Like thousands of others, I had difficulty pre-ordering the iPhone 4. I was able to snag a reservation, but I never received a confirmation, so I spent the next week crossing my fingers and praying to the Apple god, Steve Jobs. And like thousands of others, I got in line at the Apple store to (hopefully) bring home a brand-spankin’ new iPhone 4.

This was an important event in my life because I never voluntarily wait in long lines (unless I’m at Six Flags or IKEA). I especially don’t wait in long lines for gadgets. In fact, I usually buy my devices weeks after the early adopters can find all the bugs/flaws. But because I’m addicted to my phone more than anything, I couldn’t wait. What would I write about?!

At 8 a.m. I stood in an already long line and quickly started tweeting to a friend who was waiting at another Apple store. Since I went solo, I needed someone to complain to. However it didn’t take long for me to make friends in line. When I heard a friend tell me that half the fun of a launch is the line, I thought they were crazy. But six and a half hours and eight new friends later, I agreed with his theory. The conversation had was awesome. There I was, surrounded by hundreds of techies, Apple fans and geeks, talking about our favorite gadgets, video games and all the important things we were missing to stand in line. The experience really is part of the fun.

After waiting nearly seven hours for my shiny new iPhone, I realized that I would have to wait a few more hours until I could play with it. I had to attend a networking event for work. Luckily I was able to show it off a bit at the event, so I was able to get my fix.

You know how most morning afters have a walk of shame? Well, there was no walk — especially since my feet were so sore – and there was very little shame. There most definitely was a slow clap and a lot of excitement though. Yes, I slow-clapped my iPhone 4. It wasn’t the sleek new look, the lighter weight or even the thinner body that had me applauding. This baby is an organizer’s dream!

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Hits

Folders: I roll up my plastic bags and store them. You can imagine my excitement when I started grouping my apps together. This is a great way to separate work from play or guilty pleasures from friend-appropriate apps. I love being able to group together my social apps because it’s a great way to ensure I check them all. Now I’ll never miss an update, tweet or invite.

Mailboxes: I’d be lying if I said the old mailboxes made me cringe each time I got an email. But now I look forward to checking, thanks to the threaded mailboxes. I hated seeing every reply come in as a separate email. Now they too are grouped together; it’s wonderful! Having the option to view a single mailbox or all of them in one is also a nice feature.
The Camera: I have been taking pictures of the most trivial things just because the quality of the camera is so good. I love that there is an option to switch between the camera on the front and back of the phone. It makes taking pictures with friends so much easier. No more cut-off heads or zoomed-in ears!

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Misses

Proximity Sensor: Most new iPhone owners are complaining about the antenna/signal problem, but I’ve discovered a whole new breed of trouble over the weekend. I thought that maybe my ears suddenly developed a talent for engaging the display, but I soon learned that others were having a similar problem.

When you bring the phone toward your ear, the proximity sensor causes the phone’s screen to black out, so your cheek doesn’t errantly engage the inputs on the touchscreen. This is normal, and my screen does indeed go black. The issue, however, is that the phone maintains functionality. While I haven’t dropped a call, I have managed to accidentally put someone on hold and dial another number, turn on the speaker phone mid-call (twice) and mute my device (three times.) It’s very frustrating, and it appears I’m not the only one with this issue. Hopefully we’ll see a solution soon.

Obviously the good outweighs the bad, but I can see both the proximity and signal issues being a problem for anyone who is on the fence — especially if they’re not eligible for an upgrade.

Am I happy with my purchase? Was it worth signing on for another two years with AT&T? Yes. With as much as I use my phone, I know it’s worth the money spent. Sticking with AT&T will take some getting used to, but I’ve lasted this long. As for the line… I would do it all over again. (But I’d wear comfier shoes!)

Now that you’ve had a chance to play with your iPhone 4, what are your thoughts? If you’re on the fence, what’s holding you back? Share your answers in the comments below.

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