Except Pogue points out that the AT&T; internet service is so bad you "long for dial-up" and the ad jingle for the phone network ought to be "I'm losing you." So 2 of the 3 vaunted features on the phone don't work for sh-t and you're left with an 8 gig ipod that costs $600. Really cool screen feel though.
 

Yes, except the Wi-Fi coverage, as Mossberg points out, is great. I agree, though, that the standard Internet access sounds pretty lame. They'll get it right on the second generation.

I've had Cingular—now part of AT&T;— for a couple years, and its coverage is great. So how bad can AT&T; really be? Unless AT&T; has somehow really screwed up Cingular, which is always possible.

$600, yes. But you're also getting an iPod with that, so the combination of Internet browser, phone, iPod and various other stuff doesn't seem quite so outrageous.
 

If it works, which it doesn't. The higher quality AT&T; network is not supported on the phone (or vice vesa). Seems to me this is an absolute killer....until, as you say, they get it right. Only way this phone will work is if the internet/phone access is super. (And wireless is virtually useless: you generally have to pay for it, and its only in limited places.) They need to fix this if they want it to be a hit.
 

Cingular stinks around Boston -- maybe not in the middle of the city, but my wife drives a lot around the metro area, and she constantly dropped calls. She cancelled her membership just within the 30-day limit. Wouldn't recommend it for anyone in Boston unless you're reasonably stationary.

From what I've heard, sounds like everyone will definitely benefit from waiting for the second generation iPhone.

--Squatting Egret
 

What were they thinking? I switched from Cingular to Verizon just because I travel a lot and Cingular service was unavailable in large parts of the country. Maybe that has changed in the past year or so, but if not ...
 

Yeah, Cingular is dead in the Quad too.
 

I don't think you do pay for the wi-fi coverage, somehow. Mossberg's piece (I think) says something about the phone automatically shifting you from the crappy AT&T; network to wi-fi whenever it's available...
 

You don't pay for wi-fi when you find a free hotspot. You will have to pay to use it (like you would if you were using a laptop) from most public wi-fi places.