iphone

The iPhone is an internet-connected multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a flush multi-touch screen and a minimal hardware interface. The device does not have a physical keyboard, so a virtual keyboard is rendered on the touch screen instead. The iPhone functions as a camera phone (including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player (equivalent to an iPod), and Internet client (with email, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity). The first generation phone hardware was quad-band GSM with EDGE; the second generation also adds UMTS with HSDPA.[9]
Apple announced the iPhone on January 9, 2007.[10] The announcement was preceded by rumors and speculation that circulated for several months.[11] The iPhone was initially introduced in the United States on June 29, 2007 and has since been introduced worldwide. It was named Time magazine's "Invention of the Year" in 2007.[12] On July 11, 2008, the iPhone 3G was released. It supports faster 3G data speeds and Assisted GPS.[9]

History and availability:Development of iPhone began with Apple CEO Steve Jobs' direction that Apple engineers investigate touchscreens.[13] Apple created the device during a secretive and unprecedented collaboration with AT&T Mobility—Cingular Wireless at the time—at a development cost of US$150 million over thirty months. Apple rejected the "design by committee" approach that had yielded the Motorola ROKR E1, a largely unsuccessful collaboration with Motorola. Instead, Cingular gave Apple the liberty to develop the iPhone's hardware and software in-house. Numerous codenames and even fake prototypes were devised to keep the project secret.[14][15]
Jobs unveiled iPhone to the public on January 9, 2007 in a keynote address. Apple was required to file for operating permits with the FCC, but such filings are available to the public, so the announcement came several months before the iPhone received approval. The iPhone went on sale in the United States on June 29, 2007. Apple closed its stores at 2:00 pm local time to prepare for the 6:00 pm iPhone launch, while hundreds of customers lined up at stores nationwide.[1] On launch weekend, Apple sold 270,000 iPhones in the first thirty hours.[16] The original iPhone was made available in the UK, France, and Germany in November 2007, and Ireland and Austria in spring of 2008.

On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in twenty-two countries, including the original six.[17] Forty-eight more wereexpected to follow in the months afterwards.[18] Apple sold 1 million iPhone 3Gs in its first 3 days on sale,[19] enough to overload Apple's United States iTunes servers.
On October 21, 2008 Apple announced sales of 6.89 million iPhone 3Gs in the fourth quarter of 2008, totaling 13 million iPhones to date.[21] iPhone sales from that quarter surpassed RIM's BlackBerry sales of 5.2 million units. By revenue, Apple is the third largest mobile phone manufacturer, after Nokia and Samsung.[22] Within Apple's fiscal fourth quarter, up to September 30, 2008, the iPhone represented 39 percent (US$4.6 billion) of the company's total quarterly revenues, although some of this income is deferred.

Hardware

Rear view of an original iPhone. The back is made of metal and black plastic.
Size comparison, from top to bottom, between:
-a first generation iPod Nano
-a first generation iPhone
-a fourth generation iPod
Specifications
Apple publishes a full description of the iPhone 3G's technical specifications.[8] Specifications for the original model were available before the release of the 3G model.

Features common to both versions
Screen size: 3.5 in (89 mm)
Screen resolution: 480×320 pixels at 163 ppi, with 3:2 aspect ratio
Input devices: Multi-touch screen interface plus a "Home" button and "Sleep/Wake" located on the top of the iPhone.
Built-in rechargeable, non-removable battery
2 megapixel camera
Location finding by detection of cell towers and Wi-Fi networks
Samsung S5L8900 (412 MHz[5] ARM 1176 processor, PowerVR MBX 3D graphics co-processor)[25]
Memory: 128 MB DRAM[7]
Storage: 8 GB or 16 GB flash memory
Operating System: iPhone OS
Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
20Hz to 20kHz frequency response (both internal and headset)

Original model:
4 GB model (discontinued after two months), 8 GB model or 16 GB model
Size: 4.5 inches (115 mm) (h) × 2.4 inches (61 mm) (w) × 0.46 inch (11. mm) (d)
Weight: 135 g (4.8 oz)
Battery has up to 8 hours of talk, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and up to 24 hours of audio playback, lasting over 250 hours on standby.[26]
Headphone jack (recessed)
Digital SAR of 0.974 W/kg
3G model

