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Second Life Play on your mobile/cell phoneSecond Life Play on your mobile/cell phone
Play Second Life on your mobile phone or pocket pc when you are away from your PC.

My Pocket PeopleMy Pocket People
Feed me, wash me, entertain me und teach me something. Who are my friends and where shall i work? Play and improve your very own MMPP the way you like… This is the mobile sensation of the year! Your own little world in your cell phone!

living the jonas love life~ a fanfiction novel Episode 11living the jonas love life~ a fanfiction novel Episode 11
Episode 11

* Sam starts working her way through the crowd. She sees a table towards the back of the room*
Sam: *thinking* that must be where they are signing autographs
*she starts to walk around looking for Kevin when she hears a body guard in front of the table make an announcement*
Body Guard: The Jonas Brothers will be here in 10 minutes.
*a girl in line speaks up*
Girl: what are they doing?
Body Guard: They are cooling off from their performance.
Girl: oh. *disappointed*
Sam: * sees an exit door. She asks the guard*
Sam: umm…I need to use my cell phone and it doesn’t work in here. does that door lead outside?
Guard: Hold on one second. *walks over to the corner where no one could hear him. Sam was close enough to catch his side of the conversation*
Guard: there is a girl here that matches the description.
Guy on the other side: hold on a sec. yeah, that’s her. *Sam looks around the guard and sees a guy wearing a jacket with a hood covering his face looking at her.
Guard: she wants to know if the exit door is off limits.
Guy: no. she can use it.
Guard: yes sir.
* Guard walks over to Sam*
Guard: If you go through that door, there will be a tunnel. The first door to your right should take you outside. This is the first time I have been here, so I cant be exactly sure.
Sam: umm… thanks. * she walks away and follows the guard’s instructions. She finds the door and opens it. She walks outside and looks around. She doesn’t see anyone, but she hears someone talking.*
Sam: hello?
Person: No. I’m going to take the rest of the week off.
*silence*
Person: ok……no…..no. I’m going to hang out with some of my friends in town…… oh come on…… I have to have a slightly normal life…..*he turns and sees Sam. * I have to go…. No I’ll call you later….ok……ok. bye.
Kevin: hey Sam! What are you doing here?
Sam: *holds up her cell phone* no service inside.
Kevin: same here.
Sam: who were you talking to?
Kevin: My mom.
Sam: oh.
Kevin: who were you going to call?
Sam: my mom.
Kevin: oh. Your mom isn’t here?
Sam: no. she is at home. We live in L.A.
Kevin: oh! That’s a long way to travel.
Sam: yeah. But when you’re with your friends, it’s worth it.
Kevin: I take trips with my brothers a lot. We are all best friends.
Sam: *smiles* sounds fun!
Kevin: yeah. It is. Umm… Sam… I have to tell you something.
Sam: ok… shoot.
Kevin: well…. I’m…
* the door opens and a guy pokes his head out*
Guy: Hey Kevin, you have to get going.
Kevin: oh…I’ll be there in a second…
Guy: you really don’t have a second.
Kevin: ok… I’m coming. *looks at Sam* ummm…. I have to go… do you have any plans for lunch? I really need to talk to you.
Sam: *remembers what Jenn’s mom said before she left. *
Sam: ummm… I’m supposed to stay in the hotel room after the meet and greet.
Kevin: oh… well… I could meet you at your hotel and we could eat lunch at the café.
Sam: well… ok. I’m staying at the Crystal Suites hotel. It’s just around the block from here. I’m on the third floor, room 3456. Just call me before you get there and I’ll meet you downstairs.
Kevin: ok! See you then!
Sam: bye *she watched him walk away. As she was walking, she started to think about what he said.* He said he wanted to tell me something….I wonder what it was. * she called her mom really quick just to say hi. She told her mom that she was having fun and she would call her again tonight. She heard a loud scream from inside the room and went back through the tunnel and into the meet and greet room.

