I've lusted after an iPhone since they first appeared a few years ago, however I've waited until the price has come down to a more sensible level so my this is my very first, the fourth 'generation'!

I've had the iPhone about a week now and have been exploring it and figuring out how to make the most of its potential. I'm sure I'm not an expert yet though, this phone has so many possibilities!

The design of the iPhone is typical Apple and is sleek and attractive, a highly reflective black surface and a bright, vibrantly coloured touchscreen display. The SIM card fits into a tiny slot on the side of the phone so you don't have to break into the damn thing and send the battery flying to get the SIM in and out which is a bonus for clumsy types like myself! The Apple logo is prominent of course, which isn't to everybody's taste but I don't mind.

The iPhone looks bigger than it is, it feels substantial in your hand but I compared it to the sizes of my friends and family's phones and its not really bigger than average, it seems to be an illusion. My Sony Ericsson Satio is actually a lot chunkier.

The touchscreen is brilliantly responsive, which to me is the main appeal of this phone, there's nothing quite so uniquely irritating and frustrating as a glitchy or slow touchscreen which is always a few seconds behind you. The iPhone touchscreen is like an extension of your hand, it makes everything so much easier from texting to using the various apps and beating your friends high scores on Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds!

The range of features available on the iPhone is great too. You can browse the internet using both wifi and 3G, use e-mail, maps, connect to the itunes and app stores and use an incredible range of apps that let you do everything from watch BBC iPlayer to learning the name of that particularly bright star to the left the tree over there. After only a week of having the iPhone I'm already wondering how I managed without it, its been great for uni as there is an app for 'Blackboard', the online system my uni uses to store information relating to courses.

The OS operating system on the phone is a dream, its so easy to use and intuitive that you can get going straightaway without having to spend ages reading instructions or getting lost in menus. If in doubt, the nice big 'home' button at the bottom of the handset will always take you back to the beginning!

The battery life is a slight drawback, it doesn't last as long as phones I've had previously but this is probably because there's so much to do you spend more time using the iPhone! It probably needs to be charged every night, or at least every couple of nights if you're a lighter user. The phone comes with two ways of charging, either from your laptop/desktop via USB or via a normal plug that the USB connects to.

The camera on the iPhone 4 is not amazing, it has to be said. Its only 5 megapixels which isn't really a lot for a modern smartphone, this is the only real sacrifice to be made in terms of features in my opinion. Its not very good at all for capturing action shots as even a tiny bit of movement will result in blur. As I mainly take pictures of my dogs and my toddler and baby niece and nephew, none of whom like to stay still and pose, this is a bit of an issue for me!

Overall, I'm over the moon with my iPhone. Its not absolutely 100% perfect but I do think its still the top smartphone out there, and at £36 a month and no charge for the handset its now a lot more affordable than it was at first. Now I just need to get a case so I don't drop it or stand on it and lose all my highscores!