Reviewers mostly say iPhone lives up to hype

Steven Levy, a journalist from Newsweek magazine, holds the Apple iPhone, one of the two given to journalists in New York before it went on sale, as he is interviewed by television reporters outside the Apple store on New York's 5th Avenue June 29, 2007. Hundreds lined up on Friday outside the Apple store hours before the iPhone, a combination widescreen iPod, cellphone and pocket Internet device, went on sale at Apple's 164 stores and nearly 1,800 AT&T stores.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc.'s iPhone, billed by technology analysts as the most anticipated phone since Alexander Graham Bell's first talking machine, hits stores on Friday.

Gadget reviewers from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today weighed in this week after spending two weeks with the shiny music- and video-player phone. They said that despite some flaws, the hype was warranted.

Here's what they found:

LIKES

The display - The 3.5-inch screen is one of the largest on any phone to date and takes up most of the main display, which changes from vertical to horizontal depending on orientation. Users will also control nearly all functions such as dialing, tapping out messages and controlling media playing functions by swiping a finger directly on the screen.

The design - Like the iPod, iPhone has a simplicity -- a thin slab of metal, plastic and glass with only one button on the main screen -- that has won kudos from Apple devotees and reviewers.

The software - Unlike most phones with dedicated operating systems to control functions, iPhone uses Apple's OS X operating system, similar to its Macintosh computer. Doing so helps Apple tap into a broad base of developers to come up with new tricks for the iPhone.

DISLIKES

The AT&T network - The iPhone may be able to play YouTube videos. But doing so on AT&T's pervasive, but slow EDGE data network is not recommended. In the interest of battery life and inability to link up to the faster network in more places, Apple decided to build the phone with the last generation of wireless technology. To watch streaming video, you'll need to be near a WiFi network.

No keyboard - Cell phone users and text message and e-mail addicts have grown accustomed to mini thumb keyboards and will find speed typing difficult on iPhone's virtual keyboard. A video tutorial on Apple.com helps.

Making a call - Reviewers complained about the six steps it took to make a simple call and that there was no voice dialing, which comes in handy while driving.