*LOOK OUT FOR EPISODE 12 COMING SOON!!*

song:6 minutes by:Jonas Brothers

Xbox 360 & Ps3 – Grand Theft Auto 4 Trailer {-2-}Xbox 360 & Ps3 – Grand Theft Auto 4 Trailer {-2-}
PS3 & Xbox 360 title -

Grand Theft Auto IV
“Looking for that special someone”

Today the anticipated second encounter with GTA IV was released, this trailer shows off some impressive new gameplay techniques and a variety of different locations. Great music and amazing atmosphere this trailer really does set a new landmark for gaming.
Hope you enjoy the trailer and please subscribe!

GTA IV info -

- Lead character’s name is Niko Bellic, and he’s believed to be Croatian or Serbian.
- Multiplayer is be announced at some point in the future.
- Players can use a mobile to call your contacts.
- Sorry, but there are no planes as the game takes place in one city only.
- You’ll have more choice than in previous games, though you will still be taking orders from people.
- The story is said to unfold in many different ways giving you more choice and control over the outcome.
- The structure of the storyline is said to be “quite different” to previous games.

MORE INFORMATION

* Niko was persuaded to move to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who claimed to be living a wonderful life there with two beautiful women, fifteen sports cars, and lots of money etc, but he was infact telling a lie in order to hide his own failures. Roman is the only person you know in Liberty City at the beginning of the game, and he becomes one of your major connections at the start. Niko is a tough character whereas Roman is friendly. Roman is heavily in debt and a lot of people are after him – he needs Niko’s support. They are constantly bickering.
* Variations in the terrain cause realistic changes in the walking animation of Niko. The physics have also improved and character movements are more realistic.
* Multiplayer will exist, but it will be something that coincides with single-player and will not be an MMO.
* The MetLife building now bears the name Getalife, the Statue of Liberty is now the Statue of Happiness, and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is called BOABO (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass).
* In Grand Theft Auto 4, Rockstar have recreated 4 of the 5 boroughs in New York, as well as part of New Jersey. Broker is the GTA 4 equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now called Algonquin, Queens is now Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan, and New Jersey is Alderney.
* There is only one city. There may be motorcycles, but there will be no planes, rollerblades or unicycles, and I wouldn’t expect jetpacks or Harriers. Rockstar wants the city to feel realistic and fit the style of the character.
* The city is almost as large as San Andreas, but will not have any useless space like countryside or desert. Every space will be cram-packed with detail.
* The city will be highly contrasted between daytime and nighttime.
* Freedom is emphasized. You continue to take orders from mission givers, but you are not forced to spend your time being a slave to them. You can go see who you want to, practically when you want to. You just call someone up and see if they are available.
* The story unfolds in a number of different ways. R* is giving people more freedom, more choice and more sense of control over their destiny – the structure of the storyline is quite different to previous games.
* Contacts will be called from your cell phone. It’s LCD screen has options for Phonebook, Messages, Organizer and Camera. Niko’s Phonebook has options such as: City Contact, Docks Friend, and Cab Contact. The cell phone will allow the player to call contacts instead of meeting them in person, which should make the player feel more independent.
* Game Informer playtested the Xbox 360 version. It is to be identical to the PS3 version except for episodic content.
* The voice talent for GTA 4 will be less big names and more suited to the characters. The soundtrack will also be geared more towards the feel of the city and less focused on big names.
* The game will load once and then never again, and not even during interior transitions.
* It is implied that there will be greater emphasis on pedestrian AI, and they will come with all sorts of temperaments. They will also be seen doing realistic things like smoking a cigarette, reading a book, sitting on a bench, etc.
* You will also see a lot more of pedestrian criminals being arrested by the police.
* Rockstar have now spent over 3 years developing the game, and Dan Houser compares the leap from GTA III to GTA 4, to the leap from GTA to GTA III. (more) (less)
Category Gadgets & Games

Bard’s Tale – Bad Luck Ogun (you’re not the chosen one)Bard’s Tale – Bad Luck Ogun (you’re not the chosen one)
Click on more to view the cool lyrics

Sorry for the poor quality, I used my phone to record it.

