Today at MacWorld 2007 Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, Apple Inc.’s (no longer Apple Computer, Inc.) first foray into the growing mobile phone sector. The iPhone incorporates an array of interesting features including a high resolution 320×480 3.5″ touchscreen, 4GB or 8GB of flash memory, Quadband GSM/EDGE, WiFi and BT 2.0. Unfortunately a 3G radio didn’t make it onto this list, so anybody hoping for some speedy UMTS/HSDPA surfing will be disappointed.

Forgoing most of the buttons that typically adorn a phone, the iPhone relies heavily on its touchscreen for control and input. It is designed for use without a stylus, so controls are big and easy to press with a finger. The onscreen keyboard is designed to be used in a similar fashion to the hardware keyboards on the Treo and Blackberry Pearl.

The device runs a version of Mac OS X, and includes Apple’s Safari browser for an improved web experience.
Initially the iPhone will be available from Cingular, with prices of $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model, both with 2 Year service agreements. They are predicting availability in June, as it is yet to be certified by the FCC.