The proximity and ambient light sensors on the iPhone 3G.Color: Black (8 GB or 16 GB) or white (16 GB)
Size: 4.5 inches (115.5 mm) (h) × 2.4 inches (62.1 mm) (w) × 0.48 inch (12.3 mm) (d)
Weight: 133 g (4.7 oz)
Headphone jack (non-recessed)
Battery has up to 10 hours of 2G talk, 5 hours of 3G talk, 5 (3G) or 6 (Wi-Fi) hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and up to 24 hours of audio playback, lasting over 300 hours on standby.[8]
3G for broadband data speeds (Tri band UMTS / HSDPA: UMTS 850 / 1900 / 2100)
Assisted GPS, with preference to location based on Wi-Fi or cell towers
Digital SAR Rating: 1.38 W/kg

Screen and input
The 9 cm (3.5 in) liquid crystal display (320×480 px at 6.3 px/mm, 160 ppi) HVGA touchscreen with scratch-resistant glass[26] is specifically created for use with a finger, or multiple fingers for multi-touch sensing. Because the screen is a capacitive touchscreen, bare skin is required. Most gloves or a stylus prevent the necessary electrical conductivity. The screen is also capable of rendering up to 262,144 colors.[29][30][31][32]
The display responds to three sensors. A proximity sensor shuts off the display and touchscreen when the iPhone is brought near the face during a call. This is done to save battery power and to prevent inadvertent inputs from the user's face and ears. An ambient light sensor adjusts the display brightness which in turn saves battery power. A 3-axis accelerometer senses the orientation of the phone and changes the screen accordingly.[33] Photo browsing, web browsing, and music playing support both upright and left or right widescreen orientations.[34] Later, a software update allowed the first generation iPhone to use cell towers and Wi-Fi networks for location finding despite lacking a hardware GPS. The iPhone 3G supplements those methods with A-GPS.

The iPhone has three physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep, volume up/down, and ringer on/off. These are made of plastic on the original iPhone and metal on the iPhone 3G. A single "home" hardware button below the display brings up the main menu. The touch screen furnishes the remainder of the user interface.
The back of the original iPhone was made of brushed metal with a black plastic accent. The iPhone 3G features a full plastic back to increase GSM signal strength.[35] The plastic is black for the 8 GB model, but the 16 GB version is also available in white.


Audio
Loudspeakers are located above the screen and the left side of the bottom of the unit; the microphone is located on the right. Volume controls are located on the left side of the unit and as a slider in the iPod application. Both speakers are used for handsfree operations and media playback.
The 3.5 mm TRS connector for the headphones is located on the top left corner of the device. The headphone socket on the original iPhone is recessed into the casing, making it incompatible with most headsets without the use of an adapter.[36][37] The iPhone 3G has a flush mounted headphone socket.

The iPhone's headphones are similar to those of most current smartphones, incorporating a microphone. A multipurpose button in the microphone can be used to play or pause music, skip tracks, and answer or end phone calls without touching the iPhone; newer versions also incorporate volume controls. A small number of third-party headsets specifically designed for the iPhone also include a microphone and control button.[38] Wireless earpieces that use Bluetooth technology to communicate with the iPhone are sold separately. They do not support stereo audio.
Composite or component video at up to 576i and stereo audio can be output from the dock connector using an adapter sold by Apple.[39] Unlike many similar phones, the iPhone requires third party software to support voice recording.


Battery
The iPhone features an internal rechargeable battery. It is not user-replaceable, similar to the batteries of existing iPods, and unlike those of most existing cellular phones.[36][40] If the battery malfunctions or dies prematurely, the phone can be returned to Apple and replaced for free while still under warranty.[41] The warranty lasts one year from purchase and is extended to two years with AppleCare. The cost of having Apple provide a new battery and replace it when the iPhone is out of warranty is slightly less than half the cost of a new 8 GB iPhone.[42]
Since July 2007 third party battery replacement kits have been available[43] at a much lower price than Apple's own battery replacement program. These kits often include a small screwdriver and an instruction leaflet, but as with many newer iPod models the battery in the original iPhone has been soldered in. Therefore a soldering iron is required to install the new battery. The iPhone 3G uses a different battery fitted with a connector, although replacing the battery oneself still voids the warranty.[44]