The Lyrics:

Oh its bad luck to be you
A chosen one of many isn’t new
When you think you’re full of luck, in the bollocks you’ll get struck
Oh its bad luck to be you
Now Ogun came young from a farm and tried to save the princess from all harm
Equipped with just a stick and a head made out of brick, his rabbit’s foot failed as a charm
Oh its bad luck to be you
The prophecy is never coming true
In a pickle you’ll be stuck, like a chicken you will cluck
Oh its bad luck to be you
Believing that he was the one
His ego weighed in at a ton
His mum’s a crazy bat – did we mention she was fat! And she’ll need a pine box for her son
Oh its bad luck to be you
Don’t think for a second its not true!
When your life is run amuck, you will see that you’re the schmuck..
Oh its bad luck to be, really bad luck to be, nobody could disagree, its a freakin’ guarantee..
Its bad luck to be you! Diddly-doo
______________________________________

This is a song from the Xbox game “Tha Bard’s Tale” – a game all people with a sense of humour should play.

It basically parodies adventure games and role playing games, exploiting nearly every plot device in such games.

This song occurs during game play and can be unlocked by donating vast amounts of money to the priest in the Kirk – it laments the folly and peril associated with being a “chosen one”.

I made this using my cell phone video camera so obviously its poor quality, still I think the sound came out ok, which is all you need. I probably needed like, a tripod or something.

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Smartphone GPS & IPHONE NO GPSSmartphone GPS & IPHONE NO GPS
This gives you many proof to still keep Windows Mobile Smartphone in mind rather than Iphone. Trust me Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone is way better in multitasking and more advanced features than the Iphone. Only thing good about Iphone is it good looks and is more of a personal phone and is NOT a Business phone. Smartphone out there now have smaller size and very thin body in size compare to Iphone long and clunky. People say Iphone is very small. Sorry! to say it is not small and it is long and clunky. I compare the size of the Iphone when I went to Apple store and my Smartphone is way smaller in lenght and thinner than the iphone. Also great about my Smartphone it way cheaper in price now you be the Judge. You want a Smartphone that has all the great softwares to add to your Smartphone that has thousands to choose from that already out in the market for 7yrs now and has many advanced features. Smartphone can be use for personal or business use.

Or do you prefer the Iphone with it nice design looks and pay $499.00 Maybe read below my list why the Iphone is not a phone that can do many things than a Smartphone has already. You be the Judge. Has I have asked many people who have the Iphone and asked them why did you get the Iphone? There answer was simple it a very nice looking phone.

My point is right it’s a very nice looking Iphone is all what people think of the Iphone. Sorry! Apple I rather stick to a Smartphone that has everything what I need and can be use for personal or Business use not some Iphone of it’s good looks.

——————————-

. At $599, it is ridiculously expensive. (Add in the cost of an AT&T contract and you get close to $1500)

2. Those who want to buy one must sell their soul to evil mega-corporation AT&T.

3. Japan already has technologically superior phones, and they’re far cheaper.

4. Slower internet than the commercials show: “The data experience is going to be very slow. If you’re on a cellular network, [using the Internet] is going to be very slow.”

5. Initial reports indicate that YouTube is slow and crappy using cellular network internet/EDGE. It’s nothing like in the commercials.

6. You cannot remove its battery. Thanks for replicating one of the biggest complaints about the ipod, Apple!

7. The glass touch screen of the iPhone guarantees that thousands of customers who drop their phones will have cracked screens.

8. The touchscreen keyboard sucks, according to those who have used the phone.

9. It can’t send MMS picture messages.

10. The camera has little or no options, and the pictures it takes aren’t very good.

11. It lacks proper support for Flash websites. So much for the internet.

12. It can’t record video.

13. “Pinching” pictures to zoom might look neat in commercials, but many reviewers are saying it actually sucks.

