Netflix integration has changed the way many people use Xbox 360s and other video-game consoles. Will it do the same for mobile phones?

After a very long wait, the movie rental service this morning released an official app for iPhone and iPod touch (iTunes link). As with the earlier Netflix app for iPad, this is not just about managing a queue. The app includes the ability to stream selected movies and shows for viewing on the phone, over 3G or wifi, as long as the user has a basic Netflix account.

In the process, it accomplishes the type of seamless connectivity that many tech providers have been talking about for years. After I logged in for the first time this morning, the app let me resume a movie I stopped watching a few days ago, picking back up at the exact moment where I had stopped watching it.

Netflix's library of instant-streaming content remains far from comprehensive, but I'll still be making plenty of use of this on the bus and elsewhere. Suddenly I'm very happy that I didn't switch to AT&T's tiered data pricing plan.

There have been rumblings of a Netflix app for Android next, but no official word. A Netflix app for Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 7 was demonstrated earlier this year.