The original iPhone's battery was stated to be capable of providing up to seven hours of video, six hours of web browsing, eight hours of talk time, 24 hours of music or up to 250 hours on standby.[26] Apple's site says that the battery life "is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 400 full charge and discharge cycles",[45] which is comparable to the iPod batteries.
The iPhone 3G's battery is stated to be capable of providing up to seven hours of video, six hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or five on 3G, ten hours of 2G talk time, or five on 3G, 24 hours of music, or 300 hours of standby.[8]

The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a consumer advocate group, has sent a complaint to Apple and AT&T over the fee that consumers have to pay to have the battery replaced.[46] Though the battery replacement service and its pricing was not made known to buyers until the day the product was launched,[46][47] a similar service had been well established for the iPods by Apple and various third party service providers.

SIM card
See also: iPhone SIM Lock removal

The original iPhone's SIM card slot shown as open, with ejected SIM card.The SIM card is located in a slot at the top of the device. It can be ejected with a paperclip or a tool included with the iPhone 3G.[48] In most countries, the iPhone is usually sold with a SIM lock, which prevents SIM cards from being used on different mobile networks.


Storage
The iPhone was initially released with two options for internal storage size: 4 GB or 8 GB. On September 5, 2007, Apple discontinued the 4 GB models.[49] On February 5, 2008, Apple added a 16 GB model.[50] All data is stored on an internal flash drive; the iPhone does not contain any memory card slots for expanded storage.

Included items
Both the iPhone and the iPhone 3G include (or included) written documentation, stereo earbuds with microphone, a dock connector to USB cable, and a cloth for cleaning the screen. The original iPhone also included a dock to hold the iPhone upright; it is not compatible with the iPhone 3G, for which a slightly different dock is sold separately. The iPhone 3G includes a tool to eject the SIM card; the original model required a paperclip for this purpose. Both versions include a USB power adapter, although iPhone 3Gs sold in North America, Japan, Colombia, Ecuador, or Peru[51][52] include a more compact version than those bundled with iPhone 3Gs sold elsewhere, or the original model.


Software
Main article: iPhone OS
See also: iPhone OS version history

The default Home screen of the iPhone shows applications provided by Apple. Users can download additional applications from the App store, create Web Clips, and rearrange the icons as they please.iPhone OS is the operating system running on the iPhone (both original and 3G models) and the iPod Touch. It is based on a variant of the same basic Mach kernel that is found in Mac OS X. iPhone OS includes the software component "Core Animation" from Mac OS X v10.5 which, together with the PowerVR MBX 3D hardware, is responsible for the interface's smooth animations. The operating system takes up less than half a GB of the device's total 8 GB or 16 GB storage.[53] It is capable of supporting bundled and future applications from Apple, as well as from third-party developers. Software applications cannot be copied from Mac OS X but must be written and compiled specifically for the iPhone.
Like the iPod, the iPhone is managed with iTunes version 7.3 or later, which is compatible with Mac OS X version 10.4.10 or later, and 32-bit or 64-bit Windows XP or Vista.[54] The release of iTunes 7.6 expanded this support to include 64-bit versions of XP and Vista,[55] and a workaround has been discovered for previous 64-bit Windows operating systems.[56] Apple provides free updates to the iPhone's operating system through iTunes, in a similar fashion to the way that iPods are updated.[53] Security patches, as well as new and improved features, are released in this fashion.[57] For example, iPhone 3G users initially experienced dropped calls until an update was issued.[58][59]


