WSJ iPhone Review

Apparently, the press embargo on the iPhone is now broken, and thus all kinds of newspapers and websites are releasing their reviews. So far, the vast majority appear to be positive... very positive in fact, and far more than I expected with the known drawbacks of the iPhone. I am not sure yet if this is just the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field, or if Apple really has redefined the smartphone space. The Wall Street Journal's review is among the best and most balanced.

The iPhone's most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the screen, turned out in our tests to be a nonissue, despite our deep initial skepticism. After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years. This was partly because of smart software that corrects typing errors on the fly.

But the iPhone has a major drawback: the cellphone network it uses. It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won't come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can't use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile's network. So, the phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T's coverage is good. It does work overseas, but only via an AT&T roaming plan.

I am sticking with Tmo and my Sidekick III, but I know at least one guy who will be camping out at the local mall in hopes of scoring an iPhone. I'll let you know my impressions when he is showing it off on Sunday.