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What is an iPhone, and why does everyone want one? Let me help you understand a few things about it.

Who made the iPhone?

The iPhone is a new device created by Apple, the same company that makes the iPod, Macintosish computers and Apple software such as OS X, iLife, Quicktime, and iWork. It’s existence has been rumored for years, but this is the first time an actual product is called the iPhone by Apple.

What provider is supporting the iPhone?

The only cellphone provider who will carry the iPhone is AT&T. Despite having a slow network for data transfers, Apple chose AT&T because they were the only company willing to offer Apple all the freedoms it wanted it creating, maintaining, and supporting the iPhone. And of course I’m sure Apple will be getting a cut from the monthly charges.

But isn’t the Motorola Rokr an iPhone?

No, the Motorola Rokr was a phone built by Motorola that supported iTunes and its copyrighted songs. The phone was actually not bad. Besides bad reviews and lack of advanced features, I was an owner and loved my Rokr. It has great stereo speakers, and had a feature where it lit up to different noises around it. But the Rokr was not the iPhone, and might have been a guinea pig for the real iPhone.

Doesn’t Cisco already make an iPhone?

Cisco owns the trademark “iPhone” and released a device called the iPhone. Their iPhone is a phone made to work via VOIP in your house. The Cisco iPhone would connect to your existing wireless network and use your internet to make phone calls. It is not a cell phone, nor does it play music. Cisco dropped their lawsuit against Apple for undisclosed benefits relating to the two companies working together in future projects and compatibility.

So what exactly is an iPhone?

The iPhone, also nicknamed the “God Machine“, is a cellphone, wide screen iPod video, and an internet communicator. Having joked that smartphones are not smart, Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, wanted to create a phone that was actually easy to use and provided the simplicity and features that most phones lack.

How’s the phone?

The phone itself is revolutionary due to its lack of a physical buttons except for a “Home” button. The phone part syncs with your computer to transfer your calendar and address book to keep you up to date with your contacts and events. The iPhone also features visual voicemail which will organize your voice mail just like emails. You can scroll through your voice mails just like checking your inbox. You can then select the voice mail you want to hear without going through a long and complicated prompt system like many companies use today.

How’s the iPod?

The iPhone is bundled with a 3.5 inch wide screen iPod video. It also syncs to your computer and transfers music, videos, audiobooks, podcasts, and photos from iTunes to your iPhone. Depending on how you hold your iPhone, you can browse a list of songs to choose from, or see all your album covers stacked next to each other, and pick an album to hear. The iPod will also play movies in its widescreen aspect ratio. Like the regular iPods, you can use standard headphones with it. Some phone companies make you use their headphones, or by adapters. The iPhone will come with either a 4gb or 8gb hard drive depending on the model.

How’s the Internet Communicator?

This is where the iPhone might make it or break it. The internet communicator is a part of the iPhone thats designed to provide you with a full web experience. It includes an html email client and browser. This means you can see your emails on the iPhone, just like you would with your computer. This includes seeing images, Word and Excel documents. The browser is a stripped down version of Safari which is now available for Mac and Window. Unlike most cellphones browsers that rearranges the webpage for mobile viewing, Safari is expected to allow you to see websites just like you can on your home computer. What’s the catch? You can connect to a wireless network and surf the web in your own high-speed network, or use your cell phone service which is rather slow. AT&T is known for their slower data speed and surfing the web using AT&T might make you wish for dial-up.

How long does the battery last in the iPhone?

Apple reports different battery time for each usage, which makes up the total iPhone battery time. Here’s the breakdown:

• Talk time: Up to 8 hours
• Standby time: Up to 250 hours
• Internet use: Up to 6 hours
• Video playback: Up to 7 hours
• Audio playback: Up to 24 hours

How much will the iPhone cost?

The iPhone will retail for $499 for the 4gb, and $599 for the 8gb model.

How much is the monthly charges?

The monthly charges for the iPhone will depend on your plan with AT&T. If you want to keep your existing plan, just add $20 for unlimited data use.

If you are signing up for a new plan, $59.99 gets you 450 minutes, unlimited data, 200 text messages and 5000 night/weekend minutes. There are other plans offering more minutes, and unlimited night/weekend, but the text amount stays the same. Family share plans are also availble.

Where can I buy an iPhone in Long Island?

iPhones will be available for purchase form all Apple Stores and AT&T company stores. Independent resellers like Radioshack and local cellphone stores will not be able to sell you an iPhone. You can also but an iPhone online from Apple’s website.

Here is a list of places you can buy an iPhone in Long Island:

• Apple Stores in Long Island:
  • Garden City at the Roosevelt Field Mall
  • Huntington Station at the Walt Whitman Mall
  • Lake Grove at the Smith Haven Mall
• AT&T Stores in Long Island:
  • Melville at 594 Route 110
  • Woodbury at 7975 Jericho Turnpike
  • Jericho at 350 North Broadway
  • North Babylon at 1520 Deer Park Avenue
  • Bethpage at 4037 Hempstead Turnpike
  • East Meadow at 2411 Hempstead Turnpike
  • Carle Place at 333 Old Country Road
  • Massapequa at 1000 Sunrise Highway
  • Garden City at the Roosevelt Field Mall

When can I buy an iPhone?

The iPhone will be available for purchase on June 29th, at exactly 6pm. In fact, Apple Stores will be closed until 6pm to prepare for the high demand. But hurry up, there’s people in line already.

So what’s the hidden catch?

Not really hidden, but the iPhone will require a 2-year contract with AT&T