Yeah, it's presumptuous to create this list before I've had a chance to review the iPhone myself. But the lucky few cherry-picked by Apple to review the iPhone before it's available to the Apple-loving public on Friday have provided an extensive look at how the phone works - and its various limitations. There probably more than five cool things about the phone - and certainly more than five things that suck about it. But here are my lists of the top 5 best and worst. You know, just to help you decide if it's worth it to spend hours on Friday sweltering in line under the hot June sun in hopes of getting your hands on an iPhone on the very first day.

 

Top 5 Best Things about the iPhone

 

1. Sleek, Slim Design

Apple has packed a lot of phone into a relatively compact, beautifully designed case (4.8 ounces). The software is elegant too: Its only button always brings you back to the home screen, so you can never get lost or be forced to backtrack using a Back button through several layers of menus.

 

Text on Web pages viewed on the iPhone looks tiny at first glance, but you can pinch and zoom in to make it legible.

 

2. The Wonder of the Web

Despite being somewhat crippled by AT&T’s slow EDGE network (see top 5 worst features, below), the Internet display capabilities of the iPhone beat out those of most other mobile phones. Websites reportedly look really good, even though they’re shrunk down considerably. Of course, Flash and Java do not work on the iPhone version of the Safari browser, so you don’t have a totally seamless Web experience. But Google Maps on the iPhone is also quite cool, and can come in handy when you’re in an unfamiliar city.

 

3. You Look Mahvelous

The 3.5-inch display is bright, crisp, and easy-to-see. Reviewers have reported that video, though tiny, looks amazing. (Please forgive the embarrassingly dated Billy Crystal reference.)

 

4. Check Your Voicemail

The ability to listen to voice messages in any order (dubbed Visual Voicemail), regardless when they came in, is going to save a lot of people a lot of time. (And make it that much easier to ignore messages from people you’re trying to avoid!)

 

5. Scratch-Resistant Glass

Sure, the glass face of the iPhone gets smudgey. But it’s easy to wipe off. Scratches, on the other hand, as every iPod owner knows full well, are much harder (or even impossible) to remove, and the folks who have reviewed the phone so far all report that their phone didn’t scratch, even when regularly thrown into pockets and purses with keys and other items.

 

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Top 5 Worst Things about the iPhone

 

1. Life on the EDGE

Being limited to AT&T for wireless voice and data service is a bummer for those who experience spotty service from AT&T. What’s more, AT&T’s creaky old EDGE network (which you must use if outside an accessible Wi-Fi hotspot) makes Web browsing excruciatingly S-L-O-W.

 

2. Please Hold While We Connect You

There’s no one-step way to make a phone call because the iPhone doesn’t have one-touch dialing or voice dialing. Call us throwbacks, but at lease one or both of these features seem essential to any modern mobile handset.

 

3. No On-the-Fly iTunes

You can’t make purchases directly from the iTunes Store. Waaaaa. (On the flip side: Think of the money you’ll save.)

 

Damn that skateboard-riding bulldog is cute! Too bad there are a limited number of YouTube videos formatted for viewing on the iPhone. We didn't list that as one of the top 5 worst features, though, because really, who really cares?

 

4. Limitations on Third-Party Developers

Earlier this month, Apple made a big deal out of the fact that third-party developers can create apps for the iPhone by developing Web browser-compatible apps, and that all iPhone apps can access iPhone features, like dialing a phone number or accessing the address book. But it’s no great shakes for developers, who’d rather see a full-blown software development kit (SDK) and the ability to actually add application icons to the iPhone’s home screen.

 

5. Soft Keyboard Leads to Fuzzy Typing

Those who have so far reviewed the iPhone all reported having a varying degree of difficulty using the onscreen keyboard. It’s very tiny, so if you have large or even normal-sized hands, it can be tricky to press the right letters consistently. And punctuation marks are on a separate screen from letters and numbers, which is fine for text messages but isn't going to cut it for composing business-related email.

 

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What do YOU think are the best and worst features? Do you plan to buy one? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Also, be sure to check MacLife.com on Friday around 7 pm Pacific Time for photos and video of our adventures procuring an iPhone!