Interface
The interface is based around the home screen, a graphical list of available applications. iPhone apps normally run one at a time, although most functionality is still available when making a call or listening to music. The home screen can be accessed at any time by a hardware button below the screen, closing the open application in the process.[60] By default, the Home screen contains the following icons: Text (SMS messaging), Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps (Google Maps), Weather, Clock, Calculator, Notes, Settings, iTunes (store), and App Store. Docked at the base of the screen, four icons for Phone, Mail, Safari (Internet), and iPod (music) delineate the iPhone's main purposes.[61] On January 15, 2008, Apple released software update 1.1.3, allowing users to create "Web Clips", home screen icons that resemble apps that open a user-defined page in Safari. After the update, iPhone users can rearrange and place icons on up to nine other adjacent home screens, accessed by a horizontal swipe.[62] Users can also add and delete icons from the dock, which is the same on every home screen. Each home screen holds up to sixteen icons, and the dock holds up to four icons. Users can delete Web Clips and third-party application, but not Apple's default programs, at any time.
Almost all input is given through the touch screen, which understands complex gestures using multi-touch. The iPhone's interaction techniques enable the user to move the content up or down by a touch-drag motion of the finger. For example, zooming in and out of web pages and photos is done by placing two fingers on the screen and spreading them farther apart or bringing them closer together, an gesture known as "pinching". Scrolling through a long list or menu is achieved by sliding a finger over the display from bottom to top, or vice versa to go back. In either case, the list moves as if it is pasted on the outer surface of a wheel, slowly decelerating as if affected by friction. In this way, the interface simulates the physics of a real 3D object. Other visual effect include horizontally sliding sub-selection, the vertically sliding keyboard and bookmarks menu, and widgets that turn around to allow settings to be configured on the other side. Menu bars are found at the top and bottom of the screen when necessary. Their options vary by program, but always follow a consistent style motif. In menu hierarchies, a "back" button in the top-left corner of the screen displays the name of the parent folder.


Phone
The iPhone allows audio conferencing, call holding, call merging, caller ID, and integration with other cellular network features and iPhone functions. It only supports Voice dialing through third party applications and video calling is not supported at all.
The iPhone includes a visual voicemail (in some countries) feature allowing users to view a list of current voicemail messages on-screen without having to call into their voicemail. Unlike most other systems, messages can be listened to and deleted in a non-chronological order by choosing any message from an on-screen list. AT&T, O2, T-Mobile Germany, and Orange modified their voicemail infrastructure to accommodate this new feature designed by Apple.[citation needed]

A music ringtone feature was introduced in the United States on September 5, 2007. Users can create custom ringtones from songs purchased from the iTunes Store for a small additional fee. The ringtones can be 3 to 30 seconds long from any part of a song, can fade in and out, pause from half a second to five seconds when looped, or loop continuously. All customizing can be done in iTunes, and the synced ringtones can also be used for alarms. Custom ringtones can also be created using Apple's GarageBand software 4.1.1 or later (available only on Mac OS X)[63] and third-party tools.[64] Custom ringtones are not supported in some countries.

Multimedia
The layout of the music library is similar to that of an iPod or current Symbian S60 phones. The iPhone can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos, playlists, genres, composers, podcasts, audiobooks, and compilations. Options are always presented alphabetically, except in playlists, which retain their order from iTunes. The iPhone uses a large font that allows users to touch their selection. Users can rotate their device horizontally to access Cover Flow. Like on iTunes, it shows the different album covers in a scroll-through photo library. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen.

The iPhone supports gapless playback.[65] Like the fifth generation iPods introduced in 2005, the iPhone can play video, allowing users to watch TV shows and films. Unlike other image-related content, video on the iPhone plays only in the landscape orientation, when the phone is turned sideways. Double tapping switches between wide-screen and full-screen video playback.
The iPhone allows users to purchase and download songs from the iTunes Store directly to their iPhone over Wi-Fi with the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, and as of Macworld San Francisco 2009, over the cellular data network.[66]


Internet connectivity

Wikipedia Main Page on iPhone's Safari in landscape modeInternet access is available when the iPhone is connected to a local area Wi-Fi or a wide area GSM or EDGE network, both second-generation (2G) wireless data standards. The iPhone 3G also supports third-generation UMTS and HSDPA 3.6,[67] but not HSDPA 7.2 or HSUPA networks. AT&T introduced 3G in July 2004,[68] but as late as 2007 Steve Jobs felt that it was still not widespread enough, and the chipsets not energy efficient enough, to be included in the iPhone.[30][69] The iPhone 3G has a maximum download rate of 1.4 Mbp/s.[70] Support for 802.1X, an authentication system commonly used by university and corporate Wi-Fi networks, was added in the 2.0 version update.[71]
By default, the iPhone will ask to join newly discovered Wi-Fi networks and prompt for the password when required. Alternatively, it can join closed Wi-Fi networks manually.[72] The iPhone will automatically choose the strongest network, connecting to Wi-Fi instead of EDGE when it is available.[73] Similarly, the iPhone 3G prefers 3G to 2G, and Wi-Fi to either.[74] Users can disable all wireless connections by activating Airplane Mode.

