I have used my BlackBerry 8700c as my only cell phone for as long as I can remember and so the iPhone was a real departure for me. Since I knew the device wasn't 3G, I knew its data transfer speed would be weak in comparison to some more powerful smart phones. But I had been a Cingular customer for sometime, and I'm used to the less-than-blazing speed of its EDGE network. And when AT&T purchased Cingular and upgraded its network--shortly before the iPhone release--I really noticed an improvement, so I wasn't particularly concerned.

As far as voice quality goes, both my BlackBerry and my iPhone use the AT&T network, and I can't tell any difference in call quality between the two. But only the iPhone has a button on the side that lets me switch between ring and vibrate mode. Another feature I like: When I'm listening to music through ear buds and someone calls, the music fades out and the ring tone begins.

Mail Needs Work, Sound Doesn't

Accessing e-mail on the iPhone is easy, though the only way to get true "push" e-mail is to use a Yahoo Mail account, which I do. For other mail accounts, like AOL or Gmail, the iPhone polls the POP server every minute or two and then new messages are delivered. True push e-mail can be invaluable for business users--and for this reason, RIM and other companies that offer such messaging services currently have a leg up on Apple.

As far as battery life goes, the iPhone doesn't last as long on a single charge as my BlackBerry, but I wasn't surprised by that. I've used it during a number of long transatlantic flights for video and audio, then used it as a phone for the rest of the day. So as long as I charge it every night, the battery life isn't a problem for me.

The size of the device is impressive; much thinner than my BlackBerry. I carry the BlackBerry in a holster, but I can just slip my iPhone into my pocket without any discomfort or awkwardness. That means I can carry both without having to resort to multiple holsters or deal with overpacked pockets.

The three things I like best about my iPhone are its touch screen-based user interface, Wi-Fi support and the high-quality media player that eliminates the need to carry a separate iPod.

Apple did a fabulous job building an intuitive and simple to employ user interface. The iPhone's touch screen is easy to get used to and fun, and though I can't dash out e-mails on my iPhone in the quick-fire way that I can on the BlackBerry, I can navigate through various Web pages and access applications in a way I never thought possible.