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Apple iPhone 4 – 32GB review

Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by admin in call phones

Editor’s note: Due to the Apple decided to offer free iPhone cases 4, antenna, no more than the original iPhone 4 points. If the Editors’ Choice get to the problems we had to be reduced.

New design, glossy screen, faster processor and additional features, the iPhone is the fourth major update to the iPhone 3G phone from Apple. The handset is also an opportunity to introduce the latest Apple operating system IOS four choice of delays and a few small changes that we had not expected.

If independent and iPhone IOS is not an April 4 The set of points in the radar image intelligence. If connected to a computer, but the result is an elegant, satisfying and convincing evidence that Apple is increasingly competitive market as crowded. In fact, the iPhone 4 a fast, new material is a voyeur, and a few new features, we have word. Elsewhere however, have doubts. Call reception is problematic and the need to use one thing or bumpers to prevent problems with the antenna, a new game site in multi-tasking and is welcomed with open arms, but it has drawbacks. Although the video calls FaceTime obvious that we wonder whether the problem is more than a week.

So what to buy? If you’re a fan of the iPhone, you probably already ordered a new baby. But if the fence, then you are mistaken. We are not saying that the iPhone is the fourth best Smartphone on the market. These can not ignore the call to many important races in Mobile, not the high exchange rate in the world technology. If Apple’s smooth, well organized and see a bit of experience will, “closed user group, then all means that you are happy. Remember, to get this free event. But if you want a smart phone, which is a custom, which is intended in no way associated with AT & T, the same or a mobile phone and computer parts, so many smartphones in the sea.

4 iPhone is only for AT & T, and other U.S. airlines in the world. New two-year AT & T customers pay $ 299 and the 32GB model and $ 199 and the 16GB version. Without the agreement, will pay $ 699 or $ 599, respectively, but the phone is still locked AT & T. And hey, Apple, which is over 64 GB?

Project

While the iPhone is 3G and 3G mobile phones just one proposal, the iPhone is a great four previous models. Of course, we have never had problems before with the phone, but we ask four changes to the iPhone. Front and rear glass, both surfaces are flat and stainless steel frame around the phone. Put a little look “clean, Apple, thin, no doubt. I love how flat back, did not hesitate when the phone is on the table. For the iPhone in April, both black and white, but I prefer the first.

So much glass is shiny and beautiful, but we have a couple of concerns. Despite the oleophobic coating on both the front and back sides, the glass attracts smudges by the ton. Also, even though Apple CEO Steve Jobs promises that glass better resists scratches and cracks than plastic, we’ll be watching long-term durability. The iPhone 4 has a solid, sturdy feel, though we didn’t love its sharp corners. It survived a few drops to a carpeted floor, but we wonder how it will withstand traveling in a pocket with keys and coins. Luckily, the Apple-supplied bumper will offer needed protection, even if it takes away from the handset’s sleek profile. Time will tell how it holds up to heavy use.

The iPhone 4 (left) compared with the iPhone 3G.

At 4.5 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.37 inch deep, the iPhone 4 is as tall as the iPhone 3GS, but slightly thinner–25 percent, to be exact–and narrow when measured across its front face. It does feel smaller when compared with its predecessors, but we don’t think that’s a bad thing. Jobs called it the thinnest smartphone around, but since that race changes daily, it may not hold the title for long. When put on the scales it comes in at 4.8 ounces, which is back to what we had with the first iPhone (both the 3G and 3GS models were slightly lighter). We attribute the extra girth to the bigger battery, so we’re not going to complain. And more to the point, the difference is barely noticeable.

User controls

Other new design elements include a new front-facing VGA camera, a new LED flash with the main camera lens, and a new noise-cancellation microphone on the phone’s top side. Needless to say, we welcome the additions since they represent new functionality (See the Features section for more details). We also don’t mind the new split volume buttons, since they’re a bit easier to grasp than the previous volume rocker.

The handset has a sturdy feel in the hand.

Above the volume controls is the usual mute switch, which Apple also gave a small makeover. In bigger changes, Apple moved the SIM card slot to the right spine and switched to a Micro-SIM format, just like the iPad. According to Jobs, the Micro-SIM format allows more space for the larger battery. Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to use a standard SIM in the phone.

