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Update: All your base are belong to iPhone

Apple's latest toy is loaded, and it could set the bar for mobile devices across the board.

Tim Moynihan
3 min read

Apple iPhone
We're this close to making out with a photo of the iPhone. Declan McCullagh/CNET News.com

With the iPhone, Apple just may have an everything-killer on its hands. Is it the ultimate gadget? If so, is it worth $600 for eight gigs of its magicks? Or $500 for four gigs? Them's PS3 prices!

Granted, we haven't even laid a finger on the thing yet, let alone reviewed it. That said, Apple seems to have killed several birds with one stone by addressing some of the iPod's shortcomings while creating a buzz-inducing all-in-one supergadget that everyone will want. And here is why.

  • It's the first widescreen/touchscreen video iPod, which is good for a few million sales right there.
  • The iPhone features integrated Wi-Fi capabilities, which means we may finally have a Wi-FiPod on our hands. iTunes can become fully mobile, allowing downloaders to purchase and listen to new songs on the go. A computer may no longer be needed as a middle man to manage your tunes. (Note: According to Kent German's iPhone First Take, it's still unclear whether the iPhone will allow users to download music directly from iTunes. And if not, that would be a shame.)
  • The iPhone runs Mac OS X, and Steve Jobs made references to the phone being able to run full versions of Mac software, not just mobile apps.
  • It borrows a fun idea from the Nintendo Wii: built-in motion sensors, which automatically adjust the iPhone's screen orientation and energy output.
  • It borrows fun ideas from Microsoft and Sony: Origami and the ultramobile PC. It also makes both concepts infinitely cooler and less clunky...so far, at least.
  • This thing is downright purdy.
  • It boasts a built-in 2-megapixel camera, which equals some of the best camera phones on the market today. Sony Ericsson's 3.2-megapixel K790a phone still rules the roost on the camera-phone front.
  • And we haven't even gotten to the part where it's a phone. The "Visual Voicemail" and call-management features look innovatively simple thanks to the nifty touchscreen UI. Add the iPhone's quad-band world phone capabilities and Apple's undying cool factor, and the iPhone becomes a mighty appealing buy for anyone needing a new phone, a new music player, a mobile productivity tool, a cool new toy, or all of the above.

Again, we haven't even held the iPhone yet, let alone played with OS X on the iPhone. That alone almost makes it unfair to compare it to other smart phones on the market. But on paper, the iPhone out-specs some of today's trendiest, slimmest, and top-rated smart phones.

Price Carrier OS Wireless Cellular enhancement protocol Depth Weight Screen size Resolution Camera
Apple iPhone $599 for 8GB with two-year contract; $499 for 4GB Cingular Mac OS X Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 GSM, EDGE 0.46 inches 4.8 oz. 3.5 inch diagonal 320 x 480 2-megapixel
Samsung BlackJack $200 with two-year contract Cingular Windows Mobile 5.0 Bluetooth 2.0 GSM, EDGE, GPRS, UMTS 0.5 inches 3.5 oz. 2.25 inch diagonal 240 x 320 1.3 megapixel
Motorola Q $200 with two-year contract Verizon Windows Mobile 5.0 EV-DO, Bluetooth 1.2, IrDA CDMA 0.47 inches 4.1 oz. 2.5 inch diagonal 320 x 240 1.3 megapixel
T-Mobile Dash $200 with two-year contract T-Mobile Windows Mobile 5.0 Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, IrDA 1.2 GSM, EDGE, GPRS 0.5 in. 4.2 oz 2.5 inch diagonal 320 x 240 1.3 megapixel
Cingular 8525 $400 with two-year contract Cingular Windows Mobile 5.0 Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, IrDA GSM, EDGE, GPRS, UMTS 0.9 in. 6.2 oz 2.8 inch diagonal 240 x 320 1.9 megapixel
Sony Ericsson P990i $849 to $1,099 Unlocked Symbian OS 9.1 Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth, IrDA GSM, GPRS, UMTS 1 in. 5.3 oz. 2.5 inch diagonal 240 x 320 2 megapixel

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