Apple iPhone Review: Apple of Discord

Cutting edge, sleek and promising, the iPhone stirred the mobile world - not bad for Apple's first go at the mobile phones market. Inspiring and provocative, the iPhone will always come to mind when a handset with full touch-based user interface is in question.

Well, since the official release of the iPhone on 29th June 2007, a lot of reviews came out, too many controversial things were said, and there we are - finally having our say about the handset. As wise people say, better later than never.

Apple iPhone official pictures

Apple is a company which specializes in developing products on the verge of science fiction. The iPod is a perfect example. Around 2001 the company decided to change portable music players as we know them, and pretty much succeeded. Much like the iPhone, the announcement of iPod generated huge amounts of hype and when it came out in October 2001 it actually lived up to almost every promise, turning out to be a total smash. As it developed, throughout the years, Apple's portable music player became the most popular mobile multimedia device and its reputation never seems to fade.

Following the same credo of being a feature-rich, yet simple-to-use device, the iPhone will undoubtedly build a strong fan base. It will surely attract the many "if-it-ain't-shinin'-I-ain't-buyin'" customers, since the iPhone is definitely among the most beautifully crafted mobile phones we've seen.

It will be a while before we get a hands-on with the European version of the iPhone. As Apple has confirmed the device is due to hit the European market November 9th 2007 starting with UK and Germany and later on this month in France. The craved device already appeared throughout retailers in Europe ss unlocking efforts so far are managing to overcome the protection of the handset.

Key features:

• Stylish design
• Scratch-proof front glass cover
• 3.5" 16M color TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
• Handset orientation sensor and proximity sensor
• 2 megapixel camera
• Touch-based user interface
• Great UI graphics and animations
• Supreme web surfing experience

Main disadvantages:

• Camera has no auto focus or settings
• No video recording
• No custom ringtones allowed
• Safari browser doesn't support Flash and Java
• Really basic Bluetooth capabilities
• No Office documents editor
• No third party applications
• No 3G support (at least the US version)

Conclusion

So let's sum it up. The iPhone doesn't claim to be the best phone ever. It's above average, but it has a long list of drawbacks. It's not a business phone either, so don't confuse it with one. And it's most definitely the best iPod ever. However we find that the description that suites the iPhone best is "a dedicated entertainment multimedia mobile device". If you're keen on browsing, listening to music and consuming multimedia content, this handset is, without a doubt, the top performer in its class. Every process is maximum simplified and as fun as possible. It almost feels like a game. And it's a pretty darn good one, too. Well, time to say goodbye to this much-coveted device - we are looking forward to seeing it hit the European market in the end of the 2007.

(Read full review on GSMArena.com...)
Apple iPhone specification