14. It lacks 3G high-speed data transfer.

15. No songs as ringtones.

16. No GPS.

17. It doesn’t work under 64-bit Windows XP / Windows Vista!!!!!!! Thanks for not including that in your Windows System Requirements, Apple!

18. It only allows for a maximum of 1 picture to be attached to each e-mail you send.

19. It doesn’t have a file browser/organizer.

20. Its default ringtones suck.

21. You can not save documents on it: documents can only be viewed as attachments when they’re sent to your e-mail address.

22. No games!!

23. Its “quick list” dialing sucks compared to traditional speed dialing, which it lacks..

24. Long activation waits: many new iPhone users are reporting that they are being told to wait hours or even days to activate service for their phone. Thanks, AT&T!

25. Heat issues: the iPhone can get very hot when it is in use.
26. Deceptive Ads: Apple has been using models with gigantic hands in their advertisements for the iPhone in an effort to trick consumers into believing it is more compact.

Can the IPHONE DO THIS???Can the IPHONE DO THIS???
This gives you many proof to still keep Windows Mobile Smartphone in mind rather than Iphone. Trust me Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone is way better in multitasking and more advanced features than the Iphone. Only thing good about Iphone is it good looks and is more of a personal phone and is NOT a Business phone. Smartphone out there now have smaller size and very thin body in size compare to Iphone long and clunky. People say Iphone is very small. Sorry! to say it is not small and it is long and clunky. I compare the size of the Iphone when I went to Apple store and my Smartphone is way smaller in lenght and thinner than the iphone. Also great about my Smartphone it way cheaper in price now you be the Judge. You want a Smartphone that has all the great softwares to add to your Smartphone that has thousands to choose from that already out in the market for 7yrs now and has many advanced features. Smartphone can be use for personal or business use.

Or do you prefer the Iphone with it nice design looks and pay $499.00 Maybe read below my list why the Iphone is not a phone that can do many things than a Smartphone has already. You be the Judge. Has I have asked many people who have the Iphone and asked them why did you get the Iphone? There answer was simple it a very nice looking phone.

My point is right it’s a very nice looking Iphone is all what people think of the Iphone. Sorry! Apple I rather stick to a Smartphone that has everything what I need and can be use for personal or Business use not some Iphone of it’s good looks.

——————————-

. At $599, it is ridiculously expensive. (Add in the cost of an AT&T contract and you get close to $1500)

2. Those who want to buy one must sell their soul to evil mega-corporation AT&T.

3. Japan already has technologically superior phones, and they’re far cheaper.

4. Slower internet than the commercials show: “The data experience is going to be very slow. If you’re on a cellular network, [using the Internet] is going to be very slow.”

5. Initial reports indicate that YouTube is slow and crappy using cellular network internet/EDGE. It’s nothing like in the commercials.

6. You cannot remove its battery. Thanks for replicating one of the biggest complaints about the ipod, Apple!

7. The glass touch screen of the iPhone guarantees that thousands of customers who drop their phones will have cracked screens.

8. The touchscreen keyboard sucks, according to those who have used the phone.

9. It can’t send MMS picture messages.

10. The camera has little or no options, and the pictures it takes aren’t very good.

11. It lacks proper support for Flash websites. So much for the internet.

12. It can’t record video.

13. “Pinching” pictures to zoom might look neat in commercials, but many reviewers are saying it actually sucks.

14. It lacks 3G high-speed data transfer.

15. No songs as ringtones.

16. No GPS.

17. It doesn’t work under 64-bit Windows XP / Windows Vista!!!!!!! Thanks for not including that in your Windows System Requirements, Apple!

18. It only allows for a maximum of 1 picture to be attached to each e-mail you send.

19. It doesn’t have a file browser/organizer.

20. Its default ringtones suck.

21. You can not save documents on it: documents can only be viewed as attachments when they’re sent to your e-mail address.