The remaining exterior elements are largely unchanged. The Home button is in its normal place below the display; the 3.5mm headset jack and power key sit up top next to the aforementioned noise-cancellation microphone; and the 30-pin connector, microphone, and speaker are where they belong on the iPhone 4′s bottom end. Unfortunately, and to no one’s surprise, you still can’t remove the battery.

In the box come the usual accessories, like the small wall plug, a USB/30-pin connector cable, and the standard Apple earbuds. Oddly, you do not get the SIM removal tool that came with the previous models. True, you can use a small paper clip, but we’re miffed that we didn’t get it. Apple didn’t have an explanation for the omission.

The iPhone 4′s antennas wrap around its thin profile.
Antennas
The stainless steel border is more than just decorative; it doubles as two new antennas that circle the entire phone, minus three small notches. Seriously, leave it to Apple’s industrial design team to make an antenna pretty. The first antenna, which runs from the notch on the top of the phone to the notch on the left side, is for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. That leaves the second antenna, which spans from the top notch down the right side and around to the bottom of the phone, for EDGE and 3G.

Though Apple did not specifically promise that the new antennas would improve call quality or Wi-Fi reception, their very existence is an indirect admission (and the first that we’ve seen by the company) that data and voice reception have been troublesome and need to be addressed. Though current iPhone users largely blame AT&T for connectivity problems, remember that both a carrier’s network and a phone’s antenna play a part in reception. Yet, as we mention below in the Performance section, the antenna didn’t magically cure all reception issues. In fact, it even caused new problems.
Display and interface

Sometimes the best gift is something that you didn’t know you wanted, and that’s definitely the case with the iPhone 4′s display. It features a 940×640-pixel (326 pixels per square inch) “Retina Display,” which is four times the resolution of previous iPhone models. What’s more, it uses the same IPS screen that’s found on the iPad, with an 800:1 contrast ratio. Though we’ve always thought highly of the current iPhone displays, the company needs to compete with the gorgeous AMOLED screens and TFT displays we’ve seen on many Android phones like the HTC Evo 4G. And that’s exactly what it’s done.

The iPhone’s display is beautiful. Just above is the VGA camera lens.

Though “stunning,” “gorgeous,” and “dazzling” are words we usually use to describe high-quality smartphone displays, we’re not sure if they do the iPhone 4 justice. Believe us that everything about this display is fantastic, from the bold colors and graphics to the vividly clear text. You can see it reasonably well in direct light and the details on Web pages, photos, videos, and applications are as sharp as they come. But the best thing is that you can’t see any pixels on the display. It’s quite remarkable and especially apparent when you hold it up next to the 3GS. No, we’re not inclined to completely believe Apple’s claim that the display exceeds what’s perceivable by the human eye, but there’s no denying that it looks good. We haven’t seen the yellow areas that users have complained about. For more on the display, see the full testing results from CNET Labs.
Of course, the iPhone 4 has the same ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer as the previous iPhones. We saw no change in their functionality. We would have liked to see how Flash videos tested on the display, but you know how that goes.
Features

With a heavy load of new goodies, the iPhone 4 runs circles around its 3GS predecessor in bringing new features. Some are unique to the device, and others come with the iOS 4 update. We’ll cover the latter group first.
Multitasking: Though you’ve always been able to multitask with native iPhone features like the music player, the option is now available for third-party apps. Your primary access point is a multitasking menu that’s accessible by double-tapping the Home button. Once there, you’ll see a list of currently running applications along the bottom of the display that you can scroll through using a sideways finger swipe. The pop-up menu shows only four apps at a time, but you can keep many more in the tray.

The new multitasking feature is accessible by double-tapping the Home button.

Managing the multitasking menu couldn’t be easier. To open a running app, scroll though the menu and tap its icon once. When you’re ready to end an app, first use a long press on the related icon and then click the tiny delete icon in the top left corner. Switching among apps is a simple process as well: as you move back and forth, you’ll return to the exact point you left. There’s also a clear sense of organization, with the most recently used app on the left side. All things considered, it’s a very Apple experience.

