OK.. i'll try and answer the questions below
Speed wise, AT&T's EDGE service isn't the speediest, but it's adequate for routine web browsing. However, the iPhone will automatically switch to wireless networks (802.11) when one's in range and things are very snappy from there.
Battery wise, I bought mine Saturday in New York city.. Charged it once that day, watched a movie on it on the plane ride home to Orlando and never plugged it back in to power until Thursday.. so that's not bad.. 5 days of use, watching a movie, connecting to wireless networks, listening to music and just plain being on standby. They claim 8 hours of continuous use on the batter and I think I read somewhere that it was confirmed.
Now, for the browsing experience.. let's just say there's not a phone on the planet that comes close in that respect. The only thing lacking is Flash support which I hear is coming with the first update to the software. Web pages are viewed exactly the same as they would be on your desktop at home, you just use taps to zoom in and scroll where you want to see.. very very cool.