the apple blog

By BOB LEVITUS
For The Chronicle
For those who have been living under a rock these past few weeks,
iPhone is the latest, greatest product from the company formerly known as Apple Computer.
As you'd expect, Apple's product is a great mobile phone. It's easier to use than any phone
before it and it introduces a fantastic new feature known as "Visual Voicemail," which lets you
browse through all of your voice messages on screen and listen to them in any order.
Speaking of screens, iPhone's is huge, gorgeous, and touch-sensitive. Roughly 3 inches by 2
inches, it offers rich, deeply saturated colors at an ultra-high resolution which adds up to a
sharp picture.
The user interface is simplicity itself. The front of the iPhone has only one button, Home,
which takes you to iPhone's Home screen. You access almost all iPhone functions via its touch
screen. Better still, you touch the screen with a stylus you'll never lose: your finger.
On top of being a darn good phone with an excellent interface, iPhone is also an iPod, with the
best video functionality ever in an iPod. Everything — movies, TV shows, photos, video
podcasts, and album art — looks absolutely fantastic on the high-res display.
The iPhone uses an intelligent virtual keyboard with no physical buttons for numbers or letters.
When you need to enter a phone number or text, you tap the virtual keys on screen with your
fingers.
But it's not without its warts. Among them: no voice dialing; no games; it's expensive; it
requires a 2-year contract; most third-party earphones require an adapter; and it's only
available from a single wireless carrier, AT&T.
AT&T monthly plans start at $59.99 and all include 200 SMS text messages, unlimited data
(e-mail and Web) and mobile-to-mobile calls, and rollover minutes. Family plans are also
available.
Sure it's expensive but I still recommend iPhone without hesitation. Given the gorgeous screen
and fabulous user interface, and the fact that it's a cell phone, a mobile Internet device, and
an iPod with video in one, it may actually be a bargain.
Bob LeVitus is the author of 48 computer books including Mac OS X Tiger For Dummies, and a
Mac consultant, troubleshooter, and trainer. Visit his Web site at www.boblevitus.com; e-mail
comments to doc@boblevitus.com.