VoIP iPhone Announced - from Cisco, Not Apple

The iPhone has been announced. Just not the iPhone everyone was expecting. No, not Apple's iPhone, which - by the way - will most likely undergo a name change now that Cisco plans to release a line of Linksys voice-over-IP devices that will go under the name of "iPhone".

In fact, Cisco owns the iPhone trademark and not Apple, therefore the release of Apple's music phone under the name of iPhone is totally out of the question, although most have grown so used to the name that they might still continue to call it that.

While it is safe to say that Apple knew about Cisco's trademark, and Cisco had a reason to announce these phones just after the many recent rumors, concerning Apple's 'iPod' phone, what the actual name of the music phone will be becomes a pretty interesting question.

As for Linksys' series of iPhones, it includes several wireless phones with Skype and Yahoo Messenger capabilities which will allow the users to toggle between the VoIP calls and traditional landline calls.

"As the next generation of handheld devices, Linksys iPhone voice solutions and products are changing the way people communicate with their friends, family and colleagues. They enable compelling internet services, allow consumers to know when their contacts are available for calls, and offer access to personal content like music, movies and live video cameras." said Mike Pocock, Linksys senior vice president and general manager.

While not exactly the iPhone most people had in mind, the Linksys Wireless-G Phone WIP320, from the iPhone series, comes with pre-loaded Skype, supports SkypeOut dialing and can display the caller's ID on the screen.