Safari is the iPhone's native web browser, and it displays pages similar to its Mac OS X counterpart. Web pages may be viewed in portrait or landscape mode and supports automatic zooming by pinching together or spreading apart fingertips on the screen, or by double-tapping text or images.[75][76] The iPhone supports neither Flash[77] nor Java.[78] Consequently, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority banned an advertisement claiming the iPhone could access "all parts of the Internet" on grounds of false advertising.[79] The iPhone supports SVG, CSS, HTML Canvas, and Bonjour.[80][81]
The maps application can access Google Maps in map, satellite, or hybrid form. It can also generate directions between two locations, while providing optional real-time traffic information. Support for walking directions, public transit, and street view was added in the version 2.2 software update.[58] During the iPhone's announcement, Jobs demonstrated this feature by searching for nearby Starbucks locations and then placing a prank call to one with a single tap.[13][82] Apple also developed a separate application to view YouTube videos on the iPhone, which streams videos over Wi-Fi, 2G, or 3G after encoding them using the open H.264 codec. Simple weather and stock quotes also tap in to the Internet.

iPhone users can and do access the internet frequently, and in a variety of places. According to Google, the iPhone generates 50 times more search requests than any other mobile handset.[83] According to Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermann, "The average Internet usage for an iPhone customer is more than 100 megabytes. This is 30 times the use for our average contract-based consumer customers."[84]

Text input

Virtual keyboard on the original iPhone's touchscreen.For text input, the iPhone implements a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen. It has automatic spell checking and correction, predictive word capabilities, and a dynamic dictionary that learns new words. The keyboard can predict what word the user is typing and complete it, and correct for the accidental pressing of keys adjacent to the presumed desired key. The keys are somewhat larger and spaced farther apart when in landscape mode, which is supported by only a limited number of applications. Holding a finger over a section of text brings up a magnifying glass, allowing users to place the cursor in the middle of existing text. The iPhone does not support cut, copy, or pasting text.[85] The virtual keyboard can accommodate 21 languages, including character recognition for Chinese.[86] A lack of focus on text-messaging is widely considered a chief weakness of the iPhone, although a large number of users evidently have no issue using the device for this purpose.[87]


E-mail
The iPhone also features an e-mail program that supports HTML e-mail, which enables the user to embed photos in an e-mail message. PDF, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint attachments to mail messages can be viewed on the phone.[88] Apple's MobileMe platform offers push email, which emulates the functionality of the popular BlackBerry email solution, for an annual subscription. Yahoo! offers a free push-email service for the iPhone. IMAP (although not Push-IMAP) and POP3 mail standards are also supported, including Microsoft Exchange[89] and Kerio MailServer.[90] In the first versions of the iPhone firmware, this was accomplished by opening up IMAP on the Exchange server. Apple has also licensed Microsoft ActiveSync and now supports the platform (including push email) with the release of iPhone 2.0 firmware.[91][92] The iPhone will sync e-mail account settings over from Apple's own Mail application, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Entourage, or it can be manually configured on the device itself. With the correct settings, the e-mail program can access almost any IMAP or POP3 account.[93]

Camera and photos

The photo display applicationThe iPhone features a built in 2.0 megapixel camera located on the back for still digital photos. It has no optical zoom, flash or autofocus, and does not support video recording. Version 2.0 of iPhone OS introduced the capability to embed location data in the pictures, producing geocoded photographs.

The iPhone includes software that allows the user to upload, view, and e-mail photos. The user zooms in and out of photos by sliding two fingers further apart or closer together, much like Safari. The Camera application also lets users view the camera roll, the pictures that have been taken with the iPhone's camera. Those pictures are also available in the Photos application, along with any transferred from iPhoto or Aperture on a Mac, or Photoshop in Windows.

Read more...