First Look: Apple iPhone

The block on installing third party applications has, for the moment, put a block on adding additional browser plug-ins and add-on applications, but this is likely to change with the launch of a developer toolkit for the device.

Going to the phone, and call quality is good, and call management straightforward. Free-dialling using the on-screen keypad is simple and largely error-free, despite the lack of tactile feedback, while the integration with the address book is easy to access and allows for one-click dialling. The Address Book also lets you insert an image for a contact (as does the Mac OS desktop address book, which will transfer across to the iPhone), with the image popping up on screen when a known contact calls you.

Other applications pre-installed on the iPhone include a Google Maps client (which works extremely well, using a two-finger pinch motion on the screen to zoom in and out of a map), a YouTube client (again, very slick and provides a very easy way to navigate content on YouTube, but it is just as well that iPhone price plans come with unlimited data use) and of course the iPod functionality.

We won't dwell too long on the iPod side of the iPhone, but suffice to say the iPhone's audio and video playback functionality is completely different from a traditional iPod, with the circular click wheel interface gone and replaced with a commonplace left-to-right scrolling bar showing time elapsed and time remaining.

The big change is Coverflow, which has now been deployed as a general file and folder interface within Apple's new Leopard operating system. Again, using a finger dragging movement, users can literally flip through their albums. It is a very intuitive interface and is surprisingly easy to find and stop on the item you are looking for.

Video playback benefits from a widescreen display, and the ability to switch from portrait to landscape display simply by turning the device on its side (a tilt switch inside the iPhone detects movement and repositions the screen as needed.

In all, the iPhone appears to be a very good first attempt at a smartphone from Apple, and for that reason we are happy to give it six stars. Our full review will, however, give a clear view of what an iPhone is like to live with for more than a couple of days.

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