Walt Mossberg is the Wall Street Journal tech writer… he’s apparently a big enough deal to procure an early iPhone from Steve Jobs. It’s not like his approval will make or break the iPhone, but it certainly gives the first non-Apple testimonial as to the features, benefits, and (gasp!) shortcomings of the little beastie.

The verdict? Mikey likes it:

Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. 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.

Check out Mossberg’s (or Goatberg, as Fake Steve Jobs calls him) review here.

UPDATE: Critical consensus… the iPhone lives up to the hype. I have to say, I’m honestly surprised in some ways. I figured there would be one major reviewer that would throw stones, but it looks like this phone’s the real deal (albeit with some flaws).