I’ve been playing around with an iPhone 4 for almost a week now. From someone who has been using a first-generation iPod touch for the past three years, the iPhone 4 is a huge departure. I moved back stateside a few weeks ago, so I decided now would be the perfect time to take the plunge and finally get an iPhone. Ordering through AT&T Premier was, in the grand scheme of things, a pretty painless experience. Save for a few hour-long hold times (understandable, given the immense volume of iPhone orders AT&T was processing the last few weeks of June), the entire process went smoothly, from order to FedEx truck in a little over a week. Considering the original AT&T and Apple Store estimate of three weeks, I was, to say the least, pleased. To be honest, back when the iPhone 4 was first announced in June, I failed to see what was so fascinating about the latest iPhone. I saw the “minor” changes in iOS4 and didn’t think it would be all that different from the iPhone 3Gs, or even to my iPod touch. Shows how little I knew.

I synced my iPhone 4 for the first time. Same old, same old, I figured. I synced my music, my contacts, my apps — just like I had with my trusty iPod touch from 2008. When it finally finished syncing, I slid the slider for the first time. It felt like a completely new interface. Sure, it’s still the same old home screen layout — icons, dock, pages. Perhaps it was the crispness of the new Retina display, or the ability to change the home screen background image, or the app folders. In any case, it felt completely different from the iPod touch OS I was used to. The iPhone 4 was much zippier, thanks to its A4 processor, and felt more robust than its younger sibling. How was I missing out on this for the past three years?

Amidst the excitement of acquainting myself with my new toy, I could not help but read about the controversy surrounding the “grip of death.” In all honesty, I put my hand on the left hand corner of my phone and indeed there was a significant drop in bars in the span of a few seconds. Be that as it may, it is 1) not hard to change your hand position — and I’m a lefty 2) the claims of it being a crippling aspect of the iPhone 4 are greatly exaggerated. I have dropped calls, yes, but that is not because of the iPhone, but rather because of the spotty AT&T reception I have in my house. My consensus is: if Apple issues a recall, I’d be more than willing to swap my iPhone for a non-faulty one. If they don’t, I still wouldn’t complain. I’ll just get a case and be on my way. As a phone, the iPhone 4’s been great.

One feature of the iPhone that I loved more than I expected to was FaceTime. Originally, I failed to see the appeal of it since video calling had already been done before. I’ve tried using it, but other phones I’ve tried were all way too complicated. With FaceTime, however, the process was simple, straight-forward, and enjoyable. I thought of all the possibilities that were now available with FaceTime. On Gizmodo, there was an article on using FaceTime over in-flight WiFi, which if it lasts, would up the current standards of mobile communication.

I’m sure my opinion of the iPhone will change as I get more familiar with it. As of now, with its array of apps, dead-simple interface, and sleek design, I think I’m going to enjoy using it for a long time — that is, until the iPhone 5 comes out. Kidding. Maybe.