The iPhone reviewed

The iPhone's technology is amazing, especially the touchscreen - but being locked to O2 is a worry.

Underneath its sleek exterior and slick advertising, the iPhone relies heavily on a single piece of technology.

Such dependence could be a weakness, but here it's a strength because - to put it simply - the touchscreen is years ahead of anything else on the market. Wave a digit and your contacts scroll by; flick a finger and your pictures fly past. Even for old hands, the accuracy and intuitiveness of the interface should provide a few jaw-dropping moments.

Elsewhere, the software seems equally well crafted: phone calls, SMS and email are straightforward and the iPod functions work well. Even the on-screen virtual keypad - a potential bugbear for those used to hammering real buttons - is intelligent enough to get you texting at a respectable speed.

Wi-Fi access is a doddle, and the Safari browser renders websites beautifully - although sometimes it feels like the web got shrunk in the wash.

There are a few bugs and annoyances, however; the inability to send an SMS to more than one person, or the under-powered 2 megapixel camera. The 8GB memory limit won't raise a smile from music fans, nor will the recessed headphone socket which forces you to use Apple's earbuds.

The biggest problem, though, is the phone network itself. While the call plans available are fairly competitive, the fact that you're running on O2's mobile system makes the trip a little less enjoyable. O2 insists that it is rolling out faster Edge networking where it can, but it's tough to get any reception at all in many places - Edge or otherwise.

It's the iPhone's overall approach to mobile phones that will probably have a lasting influence, however. As the mobile revolution took hold, we all became used to wrestling with the deficiencies of our handsets. But the iPhone cuts through that predictable haze of awkward moments and messy menus: somehow, almost, it is as if Apple has wrangled the cats back into the bag.

Arthur C Clarke's third law of prediction says that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic", and - for all its solid engineering - it's the little flourishes that make the iPhone a joy to use. At £269 plus an 18-month contract with O2, it is far from cheap, but even if you decide not to buy one, chances are that in a few years every mobile will have a little of Apple's magic dust sprinkled on it.