If you are a business professional like I am, you probably use your iPhone for more than simply keeping in touch with your friends and family. In many cases your iPhone is your link to the business world when you are away from your laptop. Whether you are checking your e-mail, keeping track of your stocks or conducting conference calls while on your way to a business meeting, your Apple iPhone is literally your key to keeping connected with your professional life.

Like most business professionals, you probably also travel the world in order to keep your business active and profitable. One of the main concerns that business people have with cell phones is whether or not they will be able to use their phone in a foreign country, especially if they are visiting for an extended period of time. I know I do. That is why I want you to know that you can use your iPhone overseas.

Like most cell phones, the iPhone works with a particular cell phone carrier, and in this case you have your service through AT&T/Cingular. Many business professionals want the security in knowing that their cell phone service will not be disrupted simply because they travel from country to country. Since the iPhone is serviced by AT&T/Cingular, you will not have to worry about loosing service, or features, because the iPhone uses the GSM system. GSM is an acronym that stands for Global System for Mobile communication, thus allowing you to use your cell phone in many different countries. Actually, there are over one hundred countries around the world that use GSM. This allows you to keep using your Apple iPhone without any hindrance to cell service.

Many business travelers go to Europe and Asia, and since their iPhone uses GSM, they are able to have excellent service throughout both of these locations. However, there are some precautions that you will want to take before you leave the country with your Apple iPhone. Speaking as someone traveling from America — if you have ever traveled throughout the world and used your cell phone, you were probably surprised by extremely high charges for phone and data use.

This is because your number is an American telephone number, thus every call you make within another country is looked upon by your carrier as an international call. If you are overseas for quite some time, than it is easy to accumulate several hundred dollars worth of fees and roaming charges, this is why you will want to alter you calling plan if you travel overseas frequently.

AT&T/Cingular has really great international calling plans that are very cost effective. Thus you are able to still travel the world without having to worry about roaming and international call fees. Also, if you use data on your iPhone, which most of us do, you will want to make sure that you have an international data plan as well. The worst homecoming surprise you can get is opening your cell phone bill only to find several hundred dollars worth of extra charges and fees. However, if you plan ahead and make sure that you obtain a new service plan that includes international cell phone use, you will not have to worry about extremely high charges.

You’ve heard of this video sharing site called YouTube, right? Of course you have … and so have a few hundred million people. But just in case you’ve missed the greatest online video phenomena of the 21st century, let me explain what it is. YouTube.com is a site where people upload their “entertaining” videos for the world to see. These videos are usually homemade. Think of it as a self-inflicted version of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” The really funny – and amazing – thing is that millions of people enjoy watching these videos.

Steve Jobs, I mean Apple, knows how popular YouTube is, and they have included a special player in the iPhone for those who cannot be without their daily dose of YouTube. The YouTube player launches right from the Home screen, and allows you to quickly access your favorite videos. Just for comparison, without the iPhone you had to first download the video onto your computer, then convert the format, then upload it to your mobile device. Yuck. What a pain. The iPhone makes this process easy and automatic.

Of course, new videos are always being uploaded to YouTube all the time. What if you find a video that you know that your friend will enjoy? How do you send it to them on your iPhone? Not to worry, because the amazing iPhone has the ability to create the email with a link to the video in it.

Whether you have uploaded videos to YouTube yourself or you are someone who simply enjoys watching videos on YouTube, you are really going to love this feature on the iPhone. You can watch your favorite videos, share them with friends, and look for new ones just like you can on a desktop or laptop computer. There’s no need to miss watching your favorite videos because you don’t have access to a computer; just watch them right there on your iPhone. How cool is that?

One really cool thing about the iPhone is how you can add additional applications to the phone, depending on your specific needs. If you are a business professional who needs help organizing your life, than you will love the productivity applications you can download onto your iPhone. However, if you are a simple iPhone user, who just wants to be better connected to the world around you, than there are many applications that you can choose from. One of the most popular applications for the iPhone is the WeatherBug application.

This amazing app allows you to have up-to-date weather readings, which make planning a picnic extremely simple. How many times have you wondered what the weather was going to be like next week? Well, instead of tuning on your nightly news for the long-winded forecast, you can simply look to your iPhone and it will give you a detailed weather forecast.

Another great application that everyone should have on their iPhone is the Food Network Application. This application is perfect for families, as well as those who live alone but enjoy a great meal every night. With this application you are able to discover and read-off the hottest recipes from various Food Network shows. These recipes give you detailed instructions, as well as videos, to over 30,000 recipes. Are you in the mood for particular types of food, but you don’t know exactly what it is? Well, you can browse the index of recipes depending on the type of ingredients it uses, how long it will take to cook as well as even holiday dishes. This application is one of the most useful apps that you can have on your iPhone, especially if you love to cook.

This next application is for those of us who want to “eat, play, and meet.” The application is called buzzd. It uses the iPhone’s GPS capability and notifies you of interesting bars, restaurants, and events. It also shows you if your friends are nearby so that you can hook-up.

Speaking of GPS, the iPhone has a built-in map that guides you to your destination. Use it like you would use Google Maps. Zoom in on where you are. Then use the map to help you navigate to where you want to go. How cool is that?