iPhone

The Linksys iPhone is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) device that was initially released by the company Linksys, a subsidiary of Cisco Systems. This iPhone predates Apple's iPhone, and the two are completely different products.

The Linksys iPhone was a series of VoIP handsets and adapters, designed to enable users to make phone calls over the internet rather than through traditional phone lines. These devices connected directly to a network via an Ethernet cable, and some models also supported Wi-Fi connections.

There were several models of the Linksys iPhone, offering various features such as cordless handset options, integrated answering machines, large color displays, and even the capability to switch between VoIP and traditional landline calls.

In December 2006, shortly before Apple announced its own iPhone, Cisco's Linksys division introduced a new series of VoIP phones under the "iPhone" brand.

The iPhone family of Voice over IP handheld devices from Linksys harnessed the power of the Internet to enhance voice communications, integrate compelling information services, and deliver access to multimedia. Voice applications are at the core of the iPhone family. However, with iPhone handheld devices, consumers could do more than just dial a phone number and wait to see if someone answers on the other end. Products in the iPhone product line integrated popular communication clients to enable real-time presence features that can allow consumers to see when their friends and family are online and ready to receive a call. The iPhone product family also included products like the Wireless-G IP Phone that integrate the popular standards-based SIP VoIP protocol. Consumers could use the iPhone to access music, photos, and streaming video from sources on the Internet so they can combine the product with wireless video cameras to create a real-time home monitoring solution. The iPhone Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype embedded the communications client into a cordless phone base station that was attached directly to the home network via Ethernet, making it easy to place calls to other Skype users, mobile phones, or landlines without turning on a computer.

The clash in the name iPhone resulted in a trademark dispute with Apple Inc. In February 2007, Cisco and Apple agreed to resolve their dispute, with both companies allowed to use the "iPhone" name.

After the settlement, Linksys continued to sell their VoIP products under the "Linksys iPhone" brand for a while, but eventually, the products were rebranded, dropping the "iPhone" moniker, and started to focus simply on "Linksys VoIP" products.

Today, the term "iPhone" is universally associated with Apple's smartphone, but in the context of VoIP and Linksys, it refers to a series of internet telephony products that played a significant role in the early consumer adoption of VoIP technology.