Best cell phone: Apple iPhone

These days it’s practically essential to have a cell phone (mobile phone if you’re outside the US). I’m a relative laggard in this area. I didn’t get my first cell phone until 1999 with a bare-bones $10/month plan and 25¢/minute. And that was the plan I kept for 9 years, until a month ago when I got an iPhone.

The iPhone is great because it’s basically a mobile computer with a phone built in. It enables a number of mobile scenarios that — now that I’m used to — would be difficult for me to live without. For example, it does a great job approximating my current location when doing a map search, making it really useful for finding nearby stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. when I’m out & about. It also shows live traffic data on the map, which is critical when making route decisions.

I’ve stopped carrying a separate music player; the built-in iPod app works great. I love the phone integration. When I receive a call, the audio pauses; when the call ends, the audio starts again. It has a built-in camera too. The quality is mediocre, but it works well enough, and it’s always with me. No need to lug around a point & shoot every day for serendipitous picture taking.

The email, SMS, and web browser are useful too but on the AT&T Edge network, things can be a bit to slow to be of much use. But there are times you really want to look something up, and the ability to do it — albeit slowly — is nice.

Finally — and I cannot emphasize this enough — the iPhone is easy to use. You are not going to find a phone out there with a better interface than this one. As an interface designer, I’m acutely sensitive to design details, and Apple has once again nailed it with this device.

Now is a perfect time to get an iPhone. The new 3G model is coming out in about a month, so you can pick up the first-generation model at a discount — especially from technophiles getting rid of their old ones in anticipation of buying the new one. I highly recommend checking out CraigsList or eBay for deals. If you prefer to wait for the newer one, click here.Get an Apple iPhone