Apple unleashed the iPhone in June 2007, after years of speculation and rumors. Boasting a full-feature set including a touch screen, a camera, Wi-Fi internet, and of course, a fully-functional installment of the iPod, the iPhone was hailed by many as the product of the year before it was even released.

Could the iPhone live up to its hype? We got our eager hands on one to find out for you. The first thing we noticed when we took it out of its packaging was the design of the iPhone: it is very streamlined and thinner than most phones. Overall, up to par with other Apple products, which are all beautiful, to say the least.

After using the phone for a couple of hours, here are the things that we were impressed with. First off, we found the iPhone very accessible. The menus were logically set up and browsing the phone was intuitive, not to mention fun. The phone’s browser, ‘Safari’, provided the best web surfing experience we’ve yet to witness on a phone. The phone’s display is also noteworthy, providing a very crisp and bright image, at a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels.

One of the most controversial features of the iPhone is its touch keypad. Apple shed the traditional tactile keys found on phones in favor of an electronic keyboard. Keys are pressed on the screen using your thumbs. While we got used to the electronic keyboard after a while, we still miss the ability to feel the keys with our fingers.

The iPhone isn’t perfect: it can only be used with AT&T (although several users have managed to unlock the phone) and the email implementation is feeble to say the least. Yet it is still a very exciting phone, and largely lives up to the hype. Definitely recommended, if you can afford it.