TECHNOLOGY

It may have been the worst-kept secret in the industry, but the unveiling of the Apple iPhone yesterday still generated huge cheers of excitement around the world.

Heralded as a revolution in mobile technology, the much-hyped handset combines a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and an internet communications device with email, web browsing, searching and maps into one gorgeously-designed lightweight package. It features a 3.5in colour display, which you can simply tap to play music, dial contacts and select functions; a full onscreen QWERTY keyboard for easy text messaging; and a two-megapixel camera.

The iPhone is quadband, WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, runs a mini version of Apple's OS X operating system with an Intel processor (but is compatible with both PCs and Macs), and offers five hours of battery life when talking, browsing the web, or watching video, or 16 hours of audio playback. It will be available in 4GB and 8GB capacities, priced at $499 (£257) and $599 (£310) respectively.