The iPhone

iPhone is a full-featured music and video player that can place and receive calls and, unlike most smartphones, it lacks a physical keypad or keyboard. Instead, it uses on-screen touch-sensitive typing and can interpret finger gestures, like spreading or pinching, into actions such as zooming out or zooming in. Apple had chosen to offer a scratch-resistant glass screen rather than the originally planned plastic.

With an iPhone you can make and receive calls, surf the Web with a real browser, play music, movies and video and stream YouTube videos. It can isually display voice-mail messages, which can be played back individually in any order. Display rich HTML e-mail.

The iPhone includes Bluetooth, and any standard Bluetooth headset (or equipped auto) will work with the iPhone.

Apple says that the iPhone works equally well with Windows and Mac OS X, just like an iPod with iTunes. Windows users will use special software for synchronizing contacts and calendars.

Price - A unit with 4 gigabytes of storage (the amount in an iPod nano) is $499; the 8-gigabyte model is $599. A two-year contract for AT&T; mobile phone service, with cancellation penalties, is required.

Overall a good smartphone, music player and portable Internet tool.