Looking for all the scoop and follow-up discussions about the new iPhone recently announced by Apple? Be sure to
bookmark the newest addition to the "Addict" blog family created by Sammy McLoughlin of
Palm Addict fame.
If you're looking for a quick peek at what the iPhone talk is all about, this
article is a nice introduction from USA Today.
For one industry analyst's early look at the phone and it's impact on the smartphone market, be sure to check out the comments from Michael Mace at
Mobile Opportunity.
The iPhone is basically a phone and a multimedia device all wrapped up in a sleek new form factor, and intended to build on the success of the iPod and iTunes online music store. The phone has a nice full body screen that is used for both display and as a keypad. New interface techniques have been introduced, many involving multiple touch points, such as "squeezing" two fingers to shrink an image.
iPhone will run OSX, but apparently it is a closed device, so it will not run just any third party application. There are fancy sensors that allow it to turn off the touch screen input when you put it up to your face, and to know when to display in landscape or portrait orientation. It will be interesting to see how well all the new gee-whiz features work in the real world.
The phone is a Cingular exclusive in the U.S., and with a 2-yr contract it will cost $499 for the 4 gig version. Another $100 will get you 8 gig storage, but neither phone will be available until around June.