But is it real?: As you’d expect, Apple’s multitasking works a little differently than on other smartphones. Instead of having all device resources available to every running app, iOS 4 lets only seven app services run in the background. According to Apple, this arrangement will have less of a drain on resources like battery life and memory than if it gave developers free rein. Also, since background apps essentially pause, it will free the system from having to juggle resources and kill stalled applications.

So what can you do in the background? Apple’s seven approved processes include audio (you’ll be able to play Pandora radio, for example), VoIP services like Skype, GPS/location for apps like TomTom, push notifications, and local notifications (those that don’t to have to go through a server), task completion, and fast app switching (apps essentially hibernate not to use the CPU). The latter two are most notable. With task completion, an app will finish something it’s already started even if you send it to the background; it will send you an alert when it’s through. Fast app switching, on the other hand, is the app hibernation process that allows you to toggle back and forth quickly and return to the same place you left.

Though some have complained that the built-in limitations mean that iOS 4 doesn’t have “real” multitasking, we think “incomplete” is a better description. Granted, you can’t run everything in the background–your Twitter feed, for example, won’t update while paused–but iOS 4 does allow you to run certain features from multiple apps simultaneously. If that isn’t multitasking, then we don’t know what is. What’s more, it wouldn’t be the first time Apple limited features or took longer with development in order to produce a desired customer experience. You may not agree with such a philosophy, but Apple has always been honest about pursuing it. Like so many things in technology, it just comes down to what works best for you.

You can close apps in the multitasking menu.

Nice, but not miles ahead: Even after the long wait, we’re quite pleased with the multitasking experience. As it has a talent for doing, Apple has presented the feature in a slick, easy-to-use manner. It performed beautifully, without ever crashing or freezing the phone; it didn’t appear to negatively affect battery life; and it accomplishes what it sets out do. But even with strong points, we wouldn’t agree that it’s the “the best” way to multitask (a common Apple claim). It may be slick and save you a few clicks, but other approaches–such as the “deck of cards” interface on WebOS–continue to impress. Similarly, though limited multitasking may result in more-efficient power management, we’ll have to run comparison testing with other smartphones before we can agree.

We also don’t share Jobs’ view that Apple’s solution isn’t a task manager. When he unveiled iOS 4 last April, Jobs took a dig at Android and other operating systems that require you to close background applications that might be slowing down the phone. “In multitasking, if you see a task manager…they blew it,” he said. “Users shouldn’t ever have to think about it.” Fair enough, but we think it’s a matter of semantics. As with most task managers, the iOS 4 multitasking menu allows you to scan through running applications and close any that you’re no longer using.

Granted, you may not have to kill frozen applications as often as you would on, say, a Windows Mobile phone, but you still have that option. We also found usability quirks that are common with task manager apps. Pressing the Home button once, for example, simply sends an app to the background; it does not end it completely. To do so, you’ll need to open the multitasking menu, find the related icon, and end it there. And we couldn’t overlook another point: now that a double-tap of the Home button opens the multitasking menu, you can no longer use the control as a shortcut for a designated feature. As such, the option is gone from the Setting menu. A small price to pay for a new feature, we suppose.

Apps will come: We know that some CNET users are concerned that many existing apps are not functioning in the background. Keep in mind that it will take time for developers to update their apps for multitasking capability. Apple plays no rule in making those updates, so contact the individual developers for a time frame.

Home screen folders: Though we love apps as much as the next person, we’ve become tired of scrolling through several pages of iPhone home screens. Thankfully, that has changed with the addition of home screen folders. This is another common feature that competing devices have long offered, so it’s nice to see Apple stepping up.

Folders clear up space on your home screen.

