Linksys Lays Claim to iPhone Name
By Colleen Taylor -- EDN, December 18, 2006
Although Apple Computer has officially stayed mum on rumors about its upcoming foray into the wireless communications biz, if and when it arrives, Apple's mobile phone product probably will not be named the "iPhone," as many in the industry expected.
Instead, it is Cisco Systems Inc.'s Linksys division that has unveiled a family of handheld devices with the iPhone moniker.
Products in Linksys' iPhone product line integrate popular communication clients, like Skype and Yahoo! messenger with voice, to help allow real-time presence features, Linksys described. Further, both new iPhone products allow free or inexpensive voice calls in addition to real-time contact list access and presence information that lets the user know if the intended call recipient is available. With products in the iPhone family, callers can toggle between the free VoIP calling options available from Skype or Yahoo! and traditional landline service, according to a statement released today from Linksys.
The iPhone product family also includes products that integrate the standards-based SIP VoIP protocol. Consumers can use these iPhone products to access music, photos, and streaming video from sources on the Internet so they can combine the product with wireless video cameras.
Prices for the phones, which are currently available, range from $99.99 to $369.99.
