EXCLUSIVE: Apple iPhone review

Yes... thanks to the many connections I have with the IT industry, I was able to get hold of an iPhone - the first in Malaysia!

Well, an origami version, actually... (Go to Gizmodo for more info) But since the real thing won't be out till June, this will have to do. And since it's to scale, I believe we can provide a rather accurate review of Apple's revolutionary new product.

First of all, we start with the packaging:


The iPhone comes on a single sheet of A4 paper, with convenient cutout lines. A pair of scissors are required. Whilst easy to assemble, I find it appalling that an Apple product would require any sort of self-assembly. Should've worked right out of the box...


After folding the iPhone together, I marvelled at its 3.5in static inkjet display. The much-hyped Multi-touch screen by Apple didn't seem to be as responsive as I'd hope. But on the bright side, the iPhone weighs just 7 grams, which is about 1/153 the weight of a 20GB iPod. Well done, Apple!

And unlike the iPod, the iPhone seems rather scratch resistant too.

As a phone, the iPhone rocks! The reception is fantastic, with a continuous full bar from Maxis no matter where I was - even in underground carparks, elevators and stuff. In spite of the excellent reception, I wasn't able to make any calls. In fact, the date and time seemed to be stuck too, which is a bit of a problem. However, I'm sure that Apple's engineers will sort these little gremlins out.

Below the iPhone, there's the usual iPod dock connector, though this one seems a bit bigger. While it seemed to fit with my old iPod USB cables, docked speakers and other stuff, it wasn't able to sync properly. Even after installing the latest version of iTunes, I still couldn't get it to work. Sheesh... Once again, I'm sure it'll all be sorted out.

Aha... if you thought it was just an iPod, a phone and a breakthrough Internet communications device, I'll have you know that the iPhone has a 2-megapixel camera too! While I'm sure the optics are of first-class quality, there seems to be a problem with the viewfinder, which always shows a clownfish no matter where I point the iPhone.

But at least it's a very sharp looking clownfish with good colours and automatic exposure - better than anything else I've seen in the market (like those Nokia N-series things). Excellent job, Apple. Best looking clownfish shots... EVER!



And of course, the iPhone also raises your sex appeal by about 362%. Don't worry about picking up girls in bars - let the girls come to you! With an iPhone, every girl between 18 and 30 years will want to have your children. Really.

Conclusion
Whilst I'm very impressed with the iPhone, I can't help but feel that Apple rushed this product out to get a head start in front of the competition. And then, there's the problem with it creasing whenever I put it into my pockets. But who cares... it's an iPhone. It's cool. Everybody wants one. Get one today :)

Pros: Light, excellent battery life, superb high-resolution screen, perfect reception.
Cons: None of the advertised functions work.