Everything you need to know about the iPhone 4

As expected, the iPhone 4 was announced today during Steve Jobs’ keynote at WWDC. Its flagship features are, of course, the extremely high resolution screen, video chat capability with FaceTime, and the sexy new form factor. But there’s more to the 4 than that, and even those seemingly self-explanatory new features deserve a closer look. Let’s see just what Apple’s done here with its biggest update to the iPhone since the original.

The Body

We’re all pretty familiar with the new body, since it was really the focus of Gizmodo’s exposé. In fact, that was pretty much the limit, since they couldn’t do much else with a dead, locked phone. But they examined it very closely and found it to be beautiful and metallic. Its new squared-off look is a signal from Apple that this is an entirely new phone, not just an iteration of the original. You might say this is the true sequel to the iPhone, the 3G and 3GS being merely refinements of the original design. Three years is a long time to stick with what was essentially the same design, especially for a company as chameleonic as Apple. A change was due, and the change is welcome.

The new design is more squared off, with a flatter back, creating a stronger shape in both your hand and eye. It’s not trying to hide the buttons, but rather showing off their careful placement and clean lines. I think the overarching themes here are power and superiority, rather than slickness. The glass on both sides, we found out in the closing video, is “almost as strong as sapphire crystal” and can deform pretty seriously without breaking. Good news to those of us afraid of exploding iPhones.

The previously reported dimensions are accurate: 4.5×2.31×0.37 inches. It weighs 137 grams, more than expected and slightly heavier than the 3GS. It’s similar enough in size and weight to the old one that you probably won’t notice the difference, but the new flat back and squared-off edges will either delight or bother you. I’m guessing delight.

The announcement that the steel rim of the phone is in fact the phone’s antenna nullifies concerns people had about potential signal blocking, like we have seen in several other Apple products.

My question is this: with all the miniaturization that’s gone on here, plus the improved screen, are we looking at a potential heat disaster? This is a serious consideration. Thinner, faster, and hotter generally go together when it comes to mobile phones.

The Display

The new 3.5-inch “Retina” IPS LCD display sports 326 pixels per inch, and is 960 by 640 pixels. They’re calling it “resolutionary.” Hmm — Apple puns. 960×640 will be a meaningless number to most people, but the resolution nerds among us will recognize three things about it right off the bat.

• It’s a higher pixel count than any other phone out there. Even the mighty EVO 4G is only 800×480, and at a larger screen size to boot. This means the iPhone screen is among the sharpest, if not the sharpest, in existence (and suggests a similar upgrade for the iPad once the LCD tech is scalable).
• It’s twice the original resolution. All the old iPhones were 480×320. By multiplying both of those numbers by two for the new resolution, Apple has ensured that all the old apps can run on the iPhone 4 with a simple 2x stretch filter. Very important for back-compatibility and taking advantage of the enormous number of apps in the store. Expect “HD” upgrades for your favorite apps, though, and expect to pay. Update: We got some full-size screenshots here.
• It’s very nearly iFrame. Surprisingly, though, the iPhone 4 records in 720p. Whither iFrame? Is Apple giving it up? I sure hope so. (update: nope, it’s there in iMovie instead of 480p)

The PPI is higher than any display out there that I know of, and Steve says it even passes a threshold after which the eye cannot perceive a higher resolution. I’m inclined to believe him, as some who have seen it said they could barely even make out individual pixels. The contrast ratio is higher, too, at 800:1.

The screen is going to be a major selling point, and rightly so. Photos and videos will look gorgeous, and games will benefit as well, not to mention Netflix (!). Although now the developers’ job has become significantly more difficult, as they must keep three resolutions in mind if they want their app to be available on the new iPhone, the old iPhone, and the iPad.

The Cameras

The new 5-megapixel rear camera is a decent improvement. I complained recently about cameras trying to resolve too much detail on a tiny sensor, and the iPhone camera will continue to to that, I’m sure, but the larger lens can only make things better. The backside illumination, too, should really improve low light performance, as well as the LED flash.

iMovie: We’ve written it up in a little more detail here, but essentially you’ve got a powerful mobile timeline-based movie editor. That’s pretty insane. The interface looks pretty simple; you won’t be cutting together feature films with this thing, but you could certainly edit a home movie, and of course it’s perfect for sticking together multiple shots from your iPhone. It’ll cost $5 in the App Store — which seems kind of weird until you realize that it’s really sort of a premium add-on, and its themes and assets are things some users would rather just not have clogging up their phone.

We were all hoping for video chat with the 3GS and we didn’t get it — likely because Apple didn’t think it was ready. Even if it had, AT&T would probably have buckled. But now video chat is launching in earnest, and it’s called Face Time. It supports both the front and rear cameras, portrait or landscape, and works “anywhere there is WiFi.” No 3G video calling in 2010. It’s also iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 only right now. I guarantee there will be partnerships with VoIP providers, though. Apple has described it as “open,” though it’s never really clear what they mean by that.

