For those of you who don't remember the Newton, it was Apple's first and last foray into the handheld computing market back in 1993. Although it was ground breaking and unique, it was a little ahead of its time and definitely too expensive. The Newton was a little too big to be called a true handheld computer and only worked with a heavy, built-in rechargeable battery. Just three short years later, a small company just down the street from Apple called Palm, introduced the Palm Pilot. It was less than one-half the size of a Newton, ran on a single AAA battery, had an ingeniously accurate handwriting recognition system, AND could synchronize data easily with a PC or Macintosh computer.

Fast forward to this week. Steve Jobs gave his usually raucous key note address at the annual Apple convention known as Macworld Expo. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device slightly smaller than the Newton, but bigger than a Palm Pilot, and he pronounced it as the iPhone (already in legal trouble with Cisco who claims they own the rights to the name). Apple has been on a tear for about six years now the introduction of the iMac all-in-one computers, the iPod, and iTunes. Trying to capitalize on their recent successes, they decided to enter the "smart phone" market.

A smart phone is defined as a cellular phone that can also be used to synchronize contact, calendar, to do lists, and documents with a computer. They also have a full QWERTY keyboard built into them. These types of phones are extremely popular amongst the geek sector and the 'wanna be' geek sector. Blackberry handheld email devices made email mobile, then Palm introduced the revolutionary Treo smart phone and remains the top vote getter in this market. One problem plagues the smart phone market; there aren't that many geeks. Despite seeing how incredibly useful and versatile a Treo phone can be, most people scoff at it's size and say, "It's too big! I could never carry that thing." Treo's tip the scales at just over 5 ounces and measures: 4.44" H x 2.3" W x 0.8" D. One other factor hinders large scale smart phone sales; many computer users barely understand their computers let alone try and use a smart phone.

Back to the iPhone. Let's start with its dimensions. It weighs about 5 ounces and measures: 4.5" H x 2.4" W x 0.46" D. The iPhone is very Treoish in size, but thinner. However, it will carry a $500-600 price tag and lacks a physical QWERTY keyboard that smart phones tote. Instead, Apple opted to use a virtual keyboard that must be typed with your fingers on the screen that Apple promises will be easy and accurate (dubbed Multi-touch). It will contain up to 8 GB of space to store pictures, movies, and of course iTunes (ahem music). Here is a short list of some of its features:

• "Visual" voicemail
• SMS capability
• WiFi, Bluetooth, and of course Cellular wireless capabilities
• Play music
• Watch movies
• View pictures
• Browse Internet (and zoom in on parts of a web page)
• Email
• Calendaring
• Advanced contact list
• Take pictures

The iPhone isn't expected to be available until June of this year, and it will only work with the Cingular network. A compelling device to be sure, but I wonder if the iPhone is just slightly ahead of its time…a la the Newton. The market seems a little too narrow for this device, and I wonder if hard core Mac heads will scoff at it because it is a grayish black, not white.