First results from the ALICE experiment

We present the results from the first series of minimum-bias measurements with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. Charged-particle pseudorapidity density, multiplicity distribution and transverse momentum spectra were measured using data collected in 2009 and 2010 at three different centre-of-mass energies of 0.9, 2.36 and 7 TeV. The results are compared to previous proton-antiproton data and to model predictions. Besides the valuable physics outcome the first ALICE results show also the exceptional operation of both the LHC machine and the ALICE experiment.