My husband was kind enough to give me my christmas present early- a new iPhone.  While I could go on and on about the coolness of this toy, I want to talk about the consumer experience first.

When you get the iphone, it’s in a box that is spectacular.  It’s pretty enough to the eye.  Black, with silver- great contrast.  When you start to open the box, it reveals the phone, all silver and black, like a museum piece in the box, floating in a lucite cradle.  Under the cradle and directions, there are all the pieces- the recharge cradle, the cables, the headphones.  All carefully packaged like an ornate puzzle.  The whole experience of opening the thing is magical- it feels special.

The thing I adore about the Apple experience is the opening of the package is a prelude to the magic contained within.

The iphone itself integrates perfectly with my laptop.  It syncs my music, contacts and calendar, forcing me to be a bit more organized- always a good thing for those of us on the ADHD side of life.  It allows me to get directions on the fly, and search the web if need be.  It can show videos, play podcasts-  there is nothing not to love about this device.

I was prepared to like this device.  I thought it was beautiful, but I wasn’t counting on getting one this soon, so I was not counting on having the joy of playing with one.  It is a phone, but it is also the closest thing to a universal device I’ve played with so far.

I should say I have never had another smartphone, so I don’t know how this compares to a blackberry or treo.  I can say this device is awesome, and I love it, even if it makes me a total Apple freak.

The iPhone is awesome.  If you can, put it on your Christmas list.   It lives up to the hype.