To get started, use a long press on the home screen so the icons “jiggle.” When your icons are dancing (they’ll also have a tiny delete icon in the corner), you can take an app and drop it on top of another to create a folder. The folder will then appear as a square with tiny icons of the included app inside. Tap the folder to access the included apps and get an expanded view of the folder’s contents. Alternatively, if you want to remove an app, just drag it back to the home screen. It would be nice to able to designate one app icon as the “cover” of the folder, but we realize we’re nitpicking.
Thankfully, you’re awarded a fair amount of flexibility for folder organization. You can add as many folders as you like, change the default folder name, and add both related and unrelated apps. Surprisingly, we could even group legacy features like the Weather and Stock applications into a single folder. The process is easy, but we wouldn’t say it offers a huge change from the equivalent experience on Android. And really, Apple, we’re limited to just 12 apps in one folder?
E-mail and enterprise: The iPhone always has been a functional e-mail machine, but we’ve never enjoyed switching back and forth among multiple accounts to read new messages. Fortunately, iOS 4 has a new unified in-box that is accessible under the “Mail” option on your home screen. Listed above your individual in-boxes is a new option for “All inboxes,” which contains messages from multiple accounts. You can’t access individual folders from the universal in-box, but you can delete and move messages. Here again, it works well, but it’s not vastly superior to how competing OSes handle the same process. Also, the universal in-box doesn’t always sync immediately with the inboxes for individual accounts.
Other e-mail changes include the capability to add multiple Exchange accounts, organize e-mails by thread, jump directly to individual in-boxes, resize photos before you send, and open attachments with a preferred app. All are nice, but we’ll delve into a couple of our favorites for more detail. E-mails in a thread will now be designated by a small number on the left side of the message header. Clicking the number will take you to a separate screen that lists all relevant messages. It’s a nice touch, and we like that you can move or delete messages in the thread. We also like the new option to delete e-mails directly from search results.

Worker bees will get options like enhanced data protection, mobile device management, wireless app distribution, support for Exchange 2010, and SSL VPN from Juniper and Cisco.

Home screen customization: Unlike the previous three features, this addition was low on our wish list, but Apple’s done a decent job rolling it out. Sure, you always could change the standard black background using a third-party app, but iOS 4 adds the native capability to the iPhone and iPod Touch. First, find the “wallpaper” option in the Settings menu and choose either a provided wallpaper or a photo in your camera roll. After making your selection, you’ll have the option to set it as the wallpaper for your home screen, the lock screen, or both.

It’s all straightforward, but there are a couple troublesome trade-offs. First off, keep in mind that once you ditch the standard black background, there’s no way to get it back. You can take a photo of a black wall, the night sky, or a dark room, but that’s hardly the same thing. And don’t be surprised to find that some of your native wallpapers have been replaced by new options. Apple giveth, and Apple hath taken away.

Spell check: The iPhone has long had an autocorrect feature that changes words as you type, but we’ve never considered it to be completely useful. That’s why we’re bigger fans of the new spell check feature that notifies you of unrecognized or misspelled words with a red underline. It works when you’re composing both e-mails and text messages, and you get a list of suggested corrections. We’d like more suggestions, but that’s a small point.

Search: iOS 4 offers a few new searching options across various features. First off, when typing a URL in the Safari browser, you’ll see not only the URL title of sites you’ve visited recently, but also the full Web address. That’s a nice touch, since you can find the exact Web page that you want. Over in Universal Search, you’ll see Web and Wikipedia results with the content stored on the phone. It takes a couple of clicks to get them going, but it’s convenient. And finally, you’ll now find a search bar for your text messages. It works just like the search option for e-mails.

Game Center: Coming “later this year,” Game Center will include features like a social gaming network, the ability to invite friends to games, leaderboards and achievements, and the opportunity for “matchmaking” (setting up two people to play).

Connectivity: iOS 4 adds persistent Wi-Fi, which means the iPhone 4 will stay connected to a hot spot even when it’s in standby mode. This could have a negative effect on battery life so we’ll be watching. With wake-on wireless, the handset promises to wake from standby when it comes in range of a cellular network. It’s not something we were asking for, but we’ll take it. Lastly, there’s now support for using a Bluetooth keyboard. We successfully paired and used an Apple Bluetooth keyboard without any problems.

