The iPhone

I was at mac world for the 3rd straight year, and
stumbled upon an hour long demo of the new iPhone. The
user interface (UI) is amazing: it is so simple to use
and so different from what's out there.

The device is beautiful, has only ONE button, but what
sets it apart is the software and UI. Your voicemails
are actually listed out, like emails in an inbox. So
you can jump around and check them in the order you
want. Plus, you can fast forward and rewind a
voicemail using a scrollbar -- no more need to replay
a looooong voicemail, just to get that phone number at
the end. Conference calls are a snap to arrange.
Listening to a song using the built-in ipod while
waiting for a phone call? No problem, the iphone will
automatically pause the tune you are listening to, and
alert you of an incoming call, and start the tune once
you hang up.

The Safari web browser rendered pages as it would on a
normal computer. You can move around in a page, and
double-tap the screen to zoom in. The email app was
well designed, and the photo application was
impressive as well.

Set aside the fact that the thing only supports
Cingular in the US, it's still the best portable web
browser/ipod/email device/photo app out there. If
anything you can use it to browse the web, and chekc
your email via wifi. The browser is as good as what
you would get with a laptop.

Its really hard to describe the simplicity and
elegance of the user interface. But in my book, it
really is revolutionary: most competitive devices have
a built-in/permanent key board. The iphone has ONLY
ONE button -- but it is orders of magnitude simpler
and more intuitive than anything on the market. The
closest analogy I can think of is the original
macintosh, and how it simplified the pc for the
regular user. The hardware design is elegant, but the
software and user experience is what makes this an
amazing product.

I normally don't gush over new devices, but this
device took my breath away. It is awesome! I just wish
it were cheaper, and not limited to Cingular. Oh well,
I'm sure they will sell a boatload. You can feel the
pent-up demand inside mac world. When people are
crowding around a device displayed inside a glass box,
to gawk and take pictures of it, you know the product
will be a hit.

David Pogue (who writes for the nytimes and o'reilly)
has a review of the iphone. He actually used one for
an hour, and Steve Jobs was on hand to answer his
questions!