Apple announces its iPhone, Dell introduces new Plant A Tree program

Apple founder and chief executive Steve Jobs today confirmed much the incredible media hype of recent weeks in announcing Apple's plans for an iPhone:

Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday announced the iPod maker's long-awaited leap into the mobile phone business and renamed the company just "Apple Inc.," reflecting its increased focus on consumer electronics.

The iPhone, which will start at $499 when it launches in June, is controlled by touch, plays music, surfs the Internet and runs the Macintosh computer operating system. Jobs said it will "reinvent" wireless communications and "leapfrog" past the current generation of smart phones.

The iPhone will operate exclusively on AT&T Inc.'s Cingular Wireless network. Models will cost around half a grand and are supposed to become available at the beginning of the summer. However:

..the company's lawyers have yet to finalize an agreement to license the name from networking gear maker Cisco Systems Inc.

Cisco has owned the trademark on the name "iPhone" since 2000, when it acquired the company that originally registered the name, InfoGear Technology Corp.

And three weeks ago, Cisco's Linksys division put the trademark to use, releasing an Internet-enabled phone called "iPhone" that uses the increasingly popular Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.

Apple wasn't the only company with an intriguing announcement today, though:

Dell introduced a new environmental "Plant a Tree for Me" program in which it offered to plant a tree for every PC sold. It also challenged the industry to follow its lead with a free recycling program.

[...]

Dell also unveiled several products.

One of them was a "Home Media Suite," which included a new media center PC based on Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows Vista operating system, a 27-inch flat-panel monitor, a printer and wireless router. Dell said it will be the first PC that can play back and record premium cable content.

Dell said it will also offer a new online data-migration service called "Dell DataSafe." It's an online service in which users would let Dell store their digital photos, movies, music or other data, so Dell could pre-load the data onto a customer's newly purchased systems.

Kudos to Dell for continuing to be a leader in recycling and environmental programs (which coincidentally is an area where Apple needs to improve).