22. No games!!

23. Its “quick list” dialing sucks compared to traditional speed dialing, which it lacks..

24. Long activation waits: many new iPhone users are reporting that they are being told to wait hours or even days to activate service for their phone. Thanks, AT&T!

25. Heat issues: the iPhone can get very hot when it is in use.
26. Deceptive Ads: Apple has been using models with gigantic hands in their advertisements for the iPhone in an effort to trick consumers into believing it is more compact.

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WORLD’S FIRST iPHONE REVIEW EVER!!WORLD’S FIRST iPHONE REVIEW EVER!!
I just checked, searched all tags and the like. I managed to get the first ever review of the iPhone up on YouTube before anyone else, woot!

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal gives the world’s first real (in-depth) review of Apple’s infamous iPhone. Taken from two weeks he spent with the phone prior to its market debut.

Judging by some of the comments he made, it looks like he was very impressed with the device.

And I quote:
“In the 16 years I have been reviewing tech products I cannot remember any product having this kind of hype and high expectations surrounding it. — It is certainly the most beautiful and the most radical smartphone or hand-held computer I have ever tested.”

Full review transcript below:

“One of the most important trends in personal technology over the past few years has been the evolution of the humble cellphone into a true handheld computer, a device able to replicate many of the key functions of a laptop. But most of these “smart phones” have had lousy software, confusing user interfaces and clumsy music, video and photo playback. And their designers have struggled to balance screen size, keyboard usability and battery life.

Now, Apple Inc., whose digital products are hailed for their design and innovation, is jumping into this smart-phone market with the iPhone, which goes on sale in a few days after months of the most frenzied hype and speculation we have ever seen for a single technology product. Even though the phone’s minimum price is a hefty $499, people are already lining up outside Apple stores to be among the first to snag one when they go on sale Friday evening.

We have been testing the iPhone for two weeks, in multiple usage scenarios, in cities across the country. Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.

The Apple phone combines intelligent voice calling, and a full-blown iPod, with a beautiful new interface for music and video playback. It offers the best Web browser we have seen on a smart phone, and robust email software. And it synchronizes easily and well with both Windows and Macintosh computers using Apple’s iTunes software.

It has the largest and highest-resolution screen of any smart phone we’ve seen, and the most internal memory by far. Yet it is one of the thinnest smart phones available and offers impressive battery life, better than its key competitors claim.

It feels solid and comfortable in the hand and the way it displays photos, videos and Web pages on its gorgeous screen makes other smart phones look primitive.

The iPhone’s most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the screen, turned out in our tests to be a nonissue, despite our deep initial skepticism. After five days of use, Walt — who did most of the testing for this review — was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years. This was partly because of smart software that corrects typing errors on the fly.

But the iPhone has a major drawback: the cellphone network it uses. It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won’t come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can’t use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile’s network. So, the phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T’s coverage is good. It does work overseas, but only via an AT&T roaming plan.

In addition, even when you have great AT&T coverage, the iPhone can’t run on AT&T’s fastest cellular data network. Instead, it uses a pokey network called EDGE, which is far slower than the fastest networks from Verizon or Sprint that power many other smart phones. And the initial iPhone model cannot be upgraded to use the faster networks.

The iPhone compensates by being one of the few smart phones that can also use Wi-Fi wireless networks. When you have access to Wi-Fi, the iPhone flies on the Web. Not only that, but the iPhone automatically switches from EDGE to known Wi-Fi networks when it finds them, and pops up a list of new Wi-Fi networks it encounters as you move. Walt was able to log onto paid Wi-Fi networks at Starbucks and airports, and even used a free Wi-Fi network at Fenway Park in Boston to email pictures taken during a Red Sox game.

But this Wi-Fi capability doesn’t fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability, because it is impractical to keep joining and dropping short-range Wi-Fi networks while taking a long walk, or riding in a cab through a city.

AT&T is offering special monthly calling plans for the iPhone, all of which include unlimited Internet and email usage. They range from $60 to $220, depending on the number of voice minutes included. In an unusual twist, iPhone buyers won’t choose their plans and activate their phones in the store. Instead, they will do so when they first connect the iPhone to the iTunes software.

