhone you'll find plenty to rave about in our in-depth review of Apple's mobile phone/iPod hybrid. The Apple iPhone's multitouch navigation system is intuitive and fun. The endless expanse of display alone is mesmerising, with beautiful bright colours and crisp resolution.

The Apple iPhone is a great handheld video player, a decent music player and camera; its browser, while not as versatile as the one on your laptop, is still impressive.

Plus, the Apple iPhone works just fine as a mobile phone.

But there are disappointments with the Apple iPhone (see also The Apple iPhone's 50 biggest flaws revealed). These include lack of support for AT&T's fastest (HSDPA) data network and the absence of instant-messaging and office-suite applications. Others are apparent only once you start using the Apple iPhone - it can get warm with constant use, and you'll need to wipe off smudges frequently with the included cloth.

We're still iffy about the Apple iPhone's software keyboard and predictive text entry. They work reasonably well, but overall text entry is still easier with a hardware keyboard, and the iPhone may not be the best choice for people who need to compose a lot of email.

We were impressed with the Apple iPhone's durability. We tried scratching it and dropping it on everything from carpet to concrete. It survived all the abuse, with only some scratches from the concrete.

And then there are the undeniably fun aspects of the Apple iPhone, from the cute icons on the home screen to the way deleted email swooshes into a trashcan.

An iPhone is expensive and comes with some major drawbacks. It's not yet available in the UK, of course, but the most prudent course would be to wait for the next version anyway. Hopefully the next generation Apple iPhone will work out some of the kinks, and we hope, be tied to a faster wireless network.

But it's hard to be patient once you've seen one - the future of mobile devices is here and it's called an Apple iPhone.
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