iPhone Features
The front surface of the Apple iPhone has only one button -- the Home button. Pressing the Home button takes you to the main screen of the iPhone's graphical user interface. There, you can choose from the device's four primary functions using icons at the bottom of the phone:
- Phone: 3G, GSM or EDGE cellular phone service as well as a visual voice mail menu
- Mail: POP and IMAP e-mail access, including in-line pictures, HTML capabilities and push e-mail
- Web: Safari Web browser
- iPod: Music and videos
You can open the iPhone's other applications from the upper portion of the Home screen. These include a calendar, calculator, notepad, and widgets, or mini-applications made specifically for the iPhone. Older iPhones include a 2.0- or 3.2-megapixel camera and software you can use to organize your pictures -- the iPhone 4 ups the stakes with a 5-megapixel camera. You can also use an iPhone to check weather reports and stock quotes. Even though the iPhone doesn't support Flash, which the YouTube site relies on, you can watch YouTube videos using the corresponding application. The keys and buttons you need to navigate each application appear only when you need them.
The shape of the screen changes when you need it to as well -- you can shift the perspective from vertical to horizontal by tilting the phone. An accelerometer inside the iPhone lets the operating system know to change the orientation of the image on the screen. This means that you can scroll through long lists of music files on a long, narrow screen, and you can watch movies in a widescreen format. You can learn more about accelerometers in How the Wii Works.
The second generation of the iPhone introduced several new features. We'll take a closer look at those in the next section.