Despite its simple interface, with just four rows of colorful icons on a black background, the iPhone has too many features and functions to detail completely in this space. But here’s a rundown of the key features, with pros and cons based on our testing.

Hardware:

The iPhone is simply beautiful. It is thinner than the skinny Samsung BlackJack, yet almost its entire surface is covered by a huge, vivid 3.5-inch display. There’s no physical keyboard, just a single button that takes you to the home screen. The phone is about as long as the Treo 700, the BlackBerry 8800 or the BlackJack, but it’s slightly wider than the BlackJack or Treo, and heavier than the BlackBerry and BlackJack.

The display is made of a sturdy glass, not plastic, and while it did pick up smudges, it didn’t acquire a single scratch, even though it was tossed into Walt’s pocket or briefcase, or Katie’s purse, without any protective case or holster. No scratches appeared on the rest of the body either.

There are only three buttons along the edges. On the top, there’s one that puts the phone to sleep and wakes it up. And, on the left edge, there’s a volume control and a mute switch.One downside: Some accessories for iPods may not work properly on the iPhone. The headphone jack, which supports both stereo music and phone calls, is deeply recessed, so you may need an adapter for existing headphones. And, while the iPhone uses the standard iPod port on the bottom edge, it doesn’t recognize all car adapters for playing music, only for charging. Apple is considering a software update to fix this.

Touch-screen interface:

To go through long lists of emails, contacts, or songs, you just “flick” with your finger. To select items, you tap. To enlarge photos, you “pinch” them by placing two fingers on their corners and dragging them in or out. To zoom in on portions of Web pages, you double-tap with your fingers. You cannot use a stylus for any of this. In the Web browser and photo program, if you turn the phone from a vertical to a horizontal position, the image on the screen turns as well and resizes itself to fit.

In general, we found this interface, called “multi-touch,” to be effective, practical and fun. But there’s no overall search on the iPhone (except Web searching), and no quick way to move to the top or bottom of pages (except in the Web browser). The only aid is an alphabetical scale on the right in tiny type.

There’s also no way to cut, copy, or paste text.
And the lack of dedicated hardware buttons for functions like phone, email and contacts means extra taps are needed to start using features. Also, if you are playing music while doing something else, the lack of hardware playback buttons forces you to return to the iPod program to stop the music or change a song.

Keyboard:

The virtual keys are large and get larger as you touch them. Software tries to guess what you’re typing, and fix errors. Overall, it works. But the error-correction system didn’t seem as clever as the one on the BlackBerry, and you have to switch to a different keyboard view to insert a period or comma, which is annoying.

Web browsing:

The iPhone is the first smart phone we’ve tested with a real, computer-grade Web browser, a version of Apple’s Safari. It displays entire Web pages, in their real layouts, and allows you to zoom in quickly by either tapping or pinching with your finger. Multiple pages can be open at the same time, and you can conduct Google or Yahoo searches from a built-in search box.

Email:

The iPhone can connect with most popular consumer email services, including Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, EarthLink and others. It can also handle corporate email using Microsoft’s Exchange system, if your IT department cooperates by enabling a setting on the server.

BlackBerry email services can’t be used on an iPhone, but Yahoo Mail supplies free BlackBerry-style “push” email to iPhone users. In our test, this worked fine.

Unlike most phone email software, the iPhone’s shows a preview of each message, so you don’t have to open it. And, if there is a photo attached, it shows the photo automatically, without requiring you to click on a link to see it. It can also receive and open Microsoft Word and Excel documents and Adobe PDF files. But it doesn’t allow you to edit or save these files.

Memory:

The $499 base model comes with four gigabytes of memory, and the $599 model has eight gigabytes. That’s far more than on any other smart phone, but much less than on full-size iPods. Also, there’s no slot for memory-expansion cards. Our test $599 model held 1,325 songs; a dozen videos (including a full-length movie); over 100 photos; and over 100 emails, including some attachments, and still had room left over.

