Asking Questions on Apple's iPhone

In praising the iPhone in the Wall Street Journal late last week, Mossberg mentioned that "running on the relatively slow Edge network ... is a drastically slower alternative that constantly reminded us that we are using a pokey mobile device." As for voice, PCMag.com reported that the sound quality was poor, "kinda fuzzy...not as good as a normal cell phone -- but it should be said that I [the reviewer] was in an area of the Moscone Center where reception is less than ideal."

5. Lack of keyboard makes typing tedious. This is an area of big risk/big reward. Will no keyboard play in emailing and phone dialing? As the New York Times writes, "The iPhone is not, however, a BlackBerry killer. The absence of a physical keyboard makes it versatile, but also makes typing tedious. Instead of raised alphabet keys, you get virtual keys on the screen. They're fairly small, and of course you can't feel them. So typing is slow going, especially for the fat of finger." Previous experiments with touchscreen keypads have not been successful in the handset industry.

A sealed device has limitations. There is no flashcard slot, the battery is sealed (and non-removable), and the consumer is locked into Apple content. Particularly of concern to me is the sealed battery. The new iPhone's battery charge -- Apple has promised five hours of talk time and 16 hours of music playback -- will be challenged by heavy usage. Because I'm playing music on the device, using the touch screen and actively using its operating system, I always travel with an extra battery for my Treo. You can't do that with the iPhone.