Jobs demonstrated it by calling Jony Ive, and it appeared to work well, except the massive interference from hundreds of WiFi devices in the room caused some lag. Here’s hoping you don’t have 570 MiFis, EVOs, and tethered iPhones in your own home.

The front camera itself promises VGA, so it’s 640×480. That’s fine — I wouldn’t want any more on a camera dedicated to streaming video.

iPhone OS 4 iOS 4

My previous post on iPhone OS 4 suggested that it contained everything you needed to know about iPhone OS 4. I stand by that statement, since any new features will not be for iPhone OS 4, but for the freshly-dubbed iOS 4, clearly a different beast. I mean, for one thing, you can now Bing stuff.

There’s also iBooks for the iPhone now. Not bad: the increased resolution puts the iPhone 4 almost in e-ink territory when it comes to sharpness of text, so this could be real nice. Native support for PDFs will be handy as well. Good news: all your iPad books will work on the iPhone 4 as well. No separate download or separate book.

It’s worth mentioning that IOS is already an OS, and one by Cisco to boot. It’s deja vu all over again!

iAd got another plug, and will be going live July 1st. Joy!

The Guts

The iPhone 4 runs on the A4 processor, the same one that’s found in the iPad (or near enough). Jobs claims a 40% improvement in battery life due to the efficiency of the A4 (plus the 16% larger battery): 7h 3G talk, 6h 3G browsing, 10h Wi-Fi, 10h video, 300h standby. Nice. This will certainly be used for making better and faster apps, and you’ll be seeing a lot of that in new games. Speaking of which:

The iPhone already had an accelerometer setup that allowed for limited motion controls, but the new 3-axis gyroscope is “perfect for gaming” according to Steve. Take that, Nintendo! With the new screen and this improved controller, the iPhone may now actually be a credible threat to the big N.

Its output options are unfortunately limited compared with other devices: the dock connector will allow for a 1024×768 signal, which was nice in 2007. The iPhone 4 can play 720p files up to 30FPS, but HD output would have been nice as well.

Netflix

It’s not exactly a marquee feature, but it’s worth noting that the Netflix app behaves much like the iPad one. Although I personally don’t relish the idea of watching an entire movie on my phone, but managing a queue and browsing movies will be a joy. Having an official Netflix environment from your phone to your tablet to your desktop gives the ubiquitous movie service a sort of special authority.

Pricing and Availability

The new iPhone will be available on June 24th. It comes in black or white, and with a new contract, costs $199 for a 16GB version and $299 for 32GB. If your upgrade date is in 2011 (i.e. 1/1/11 or later) you can get the early update price, which is $399/$499. And of course you can always pay full price: $599/$699 with no contract at all. The 3G is being retired, and the 3GS will now be $99. The June 24th date is for the US, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK. The rest of the world will get it in July.

Extra-large smart-phone screens don't always give best results

You've seen super-sized houses, super-sized cars, super-sized televisions and, of course, super-sized meals. Now come super-sized smart phones.

Apple's iPhone made the 3.5-inch-or-so touch screen standard fare for new smart phones soon after it debuted in 2007. Now, hoping to differentiate themselves from the pack -- and maybe even lure some would-be iPhone buyers -- some phone manufacturers are starting to debut models with 4.3-inch displays.

I've been testing out two of these jumbo models, both of which use Google's Android operating system: HTC's Evo 4G from Sprint and Motorola's upcoming Droid X, which will be offered by Verizon starting July 15. In general, I like them, as I have most recent Android phones.

But bigger isn't always better.

Because of the bigger display size, text on the screen -- in a Web page, say, or an e-mail message -- is noticeably larger than it is on an iPhone or HTC's Droid Incredible, which has a standard-sized screen. That's a good thing for those of us with weak eyesight or who are tired of squinting at too-small text.

However, the big screens are being touted as much for video as for simply displaying Web pages or e-mail. Both phones include video services or apps that allow users to watch television or movies on them.

But that's where the bigger screens actually come up short. While both phones' displays are bigger than those of other touch-screen smart phones, they have the same number of pixels as those other devices, or even fewer if compared to the new iPhone 4.

That means video and movies on the big-screen phones are noticeably less sharp and more pixilated than they are on the screens of smaller rivals, particularly the iPhone 4. And while you can record high-definition video using the 8-megapixel cameras built into both devices, you can't watch those videos in their native resolution on the phones.

Another consequence of the big screens is that the phones are significantly larger than other smart phones in both their physical dimensions and weight. They'll still fit in a shirt pocket, but I found that holding them in my hand or up to my ear felt awkward.

The two new phones have more in common than just their screens. They both run Android version 2.1, which means that neither one yet supports the new version of Adobe's Flash software that's been designed for mobile phones. The new Flash requires the just-released Android 2.2 operating system. Motorola says it plans to provide Flash and the latest version of Android to Droid X users in late summer; Sprint says it will provide the update "in the near future."

