Apple iPhone 4

The new 4th generation iPhone from Apple is another breakthrough in mobile technology. It features the same A4 processor as the iPad, and with the improved power management can handle up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi browsing, 7 hours 3G talk time, 40 hours of music playing, or 300 hours standby time. The design has been updated as well to a more industrial look, while also making it thinner and smaller than the current model.

iphone4

Apple has also included 802.11n wifi, assisted GPS, bluetooth, 32GB flash storage, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and the list goes on. As Jobs mentioned in his announcement the six-axis gyroscope should be useful for game developers to use in ushering in new types of mobile games for the iPhone.

A much needed improvement is the camera, which has been upgraded to 5MP with an LED flash that can also be used as a flashlight while filming videos. While 5MP isn’t as much resolution as the new HTC phones have, it also includes a backside-illumination sensor which results in much better photos, especially in low-light conditions.

camera

The camera is also capable of recording HD 720p video at 30 frames per second and comes with built in movie editing software for editing and uploading directly to the internet, though most users will probably want to buy the $4.99 iMovie app which features much more robust editing features than the built-in software.



Probably the biggest development in the new iPhone is the “retina display”, so called because the pixels are so small that you’re eye can’t see them from more than a couple of inches away. The pixel density is 326 pixels per inch, and on a 3.5 inch display results in 960 x 640 resolution and more than 4 times the pixel density of the 3GS. Here is an example of the old 3GS display and the iPhone 4G zoomed in:

res

Wow, now that’s resolution. Apple now holds the record for the most pixels per inch on a mobile display but even so it’s still a close call between the new iPhone screen and an AMOLED screen, such as on the Samsung Galaxy S.

Of course with the new iPhone comes a new OS, now called simply iOS 4 (”phone” was dropped because it’s also used on the iPad). The new update allows several new features including a form of multitasking, folders, and sever hundred other small updates.

videoVideo calling is supported on the new iPhone with an app called FaceTime, and it works very well. The only snag is that it currently only works on WiFi networks due to bandwidth constraints, and only between 2 people with the new iPhone. Jobs says that he’s working with mobile operators to make FaceTime available over 3G networks soon, which will actually make it a useful app instead of a novelty.

The new iPhone is currently available for $199 from AT&T with a 2 year agreement and current owners of iPhones can upgrade even if they’re current 2 year upgrade time limit hasn’t run up.

*update* In the first 3 days of availability Apple has sold 1.7 million of the new iPhones and set a world record, I guess the people have spoken.