1. Sleek, Slim Design
Apple has packed a lot of phone into a relatively compact, beautifully designed case (4.8 ounces). The software is elegant too: Its only button always brings you back to the home screen, so you can never get lost or be forced to backtrack using a Back button through several layers of menus. Text on Web pages viewed on the iPhone looks tiny at first glance, but you can pinch and zoom in to make it legible.
2. The Wonder of the Web
Despite being somewhat crippled by AT&T’s slow EDGE network (see top 5 worst features, below), the Internet display capabilities of the iPhone beat out those of most other mobile phones. Websites reportedly look really good, even though they’re shrunk down considerably. Of course, Flash and Java do not work on the iPhone version of the Safari browser, so you don’t have a totally seamless Web experience. But Google Maps on the iPhone is also quite cool, and can come in handy when you’re in an unfamiliar city.
3. You Look Mahvelous
The 3.5-inch display is bright, crisp, and easy-to-see. Reviewers have reported that video, though tiny, looks amazing. (Please forgive the embarrassingly dated Billy Crystal reference.)
4. Check Your Voicemail
The ability to listen to voice messages in any order (dubbed Visual Voicemail), regardless when they came in, is going to save a lot of people a lot of time. (And make it that much easier to ignore messages from people you’re trying to avoid!)
5. Scratch-Resistant Glass
Sure, the glass face of the iPhone gets smudgey. But it’s easy to wipe off. Scratches, on the other hand, as every iPod owner knows full well, are much harder (or even impossible) to remove, and the folks who have reviewed the phone so far all report that their phone didn’t scratch, even when regularly thrown into pockets and purses with keys and other items.
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