Well, the iPhone’s been out for 24 hours now and the initial reviews are in: it’s totally kick-ass and what the videos show is absolutely the real-deal.

Man, that’s hard to hear. I really want one!

To make matters worse, Jimmy (one of the only people I know in Vermont that’s somehow been able to retain their AT&T/Cingular account which was signed up for out-of-state) ordered his iPhone last night. Actually, he couldn’t even wait the 2-4 weeks before it would ship, so he and his girlfriend drove to the Salem, NH, Apple Store today and came home with two iPhones.

He’s up and running after a short wait for the activation and loves it (per our AIM conversation):

This has the to be the absolutely best gadget ever
and i’ve only used it for like a minute
the keyboard, wow
it’s easy

Of course, now I really, really want one. And, to make matters even worse, I’ll get to see one, touch it, and drool on it, next week (Monday?) in the office.

Jimmy, who lives in Waterbury, VT, also noted that he gets full signal and picks up EDGE. So, that side of it works. I don’t expect him to see the same speed increases that AT&T’s network has seen this week, since it’s probably Unicel’s towers that he’s picking up.

The lingering question at this point is: how long will he be able to keep his contract? After all, that’s all that really matters to me.

BTW – There’s already some take-apart photos posted.

Update: Jimmy’s now got some initial photos of his iPhone(s) posted.