The iPhone took a significant step forward as a business tool today. Cisco announced at Macworld that its WebEx web conferencing and collaboration suite is now compatible with Apple's smartphone.

You can now obtain the WebEx Meeting Center client for the iPhone through the iTunes App Store. As with WebEx clients for other platforms, the software is free. Download it here.

With the software installed, iPhone users can actively collaborate in meetings by viewing what's being shared, seeing the meeting participant list, viewing the active speaker, and chatting with other meeting participants over a 3G or Wi-Fi network.

In addition, Cisco said users can seamlessly move in-session web and audio conferences from an iPhone 3G to a Mac and Cisco Unified IP Phone, and vice versa.

"This solution highlights Cisco's commitment to bringing business productivity to the user in their preferred environment," said Cisco's WebEx Technology Group vp of marketing June Bower in a statement. "When a powerful collaboration solution is combined with an elegant user experience, and a choice of device, businesses and users both win."

A future version of the iPhone application -- due during the second quarter -- will add the abilities to view a Cisco Unified MeetingPlace participant list and 'dust' Meeting Center and MeetingPlace meetings to and from an iPhone 3G.

See a video demo below to learn more about WebEx for the iPhone: