Apple iPhone

If you haven't seen an iPhone, poll your friends..someone is bound to have one secretly. If not, go into the AT&T telephone store nearest home and check one out. I have NEVER thought my other cell phones were so cool! I have the 8Gb version, so room to spare!

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS (that I use):

Phone
Set your contacts with one or more phone numbers. Pick favorites, review recent calls you placed or received, check your voicemail, dial via keypad. You can mute a call, use speaker phone, add another caller for a teleconference, put people on hold.

GoogleMaps
The price is well worth it if you get LOST alot. I do. You can search for a store (or whatever) address in the Web Browser (Google is your friend), then enter the address in GoogleMaps. Or you can use the Start/End feature and enter where you are and the target address. You get a full map view of start to finish of your trip, and you can also select a "turn by turn" option to see segments. It has been a lifesaver, getting me to funeral homes I've never been to and around in a city I was unfamiliar with. Trust me, I get accused of getting lost in the bathroom...this helps!!

Safari Web Browser
It is a FULL FEATURED web browser, not the stripped down versions on other cellular phones. There is NO extra cost if you are subscribing to AT&T cellular, which of course you should if you have the iPhone. Can't speak for iPhones hacked to use other providers, but AT&T users can check any web based email or your bank accounts. Anything! Worth its weight in gold, because you can look stuff up on the fly in places you normally can't. Like if you're bored at a meeting and you want to know a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie....

iPod
I didn't have an iPod before, just an mp3 player, so I wasn't familiar with iTunes or an iPod. This is very cool. I didn't realize the mp3's I'd "ripped" from CDs could go into iTunes, but they can. I haven't bought very many iTunes only songs, but I have 2 Gb of songs on it to fit any mood. Note: Please don't listen in your car unless you have hands-free capability. Cops frown on this and so will people who you plow into accidentally because you were singing to your 'tunes.

Mail
This has auto setup for Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, .mac mail, and AOL. If you have another provider, there's more tweaking you have to do. I had to use "Other" to set up my Gmail because auto didn't work right. They may have fixed that, I'll have to check. Anyway, check your mail or send an email to your sister while STOPPED in traffic. Put down the iPhone when traffic is unstopped.

Photos
Use the camera to take photos of the back end of the car you plowed into (see above). Or the wild boar you saw in a field nearby. This camera takes fair pictures if you have a steady hand and your subject isn't moving. Otherwise, keep a camera on hand. However, if you have digital photos on your computer or camera, you can upload them here and look at them when you are stuck in traffic.

Clock
I set 4 alarms with a LOUD alarm tone so I can wake up on time. I haven't checked how many you can have, but its a lot.SMS (Text Messaging)
Text messaging...never thought I would do it, and I do it rarely. But its good for when you can't really talk aloud, like if you want to remind your spouse you need milk and you're sitting in church.

Stuff I don't use:
Stocks
I don't have any, so I don't care. But if you have one or more and you actually follow the market, there's a nice little interface that displays whatever you want with ups and downs and a graphic display of the trend of the one you highlight. Pretty nice looking.

YouTube
I'm not a YouTube junkie, so this isn't a big deal for me. But its a quick link from the main interface, so if you're into it, go for it.

Weather
I use this on occasion. You can put up to 4 cities and see what the weather is now, and a 7 day forecast. Pretty nice if you're going on a trip.

Calendar
I'm just not that organized. It's not a full featured Outlook calendar or anything, but room for reminders in List, Day or Month format. Go for it.

Calculator
I normally forget about this. Useful on occasion.

Notes
Not a replacement for, say, a PDA notepad, but good to jot a few items down for a quick run grocery list. Looks like a lined yellow "sticky note".

iTunes
This is new. You can download stuff from iTunes remotely. Haven't tried it.

Settings
Set your preferred ringtones, "Airplane Mode" (so you don't have to turn it off on the plane), wall paper, mail provider and other stuff. It's necessary, but not exactly fun. Except maybe testing the ringtones and annoying people around you.

Things I don't like
You pretty much have to use headphones with this phone. The external speaker isn't really loud enough to use to listen to the iPod or a phone call, even maxed. And if you try to make a phone call, if you accidentally hit the phone with your ear, you could hang up on your call.

Earbuds. Yuck and ouch. Never liked them. If you have headphones you like better, you have to purchase a $10 adapter from the Apple store. Also, the white Apple earbuds are a signal you have an iPod or iPhone and you can be a target for thieves. It is an issue where I live. Just a thought.

The popup keyboard for messages or entering web URLs takes getting used to. It appears to select one of the keys around what you poked if you put in a typo, but not consistently. It also appears to learn your typical typos and fix them...also not consistently. I have small fingers so its almost not an issue for me, but I can definitely see that others wouldn't like this.

CONCLUSION
Pros outweigh the cons if you want to use more than one feature from the highlighted features I listed. If you just want a cell phone and text messaging, save your money and get the free cell phone with a 2 year sign up from any cell phone store. Otherwise, enjoy your iTune/camera/web browsing iPhone!