So it looks like the initial reviews of the iPhone are mostly positive, with David Pogue and Walt Mossberg both giving it a thumbs up. My two biggest reservations about the device seem to be mostly non-issues:
- Both Walt and Dave say that the lack of a physical keyboard is not so bad (one of the reviews says that Palm Treo-like typing speeds are possible). Both of these guys are experienced reviewers and had the phone for 2 weeks, so what they say is credible. Still though, I think that really heavy phone users are still going to have a problem with this. Six taps to make a call seems too long. There's something nice about being able to call the last called number with just two presses of the call button on a conventional phone — easy to do while driving etc.
- To my amazement, the claimed battery life (the recent update that increased expectations) seems to be about right: about 8 hours call time (even with the WiFI on), twenty odd hours of iPod usage. None of the reviews I've read list the standby life in idle mode (Apple says 10 days)
Roundup of reviews:
- The iPhone Matches Most of Its Hype [NY Times]
- The iPhone is Breakthrough Handheld Computer [WSJ]
- Apple’s iPhone isn’t perfect, but it’s worthy of the hype [USA Today]
- At Last, the iPhone. [Newsweek]
David Pogue and Walt Mossberg videos below:
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