Additional changes: As with previous updates, iOS 4 also brings a selection of smaller features and interface tweaks. Among them are a redesigned calculator icon (the feature is the same), the ability to send apps as gifts, alphanumeric pass codes, bigger font sizes for accessibility, enhanced iPod-out capability, and a redesigned location icon in the Google Maps application (it’s an arrow instead of a bull’s eye). You also get a new Birthday Calendar that’s accessible under the main calendar app. We’re still looking for a specific birthday event field, however.

iPod player: With the iPhone 4, Apple continues to show that it positively shines with mobile music and video. This is one area where the company beat its competitors hands down. For the most part, the iPhone 4 iPod player is unchanged, but we were glad to see a few new offerings. There’s now a convenient option for creating playlists on the go. We did so in just a couple of steps and added a selection of tunes. What’s more, we’re always happy when we can do something without going through iTunes. Back in the multitasking menu, you’ll find new music player controls and a shortcut for locking the display rotation. To get there, just swipe to the far left.

Camera: The iPhone’s camera has always been decent, but it’s lacked features found on many basic phones. That’s why we applaud the 5-megapixel resolution, the new LED flash, and the 5x digital zoom. The handset also has a new backside illuminated sensor, which requires a more-detailed explanation. Check out my colleague Stephen Shankland’s blog for a detailed look at the technology. The biggest gain, however, is its ability to record 720p high-definition video at a constant 30 frames per second. The iPhone isn’t the first handset to offer this capability, but it delivers on quality. Of course, we’d love more options like a brightness control and color tones, but we doubt that we’ll ever get them.

The camera now has a digital zoom.
The primary camera interface is about the same as the 3GS’, with the usual shutter control, camera/camcorder switch, and photo gallery shortcut off to one side. A new flash control activates the LED on the rear face. Thankfully, you can choose from auto or “always-on” modes. Over in the opposite corner is a control for switching between the front and rear cameras. When you’re not making FaceTime calls, you can use the front-facing VGA camera for self-portraits. Image quality won’t amaze, but that’s not surprising considering VGA shooters are hardly the pinnacle of technological development. It is great to be able to take vanity shots, though.

We welcome the new camera flash.
The shooter also includes changes that came from iOS 4. Our favorite is a 5x zoom for the still camera. When taking a photo, just tap the screen to see the zoom bar. Use your finger to pan in and out, but remember that since this is digital zoom, picture quality will degrade as you zoom in. Also, you now can use the tap-to-focus feature in the still and video cameras. We’ve never found that this feature makes that much of a difference, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have it.

In our tests the camera quality is noticeably improved. We’ll start with still photos first. It’s not an exaggeration to say that iPhone 4 takes beautiful photos. Colors are bright and natural, there was no visible image noise, and our shots were in focus. The bright flash also makes a positive change. As with most LEDs it can make dark images look a tad overblown, but we’re just glad that we now can take images in a dark room. We also love that there’s no shutter lag like there was with previous iPhones. The camera takes the shot the instant you press the shutter. See our iPhone 4 camera photo gallery for a full series of shots with analysis.

The iPhone delivers great photo quality.
Video quality also impressed. You’ll need to keep the phone steady, but our clips were smooth and free of any pixels or hiccups. It also handles motion quite well, and audio was in sync with the video. And of course, you can cut your videos using the nifty video-editing feature that originated on the iPhone 3GS.

Photo gallery: You can organize all images from an event or those that feature a specific friend. For both, however, you’ll need to have already used the face-recognition options in iPhoto or Aperture and sync with iTunes. One expected change appears to have vanished, however: when we played with the initial beta version of iOS 4, we saw an option in the gallery for rotating photos, but we can’t find it again in the final version.

FaceTime: Apple is pushing FaceTime as one of the iPhone 4′s most-exciting features. It certainly looked good at the WWDC demo, so we were eager to try it. After even a short test we were pleased with the feature’s quality and we like that it’s an integrated option that doesn’t require an app. The incoming video can be a bit pixelated and jerky, particularly when your friend is using the front camera, but it wasn’t bothersome. And really, that’s to be expected when using a VGA shooter. You’ll see a slightly better feed if your friend uses the rear camera, but not by much. The video from your phone will show in the top left corner; it looked great from either camera. Also, you can use it in both portrait and landscape modes.

FaceTime in action.

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