Coming in June...

Apple iPhone -
$499 for 4GB storage or $599 for 8GB storage (with two-year contract from Cingular)

Introduced by Steve Jobs at Macworld last month and available in June, iPhone combines a wide-screen iPod with touch-screen controls; a revolutionary mobile phone; an Internet communications device with desktop-class e-mail and web browsing; and an interactive mapping feature with search capabilities.

Here's what all the buzz is about...

Wide-Screen iPod

Let’s start with the wide-screen iPod. Sync the unit through the iTunes interface on your Mac or PC. The 4GB model will hold about 1,000 songs; the 8GB model about 2,000.

The entire 3.5-inch screen is touch-activated. Touch the orange iPod button along the bottom, then just flick your finger across the screen to scroll through your CDs by artist, song, or playlist. Once you select a CD, you can display the list of songs or the CD cover art while it plays.

You can also download and play TV shows or full-length movies. Plus, the unit contains a sensor that recognizes when you are holding it upright or sideways, automatically switching from portrait to landscape mode as you turn it.

Revolutionary Phone

With iPhone, making a call is as easy as touching a name or number. Just brush your finger across the screen to scroll through your contacts, then touch the contact when you find it — no dialing and no buttons to push.

There is a proximity sensor in the phone so that when you put it next to your ear to talk, it shuts off the display and the touch screen, to save battery life and to avoid accidentally pressing a button with your face while talking. It’s easy to merge multiple calls into a conference call, as well as listen to voicemail messages in any order, just like with e-mail.

In addition, iPhone has a full-size QWERTY soft keyboard, which is predictive and corrects mistakes, in the bottom half of the touch screen. For text messaging, it has an SMS application. iPhone also includes a two-megapixel camera and an advanced photo management application.

Internet Communications Device

The operating system for iPhone is Mac OS X, which means it can run actual desktop-class e-mail and browser programs. For web browsing, it runs Safari, the most advanced browser yet on any portable device. It automatically syncs with the bookmarks on your PC or Mac, and includes built-in Google and Yahoo search. When you go to a Web site, you can easily zoom in by simply tapping on the multi-touch screen with your finger. iPhone also has full multi-tasking capabilities, so you can read a Web page while downloading your e-mail in the background.

The rich e-mail program uses the touch-screen keyboard to fetch your e-mail from most POP3 or IMAP mail services and displays text e-mails or HTML e-mails with photos and graphics.

iPhone also has a cool map and search feature. If you enter “Starbucks,” the device will find all the Starbucks in a given area, show them on the map, zoom in or out by touch, and give you the address or phone number of the location you want, allowing you to dial the number with a single touch of your finger.

iPhone also has widgets, namely small applications that give you helpful information and tools, such as real-time stock reports, weather, a calendar, calculator, and clock.

The general consensus is that people are going to be lining up for this one in June. Will we see you in line?