My feeling is that AT&T is probably a lot better than they used to be, as a result of all the money they’ve spent enhancing the network.

But I await other conclusions about this, when the reviewers have their say.

Peace,
Gene

Gene, I can’t really disagree with anything you’ve said in this piece, but for what it’s worth, AT&T customer service here where I live has been excellent. (I’m in Clarkdale, AZ, about 100 miles north of you, I think.) I had difficulty activating the phone because my street address, as with several small towns in AZ, is not my mailing address. I called AT&T and they walked me through using an alternate address, then changing it on their Web site. I also had some questions on my first bill, which were answered both politely and clearly. (Of course the customer service from Verizon — my previous provider — was also first-rate. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.)

Coverage in my area is also very good, with quite reasonable EDGE speeds. My old Verizon phone wouldn’t even ring in the house; the iPhone never drops a call. Admittedly my old phone was a six-year old StarTac, but even friends with newer phones had trouble connecting to Verizon here. My house is at the bottom of a hill, but in line-of-sight from Mingus mountain, where most of the cell phone towers in the area seem to be located.

The upshot? Well, even though my Verizon contract had long since run its course, and I hadn’t renewed it, I had my doubts about being locked in to AT&T, given their reputation. I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far; maybe others will be as well, if they can take the sting from contract cancellation costs.

The iPhone itself, as others have reported, is astonishing. Even though I’ve only had it two weeks, I can’t imagine being without it now. The human engineering is sheer genius, even more of a breakthrough, in my opinion, than the original Mac, and I’ve been a Mac user since mid-1984.