Battery life:

Like the iPod, but unlike most cellphones, the iPhone lacks a removable battery. So you can’t carry a spare. But its battery life is excellent. In our tests, it got seven hours and 18 minutes of continuous talk time, while the Wi-Fi was on and email was constantly being fetched in the background. That’s close to Apple’s claim of a maximum of eight hours, and far exceeds the talk time claims of other smart phones, which usually top out at five and a half hours.

For continuous music playback, again with Wi-Fi on and email being fetched, we got over 22 hours, shy of Apple’s claim of up to 24 hours, but still huge. For video playback, under the same conditions, we got just under Apple’s claim of seven hours, enough to watch four average-length movies. And, for Web browsing and other Internet functions, including sending and receiving emails, viewing Google maps and YouTube videos, we got over nine hours, well above Apple’s claim of up to six hours.

In real life, of course, you will do a mix of these things, so the best gauge might be that, in our two-week test, the iPhone generally lasted all day with a typical mix of tasks.

Phone calls:

The phone interface is clean and simple, but takes more taps to reach than on many other smart phones, because there are no dedicated hardware phone buttons. You also cannot just start typing a name or number, but must scroll through a list of favorites, through your recent call list, or your entire contact list. You can also use a virtual keypad.

One great phone feature is called “visual voice mail.” It shows you the names or at least the phone numbers of people who have left you voicemail, so you can quickly listen to those you want. It’s also very easy to turn the speakerphone on and off, or to establish conference calls.

Voice call quality was good, but not great. In some places, especially in weak coverage areas, there was some muffling or garbling. But most calls were perfectly audible. The iPhone can use Bluetooth wireless headsets and it comes with wired iPod-style earbuds that include a microphone.

A downside — there’s no easy way to transfer phone numbers, via AT&T, directly from an existing phone. The iPhone is meant to sync with an address book (and calendar) on a PC.

Contacts and calendars:

These are pretty straightforward and work well. The calendar lacks a week view, though a list view helps fill that gap. Contacts can be gathered into groups, but the groups can’t be used as email distribution lists.

Syncing:

The iPhone syncs with both Macs and Windows PCs using iTunes, which handles not only the transfer of music and video, but also photos, contacts, calendar items and browser bookmarks. In our tests, this worked well, even on a Windows Vista machine using the latest version of Outlook as the source for contacts and appointments.

iPod:

The built-in iPod handles music and video perfectly, and has all the features of a regular iPod. But the interface is entirely new. The famed scroll wheel is gone, and instead finger taps and flicking move you through your collection and virtual controls appear on the screen. There’s also a version of the “cover flow” interface which allows you to select music by flipping through album covers.

Other features:

There are widgets, or small programs, for accessing weather, stock prices and Google Maps, which includes route directions, but no real-time navigation. Another widget allows you to stream videos from YouTube, and yet another serves as a notepad. There’s a photo program that displays individual pictures or slideshows.

The only add-on software Apple is allowing will be Web-based programs that must be accessed through the on-board Web browser. The company says these can be made to look just like built-in programs, but the few we tried weren’t impressive.

Missing features:

The iPhone is missing some features common on some competitors. There’s no instant messaging, only standard text messaging. While its two-megapixel camera took excellent pictures in our tests, it can’t record video. Its otherwise excellent Web browser can’t fully utilize some Web sites, because it doesn’t yet support Adobe’s Flash technology. Although the phone contains a complete iPod, you can’t use your songs as ringtones. There aren’t any games, nor is there any way to directly access Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

Apple says it plans to add features to the phone over time, via free downloads, and hints that some of these holes may be filled.

Expectations for the iPhone have been so high that it can’t possibly meet them all. It isn’t for the average person who just wants a cheap, small phone for calling and texting. But, despite its network limitations, the iPhone is a whole new experience and a pleasure to use.”

If you read all that, you are my hero!!