The New iPhone 4
So two years after my initial iPhone purchase, the time has come for me to finally upgrade and go with the newer and improved iPhone. I must first admit, after the initial releasing of the iPhone, I wasn’t all that impressed with some of the initial features or specifications, such as its design/look or the hard drive sizes. Leading up to the release of the new iPhone, I had read articles and even seen what were to be thought to be prototypes for the new phone that were really interesting and were kind of a change from what the past generations had looked like. Not that the design and feel of it now isn’t impressive, I had just thought they might go in a different or more abstract design for the actual phone itself. However, after investigating more in-depth about what the new iPhone 4 had to offer, the design/look became a ‘non-factor’ to me. Just from what I have read and reviewed on Apples website, the new iPhone 4 is quite impressive with what features and technical abilities it is able to do.
What caught my eye…
One feature that seems really neat to me is the video calls or otherwise known as “Face Time.” I feel like this could be a really neat way to communicate with your friends and family that you are far away from and not always able to see in person. I feel that the potential for this feature is amazing and can really take off, however not everyone has an iPhone and this feature is only limited to those who have the new iPhone 4. Another amazing thing to me was how slim they were able to make the new iPhone 4. The previous 3GS was 4.76 ounces and was 12.3mm (thin) by 62.1mm (narrow), the new 4 is slightly heavier at 4.8 ounces, but cuts down in other dimensions by being 9.3mm (thin) and 58.6mm (narrow). I truly don’t think the .04 ounces are really going to make that much of a difference.
iPhone 4 images originally appeared on Apple.com.
A few things to point out…
- Background audio (think Pandora).
- Background VoIP (think Skype).
- Background location data, both with live GPS for background turn-by-turn, and cell tower-based for lower power draw.
- Orientation lock — you can set it to always stay in portrait
- Spell check (like on the iPad).
- Bluetooth keyboard support (again, on the iPad).
- User-defined wallpaper (a jailbreak favorite).
- Tap to focus when recording video, just like with photos, and a 5x digital zoom for the camera.
- Playlist creation and nested playlists
- App folders for sorting apps. You can even put an app folder in the dock.
- Enhanced Mail. You can have a merged inbox view, switch between inboxes quickly, and sync to more than one Exchange account. There’s also threaded messaging (at last!) and in-app attachment viewing.
- iBooks, just like on iPad, only smaller. You can wirelessly sync books between platforms, a la Kindle.
- Enterprise features, including remote device management and wireless app distribution.
- Local notifications. Like push notifications, but sends a notification straight from the app without needing a push notification server, perfect for an alarm, for instance.
- Fast app switching. Saves the state of an app and resumes it from where you left off, without dwelling in memory.
Getting your hands on one…
If you’re upgrading a line of AT&T service that you already have, the situation is a little bit more complicated, but AT&T has made it about as painless as possible. The first thing you need to do is confirm whether you’re eligible for what AT&T refers to as the “new activation” price — this is the same price you’d pay as though you were a new customer coming in off the street, and it’s usually the best price a carrier offers on a phone. AT&T’s extended eligibility by six months to many of its current customers, so make sure you check! You’ve got three options:
- Visit AT&T’s website. From there, you’ll log into your account and click on the “Check Upgrade Options” link.
- Dial *639# on your current AT&T phone. In a few seconds, you’ll get a reply text message telling you what’s up — whether you’re eligible, or if not, the date on which you will be.
- Call customer service. No offense to AT&T’s call center reps, but we’d use this as a last resort.
Final Thoughts…
So with the actual physical release of the new iPhone 4 rapidly approaching, I feel that it is safe to say that the rush is going to be just as big as past generations of the iPhone, if not more intense than previous models before. I will upgrade to this new version of the iPhone, but I think I am going to do the “safer” thing and wait a little while and let the big rush make its way through and then make the purchase, that way it is much less hectic and less busy. Initially from what I have read and seen through video and pictures, I am very impressed and very much set on upgrading and buying the new 4. The true test and true review will be once I buy the phone, we will see how I like it then, so stay tuned, the real review will be out very soon!
Comments(2)
I can’t wait to upgrade from my 3G. At least I’ll have a few buddies with iPhone 4′s to test out FaceTime, because I’m sure no one in my family will!
@Tommy, i agree, i’m kinda impressed and excited to try out the FaceTime feature … I think that is huge