What happens when you hand over the most anticipated and hyped cell phone in the universe to technology columnists? If you are Apple, you still get good reviews.

Expectations for Apple’s iPhone, a combination iPod and smartphone, have been set unbelievably high. Even still, the reviewers that managed to get ahold of one before the official release found that for the most part the device lived up to the hype.

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg called the iPhone "a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer."

He added "Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions."

David Pogue of the New York Times feels that despite some drawbacks, the iPhone has earned most of its hype.

"The phone is so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese. The glass gets smudgy - a sleeve wipes it clean - but it doesn’t scratch easily," he said. "I’ve walked around with an iPhone in my pocket for two weeks, naked and unprotected (the iPhone, that is, not me), and there’s not a mark on it."

Like Mr. Mossberg, Mr. Pogue points to the iPhone software as the standout feature. He called it "fast, beautiful, menu-free, and dead simple to operate."

Newsweek’s Steven Levy found himself on an overnight trip without his laptop, and had to rely on an iPhone only a day after receiving a review unit. He used the iPhone to keep up with his email, navigate through the city, check weather conditions, watch videos, and listen to a concert.

"Now, just about all those things could have been done by devices that are already out on the market," he said. "But considering I’d had the iPhone for just a day, and never taken a glance at a manual, it was an impressive introduction."

Once again, the iPhone software was the icing on the cake.

Like any other device, there were flaws to be found. Adjusting to the on-screen keyboard took some effort, the iPhone is limited to using the slower EDGE data transfer network instead of the faster 3G technology, and the screen smudges easily - but it doesn’t scratch when you wipe it clean.

Keep in mind that these reviews came after only two weeks of use: other issues still may to crop up once the iPhone makes its way into consumer hands on June 29. Based on what the early reviews have to say, however, the iPhone is likely to be a big hit.