The first reviews of the Apple iPhone are in, two days ahead of the mobile phone's official launch on Friday 29 June. While Walter Mossberg and David Pogue have been overwhelmingly positive in their write-ups, New York Post writer Glenn Fleishmann has taken a different tack, albeit temporarily.
"Tens of thousands of people are expected to line up this Friday for the most hyped gadget of the decade - the iPhone. Don't be one of them," he says in his New York Post column .
"Oh, it's a technological marvel. But Apple's all-in-one handheld isn't the best cellphone - or even the best iPhone - that will be sold in the next year."
Email and the web has suffered
Fleishmann says the iPhone is flawed because it tries to do too many things at once. And many of its features are compromised as a result - especially when it comes to email and web surfing.
Part of the reason for this, Fleishmann says, is that the iPhone's screen is simply too small to view web pages without lots of scrolling around. Ditto for document viewing.
Fleishmann also criticises the presence of iPod functionality in the iPhone:
"Apple CEO Steve Jobs was right when he said it's the best iPod the company has ever made. The screen quality is fantastic, and the movies pivot automatically as you rotate the phone.
"But it's not an iPod. It's a $500 or $600 communicator that requires a two-year calling commitment. Monthly charges haven't been announced, but judging by comparable offerings from AT&T and other carriers, it should run you at least $50 per month in voice service and $40 per month in data service."
Then the back-pedalling begins
Fleishmann's criticisms have come in for criticism too - not least from from the man himself. He says in his personal blog that the First Review tag assigned to his story was a misnomer. Fleishmann says that his article wasn't a review at all - merely an opinion, based on a very brief time with the iPhone.
You can read more US iPhone reviews in our iPhone Feverfeature
