14 DAY TRIAL // One can always look at sales figures or market share number to determine just how big a device really is, but the real indication is when established services start being tailored fitted specifically to that device, while grouping everything else together in the same pile.
If you've ever used a telephone, chances are you've also used Yellow Pages at some point in time. The famed phone directory is as ubiquitous as the iPod in its field, and has been so for many, many years. Now, Yellow Pages owner, AT&T, has started offering the directory in a format specifically tailored to be enjoyed on iPhones and iPod touches. Accessible to anyone that points their Safari browser towards the Yellow Pages site, the new format lets users search for places, or services, as well as providing maps, directions, and ratings. Those using an iPhone can make use of the built in dialing capabilities to quickly call any phone number in the directory.
Using Yellow Pages on the iPhone is quite appropriate, especially considering their 'let your fingers do the walking' slogan, which ties in perfectly to how the service is controlled through the multi-touch interface. The maps aspect is less than ideal, as the Microsoft MapPoint implementation is nowhere near as good as the iPhone's default Google Maps one. Regardless, between Google Maps and Yellow Pages, users have the best of everything.
AT&T has also announced that an optimized WAP version of the site has been made available for 20 other AT&T phones, as well as a downloadable client. Users browsing the site can also have results sent as a text message to a cell phone, complete with driving instructions. This is just another in a long list of services that are being especially adapted to work with the iPhone, and the new iPod touch. Between these two devices, Apple has already established itself as the new standard of mobile Internet, and any new models will only serve to further cement this position.