Even with a device as simple to use as Apple's iPhone, the underlying complexity of the device means there are plenty of things to learn that aren't immediately obvious. David Pogue's iPhone: The Missing Manual from O'Reilly Media finds all those hidden features and tucked away settings and explains them in a way that even my mother would understand.

Mr. Pogue's book covers all of the iPhone's features, including the phone, applications, iPod functions, and Internet. Topics are grouped logically, and the book includes a well organized index, so you can either start at the beginning and follow along to learn how everything works, or search the index to find the answers to your iPhone questions.

If you are looking for a quick overview that goes beyond the pamphlet that Apple includes with the iPhone, check out the Guided Tour section at the front of the book. This overview does a great job of introducing new iPhone users to the device's functions and features without delving too deep. You can read through it in short order, and the iPhone screenshots go a long way to help make things clear.

Speaking of screenshots, how did they do that? They are full color, sharp, and look like they really did come from a working iPhone.

The book also includes plenty of handy step-by-step walk throughs that help you do things like configure email accounts beyond the account sync feature built into iTunes, how to enable and disable Safari's pop-up blocker, manage Web cookies and browser histories, and even explains the differences between AT&T's various service plans.

For those times that something goes wrong with your iPhone, the Troubleshooting and Maintenance chapter includes a slew of tips for getting everything back in working order. Be sure to bookmark page 270 -- that's where you'll find the steps necessary for force quitting an application, resetting the iPhone, restoring default settings, and completely erasing the data from your phone. All are easy enough, but under stress are easy to forget.

While you can buy iPhone: The Missing Manual today, it is only available as a PDF. The printed version is on its way to the presses even as we speak, and should be available by the end of August for US$19.99. If you don't want to wait for the printed version to hit store shelves, the PDF offers everything the physical version will, sans paper. It will set you back $24.99, and that includes a printed copy when available.

The index in the PDF version, however, does have its own benefit since each item is hyperlinked to the corresponding page in the book. Just click an index entry to jump to the appropriate page.

The Bottom Line
Sure, iPhone: The Missing Manual is filled with all kinds of tidbits you already know, but it is also chock full of other things you haven't come across yet. The tone is friendly and conversational, and covers simple and complex topics alike with an approachable style -- even for people that might be a bit intimidated by tech gizmos.