IPhone: Definition and additional resources from ZDNet

(1) (InternetPhone) See IP phone and softphone.

(2) A smartphone from Apple that integrates cellphone, iPod music player, camera, text messaging, e-mail and Web browsing. Introduced in the summer of 2007, the iPhone is available only from AT&T (formerly Cingular) until 2009.

The iPhone's user interface is operated entirely on a 3.5" touch screen, except for one physical button that displays the main menu. Although the phone does not include the click wheel that made the iPod famous, its user interface is nevertheless a breakthrough in usability. Among many clever features, turning the phone on its side automatically rotates the screen to landscape mode. The iPhone interface was carried forward in Apple's next-generation iPod, launched shortly thereafter (see iPod touch).

One drawback is the battery. Unlike all other cellphones, but just like the iPod, the unit is sealed. Approximately every two years, the phone must be sent to Apple for a new battery. At the launch, the new battery, along with loaner phone, was priced at $117, drawing criticism for cost and inconvenience. There is also no memory card slot for expansion. See iPod.

Quite a Frenzy
In the history of the cellular industry, no phone ever created so much buzz. People camped out overnight to be first in line. AT&T/Cingular stores closed early Friday, June 29, 2007 to set up the displays, reopening at 6pm and staying late to accommodate customers. iPhone activation can also be done at home in the iTunes software (see iTunes).

A Brief Name Conflict
The name was obviously chosen to capitalize on the worldwide name recognition of the iPod; however, "iPhone" was trademarked by Infogear, later acquired by Cisco. Shortly before the iPhone's official launch, Cisco agreed to share the name.

iPhone Specifications
The iPhone is a quad-band GSM phone with music and video playback and a two-megapixel camera. It includes up to 8GB of flash storage and Bluetooth for wireless headphones. For Internet access, it offers Wi-Fi for hotspot connections and the slower EDGE cellular data network when a hotspot is not available. Powered by an ARM processor, it uses a custom version of the Mac OS X operating system. See iPod touch, iBricking and iClone.

The Main Menu
Pressing the only physical button displays the main menu with sixteen icons, and all operations take place via the touch screen. The iPhone packs a lot of functions and a clever user interface in a 2.4x4.5" case not quite a half inch thick. (Image courtesy of Apple Inc.)

Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia.
Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc.
All rights reserved.

Additional Resources

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