The Apple iPhone

January 9, 2007

Ok…It’s been confirmed. The iPhone is for real. At exactly 9:41am this morning, Steve Jobs presented the iPhone at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco to an eager crowd, to say the least.

The iPhone will combine three products into one seamless apparatus: a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching.

In order to fully integrate the previously distinct tools, Apple has developed some brilliant new technology to get the job done such as:

Multi-touch – Apparently the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse, using just your fingers, you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page. The keyboard is also predictive, so it prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than traditional push buttons.

OS X – The handheld device will runs on OS X, providing access to true desktop-class applications and software, including rich HTML email, full-featured web browsing, and applications such as widgets, Safari, calendar, text messaging, Notes, and Address Book. It is also fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background.

Built-in Advanced Sensors – It automatically detects when you rotate the device from portrait to landscape, automatically changing the contents of the display to the proper landscape ratio. It also detects when you lift the phone to your ear, immediately turning off the display to save power and preventing inadvertent touches until it’s moved away. There’s even an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light!

So…it’s has an iPod, a phone, and the internet, but do they work just as well when merged into a single device? All signs point to yes.

iPod - The 3.5 inch widescreen display allows you to consume all the music, audiobooks, videos, TV shows, and movies that your iPod does with the advantage of expedited navigations thanks to the touch screen controls. It also lets you sync your content from the iTunes library on your PC or Mac.

Phone – You can make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just like email.

Internet - Featuring a rich HTML email client and Safari, the internet functions are nearly on par with that of you desktop. Safari also includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search. The iPhone is also fully multi-tasking, so you can read a web page while downloading your email in the background over Wi-Fi or EDGE.