Apple iPhone: Mobile Innovation Award Winner 2007

Apple didn’t just manage to remove the geeky stigma from smart phones; Jobs and company made them so intuitive that a toddler can appreciate the innovation. For example, swiping your finger across the incredibly crisp multi-touch screen when looking at photos displays the next image.
 

Of course, this ease-of-use magic extends to other activities as well, whether you’re zooming in on a Web page (that looks like a traditional Web page) in Safari by tapping your finger twice, or you’re scrolling through dozens of album covers with a flick. Little details, like the ability to skip tracks by double clicking on the including earbud microphone, are just as impressive.
 

The iPhone is chock-full of other breakthroughs. Name one other phone that changes the screen’s orientation based on how you’re holding it. Or one that lets you play back your voicemail in the order you want. Or one that lets you not only locate the nearest coffee shop in Google Maps but dial it with a touch or get directions to it (complete with traffic info). Plus, dozens of Web 2.0 applications have already been written specifically for the iPhone, including VoIP apps, RSS readers, and a near-perfect mobile version of Facebook. (See p. 62)
 

More important, the iPhone will soon be able to run native third-party applications, which should be faster and more versatile than Web-based apps. And look at what else Apple has added to the iPhone’s feature list since launch--including the ability to download songs via Wi-Fi--as proof that this computing platform is only improving as time goes on. In other words, we’ll be using the iPhone as a smart phone measuring stick for years to come.