The against group is saying it doesn't have video mail or picture mail (aka MMS).  This is true, in the traditional sense.  However, MMS is usually limited to small clips and single photos.  The iPhone, on the other hand, can just use email to send stuff to your friends without any limitation.  This will be great for emailing in blog posts, which raises its own question: Can you choose files, such as images, video, text, etc., on the iPhone to email and upload vie Safari?  On another note, MMS usually costs 25 cents or so a message (to send and receive).  Email on the iPhone is either free if you're using WiFi or, well, free if you're using EDGE since all iPhone plans have unlimited data.  Not bad.

So, the iPhone doesn't have any GPS navigation capability.  This is true.  However, you can at least easily check your route in Google Maps and follow the normal turn by turn directions you probably currently print out at the office.  The last time I left the office without printed directions my UpStage refused to get a GPS fix, even after resetting it.  That's not reliable enough.  I ultimately just had to use normal directions.  Besides, do you really think they won't add Bluetooth GPS support, either Friday or very soon?  If it's truly OS X, that should be trivial.

So, there isn't any streaming video support.  That's mainly because it doesn't have Flash support out of the box.  A full implementation of Flash 9 would seem to be the ultimate way of fixing this.  Give the rest of the performance of the phone, there really is no technical reason for it to not be there.  That means it's some form of business decision or some tough Apple and Adobe contract negotiations.  If they can get that in place, you'd be able to get all the network channels, Netflix streaming, and many other things.  Wouldn't that be cool?  Sure, most would require a WiFi connection.  It has that, though. Nice.  Most of the time, though, your video podcasts and iTunes flix will be enough to hold you through until you're in front of your real TV (with Apple TV, of course) where you can watch videos with others (small screens are hard to share).  And don't forget about the YouTube clips you can view.

Personally, I'm concerned about the fact that it doesn't have a touch screen.  Say what? Yeah, that's right.  They say it will only work with fingers, not stylus or other physical methods.  Nice for the pocket, but not so nice if you like to use those or if you've had trouble with Apple track pads (people think I'm crazy, but even palming them to reset them barely works for me).  This sort of thing could be a deal breaker for some.  What is one to do?  Maybe Apple will include Bluetooth HID profile to start so keyboards (and maybe mice) will work.  At the least, this will make it easier to edit Google docs and at the best it'll make it feel truly like the little computer that it is.

So, you've heard that it doesn't have an IM client.  Is that actually true, thought?  Last time I did Google Talk, it was in a browser window.  If Safari is all that, it should work just fine. If Safari isn't, I'm sure Apple and Google will make sure that it does work ultimately.  Nothing to worry about here.  Besides, the SMS client turns texting into IM style messaging.  Other phones have done this before, but this may bring it back on even more.  Pretty cool.

So, it doesn't do business email.  It's pretty much limited to just POP and IMAP.  Hmm.  Even an Exchange server will work fine with IMAP, if your IT staff didn't turn it off.  And if they did turn it off, do you actually expect them to allow your carrier, another company, to access the exchange server to get at your mail and push them in the clear to your phone?  More likely, you might be able to get your IT guys to write an iPhone ready webmail interface (probably just a style sheet away from your current one).  This is even something they could lock down to the intranet.  You've got WiFi on your new iPhone, remember.  That's for accessing internal corporate web servers, remember?  Not too shabby.

You like to carry a lot of batteries for your current phone because you talk, literally, all the time.  Yeah, well, first off, if you really talk that much, do you think you'll have time to use any of the iPhone features?  Maybe the visual conference calling is just what you needed.  As it turns out, I can charge an iPhone with my alarm clock.  And my car.  And my 9 volt spare battery.  And my laptop.  And pretty much anywhere else.  Yep, according to the 20 minute feature video, it's got a standard iPod plug.  That means it charges when it syncs.  You're syncing it to get your calendar updates to know when your calls are, right? And didn't they say it would have 8 hours of talk time, anyway?  That's at least 4 more than my current phone, last I checked. Nope, none of this will help when you aren't going to be near a charger for a few days.  Perhaps Apple will do a silly battery wallet like with my Samsung UpStage, which also doesn't have a removable battery.  Goofy.

The iPhone doesn't have expandable memory.  It doesn't.  Except that the high end model has 8GB, which is more than current miniSD and microSD cards.  So, for now and with this model, it's actually not too bad.  Besides, did you already forget that it has a full web browser built in?  Yeah, it's called Safari 3.  I'm guessing it'll allow access to a few more megs of storage somewhere else. Still, Apple won't stay still on this.  I'd expect models next year to have 16-32GB of storage. If you really need more storage on just this device, you'll have to wait.  I figure it could hold most of my podcasts I regularly subscribe to and maybe a little more, but not much else.  Not bad, but there is a reason I have an 80GB iPod.  Oh, but I'll still have that.  Hrm.  Choices.

Probably the second biggest complaint is that it's expensive.  Now, I know I'm not the first one to break it to you, but high end phones really are expensive.  I got my Motorola V710 for something like $350 and my VX9800 for probably $450.  I couldn't use any discounts on either because they were so close to the purchases of other phones.  Yet, they still put my contract at 2 years.  My current voice plan is about $50/mo.  If I wanted unlimited data, it'd be another $10 or $15.  I have unlimited SMS for about $5 (a good price, to be sure).  Regardless, if I had all of the same stuff, it would probably be about $70 a month.  I don't, primarily because I don't have anything extra except SMS.   That actually does mean, though, that my VX9800 has cost me more in maybe 20 months than the iPod with service would cost me in 24 months (and I do mean the lowest end service).  I think I'd miss the keyboard, though.  But the web browsing might just make up for it. And maybe Apple is right and I can learn to thumb type on the iPhone keyboard in a week or two. It is interesting, though, that it's basically the same price as other high end phones have been that didn't even have the features it has. Sixty bucks a month for unlimited data, even on EDGE only, is a great deal, really. It is too bad, though, that it only includes 200 SMS.  The 5000 weekend minutes are irrelevant, though.  First, data doesn't use minutes anyway.  Second, there are only about 8 or 9,000 weekend minutes in a month.  Good luck using all 5,000. Remember, you don't have a second battery to help you out after the first 480 when you're out and about.  Not too bad, really.

Finally, the biggest complaint about the iPhone is that it's AT&T exclusive.  Yep.  That's all there is to it.  AT&T just doesn't have the coverage that Sprint or Verizon have (Verizon is best, based on my experience with the UpStage and the earlier Samsung handset).  I checked a couple of key areas I travel to and they both showed roaming only.  And then the note about roaming said if you roam too much they'll terminate your plan.  Doh!

Have you heard about the picocel things (or whatever they're called) that some carriers may do to give single coverage in a home?  Neat idea.  Do you know what the absolute killer application will be for the iPhone? Yeah, that's right.  Skype (or even AT&T VOIP).  Then all WiFi becomes voice coverage.  Now, can you think of any reason why Apple might want to block developer access to native code?  Come one, you've read this far.  You must be pretty smart.

(Disclaimer:  This is all just my ramblings.  I truly don't have any inside information.  I wish I did.  It might get me to buy an iPhone.)

Yeah, that's right.  I'm not planning on buying one Friday.  Can't say much for after that, though (although Laurie probably can, but I am overdue for a new phone -- the Verizon 2 year contracts are both up).

Cool.