The iPhone could be the best gadget invention of all time, according to an industry expert.

Jonathan Margolis, writing for the Daily Mail, said that despite being billed as a ‘phone‘, the iPhone is much more than that.
“Indeed, thanks to the iPhone’s revolutionary App Store, the smartphone can be converted into 85,000 different devices,” he added.

“The iPhone’s sheer usefulness has made it a global sensation whose history is only in its early stages.”

Mr Margolis commented that apart from being a phone, an internet surfing pocket computer, a camera and media player, the iPhone’s App Store can also turn the device into a satellite navigation system, a spirit level, a Scrabble opponent and a barcode reader.

His comments follow Apple chief executive Steve Jobs’ announcement that there have been more than two billion downloads from the App Store, with more than 500 million coming in the past three months.

Telecoms giant Vodafone has secured the right to sell the iPhone in the UK, less than 24 hours after Orange announced a similar deal.

The move is likely to lead to a price war between the two companies, with O2, who has had a two-year exclusive grip on the device, also continuing to sell it in the UK.

However, Vodafone customers wanting to upgrade will have to wait until the new year to get their hands on the smartphone.

The company has also opened up an online pre-registration process which customers can sign up to in advance of the iPhone becoming available.

Vodafone, which will now be selling the handset in 13 different countries, was originally interested in getting the exclusive rights but was put off by Apple’s demands, which stated that it would have to pass on some product sales revenues.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs recently confirmed that over two billion applications had been sold through the iPhone’s App Store and this is set to grow as more people get their hands on the device.

O2’s exclusive deal to provide Apple’s iPhone handset in the UK will end after Orange announced that it would be selling the device later this year.

In a brief statement by the company, Orange said that it had agreed a deal with the US computer company to provide the iPhone to British customers.

Pricing plans or exact dates have not yet been released, although Orange did confirm that the iPhone will be available through its webshop, telesales channels and high street stores.

O2 has had exclusivity on the iPhone for the past two years, selling more than one million units, with more than 20 million being sold worldwide.

The deal will come as a big boost to Orange, which is set to merge with the UK arm of T-Mobile in the near future, which could make the iPhone available to a nearly 49 million mobile phone users across Britain.

An industry expert has claimed that mobile applications are ‘here to stay’ after Nokia launched a nationwide competition for its own app store, called Ovi.

Tom Newton, a spokesperson for mobile phone information site Recombu.com, said that Apple’s iTunes and App Store had proven that there is a rich seam to be mined within app sales and mobile content.

He added: “Virtually all of the major networks and mobile manufacturers have launched or are working on some form of app store or online music, film or content portal – apps are definitely here to stay.”

Mr Newton’s comments came as Nokia announced its contest to encourage developers in the UK to produce a variety of applications, which will be available to download from the Ovi Store.

Apps are sought in five categories including social location, business productivity and social networking with the overall winner across the five categories being given £20,000 in cash and a ticket to a Nokia developer event in spring 2010.

Push email services from Google’s Gmail accounts are now available to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The new features will be available via Google Sync, which allows users to push contacts and calendars to smartphones such as the iPhone or Windows Mobile-powered devices.

When email is sent to a Gmail account, it will also be pushed through to the relevant iPhone, meaning that emails are always up-to-date.

Previously this feature, which had been promised by Apple, was only available when using a third party application.

Google Sync also allows users to synchronise their online contacts and calendars to their mobile phone, meaning that alerts will occur when a calendar reminder is reached and users’ contacts can also be retrieved from cyber space.

The new facility, which will be useful for businessmen who need to be connected with their email accounts at all times, draws the iPhone ever closer to the corporate capabilities that the Blackberry offers.

The car kit for TomTom’s iPhone satellite navigation application has started to appear in online stores.

Apple’s UK website has the product available to pre-order, with a shipping date of between two and three weeks.

The device, a cradle for the iPhone and an external GPS receiver, is priced at £99.95.

Clear voice instructions will be heard through the cradle’s built in speaker, which will mean that drivers should never miss a turning.

Furthermore, people worried about draining the iPhone’s battery do not have to worry as the cradle will charge up the device while on the road.

Users will now also be able to make hands-free calls using the supplied microphone and speaker, while music can also be played from the iPhone through the car radio using an audio out cable.

People wanting to turn their iPhone into a state-of-the-art satellite navigation system can download the TomTom application through the App Store for £59.99.