Introduced alongside iOS 5, Cards allows users to produce and mail made-to-order letterpress greeting cards with nothing more than an iPhone or iPod touch.  Sounds pretty slick right? Well, it would be – if it weren't so rough around the edges. Unfortunately, from start to finish, Cards feels only a little better than half-baked, and that's more than a shade shy of what we've come to expect from Apple.

Opening up Cards, users are greeted by a Cover Flow style interface featuring the greeting card templates available for use. The templates are organized by occasion: Thank You, Holiday, Baby, Birthday, Love, or Travel. While this sounds smart in theory, flicking through them tuned us into the fact that there weren't that many stylistic options to choose from, especially when compared against the greeting card offerings available in Postage on iPhone or via iPhoto on Mac. What's more, many of the templates are duplicated in each category. When it comes to Apple – a company that prides itself on providing a superior user experience possible – I expect more than this.

Slick letterpress cards can be created and ordered in a snap.

Once they've settled on a template, users are invited to choose an image from their camera roll or photostream, or to take a photograph for use on their card's front cover. Next on tap is entering a message, and with all of the text on the Cards templates I tinkered with being editable, I couldn't help but wonder: If this is the case, why bother duplicating the same template over so many different categories? We found text entry, while easy to type, was frustrating to view. In order to see the message you're typing in its entirety, you're either forced to pan and swipe around the text field with your fingers, or apply the text and then attempt to read it at a near-microscopic size.

One thing Apple did get right is how the physical cards are sent out. Simply enter your recipient's street address into the application, or select one from your iPhone’s Contacts app, and the actual printing and mailing is handled for you. Cards sent within the United States will set you back $2.99, with cards sent outside of the U.S.A (as well as those sent by international users of the app) priced at $4.99 – a pretty reasonable price when you consider the cost of picking up a greeting card at the supermarket.

If only Cards was universal – we might be able to see all the text on an iPad without squinting.

Unfortunately, unlike other in-app purchases, the cost of the greeting card and its associated postage can only be paid with a credit card. There's no doubt that this will be a deal breaker for individuals who prefer to make their app-related purchases with iTunes gift cards.

The bottom line. We hate to say it, but Cards feels rushed – an unpolished product that was pushed out the door in order to launch alongside iOS 5. While the app does make it possible to create and send a letterpress card using nothing more than your iPhone, its poor selection of templates, frustrating interface, and credit card-only purchase option make it difficult to recommend at present.