Despite their common features and software, the phones do have some distinguishing features. One of the Evo 4G's is mentioned in its name: the phone is one of the first to be able to connect to the Internet using Sprint's new "4G" data network.

Unfortunately, Sprint's 4G coverage currently is limited to 36 cities or metro areas scattered around 14 states, none closer than Las Vegas or Salem, Ore., so I wasn't able to test it out. But the company plans to bring its 4G network to the San Francisco Bay Area later this year.

Another thing that sets the Evo 4G apart from the Droid X is a forward-facing camera, much like the one on the iPhone 4. But using the Evo's camera to make a video call is nowhere near as easy as it is on the iPhone 4, because the Evo doesn't have a program like the iPhone's FaceTime, which allows you to switch a regular phone call to a video one instantly. Instead, you have to use third-party video-chat software -- and hope that the person you are trying to reach has the same software installed.

These limitations aside, I found a number of things I liked about the Evo 4G. The phone has the latest version of HTC's Sense user interface, which allows you to check your calendar or turn off the phone's Bluetooth antenna directly on one of the phone's home screens. Another thing to like about the Evo 4G is Sprint's subscription plans, which are among the best deals in the industry.

But Sprint's coverage can be spotty, both in the Bay Area and across the nation.

The Droid X has the advantage of superior coverage, which has long been Verizon's calling card. It also has a better screen. Although it's the same size and resolution as the screen on the Evo 4G, it displayed videos in warmer, more natural tones.

Similarly, pictures taken indoors with the Droid X's camera were much more natural in color than those taken with the Evo, even if viewed on a PC rather than on the phone's screen. And the Droid X had a more powerful flash than the Evo's, which seemed a bit underpowered. I could see shadows in the edges of a picture taken with the Evo's flash, but there were no such shadows on a Droid X picture.

Finally, I liked that the Droid X uses physical buttons in place of the touch-sensitive ones on the front of the Evo 4G. With the Evo, I frequently pressed the search or other buttons inadvertently while trying to read a Web page or watch a video.

But for most consumers, the question of which of these two devices is better is likely to be overshadowed by the issue of whether their jumbo screens make either of them worth getting over other smart phones. For me, anyway, they're not. I prefer the smaller, lighter HTC Droid Incredible and the iPhone 4. They both feel better in my hand and their screens look better to my eyes.

You may see things differently. HTC and Motorola are sure hoping you do.

(c) 2010, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.).
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Android 2.2 is Coming

The majority of Android phones are still running an outdated firmware, but that hasn’t slowed Google from advancing their mobile operating system. Everyone knows the next version of Android (codenamed Froyo) is on the way and the rumors (1, 2) are beginning to pick up that the Nexus One will receive it soon.

Based on the data from our analytics reports it appears Google has already begun testing on their next firmware – Android 2.2. Google engineers have routinely given codenames to future builds of Android (Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, etc.), but they don’t receive a point release till they are finalized and nearing distribution.

We have shared this reporting data before and people are always quick to point out that it can be easily faked, but I have spoke with additional sources familiar with the matter who confirmed Android 2.2 is currently being tested.

The feature set for Android 2.2 was frozen long ago, but it remains mostly unknown. Google decided last year that they would no longer publish public roadmaps for future versions of Android. Based on the information we can gather, it appears Android 2.2 will mainly focus on performance enhancements.

Some of the rumored features for Android 2.2 include:

• JIT compiler
• Free additional RAM
• OpenGL ES 2.0 enhancements
• Flash 10.1 support
• Fixed problem with “crazy screen” / Resolution of cross multitouch
• Activation of Color Trackball
• Enable FM radio

Some of these features are plausible and others we have no clue.

The JIT compiler has already been confirmed by Google and we expect to find out new details during Google I/O. Android engineers will be leading a discussion that informs devs how to test and tune their apps to work with the new compiler.

Additional free RAM should come thanks to the new Linux kernel being used in Froyo. Google is moving from 2.6.29 to the newer 2.6.32 which makes it possible to address the extra RAM. This has already been done in custom ROMs like CyanogenMod so expect this feature for sure.

I’m no expert on OpenGL, but it has long been rumored that Froyo (or a future build) will add new APIs to the Android NDK which will let Java devs have full access to the OpenGL ES 2.0 library.

Flash 10.1 is coming in the first half of the year. It is entirely possible it could be tied to a future Android firmware and be included with an OTA update.

We have already addressed the HTC touch sensor issues. It sounds like a future software update could be used to clean this up a little.

Multicolor trackball notifications are definitely coming. Android hackers like ChainsDD have already unlocked this feature for users of custom ROMs. Google advertised the multicolor trackball during its launch of the Nexus One, but the feature was cut from the final Android 2.1 build.

When it comes to the FM radio, I have no idea. Other HTC phones on a similar Snapdragon platform (Desire and Incredible) include the FM radio so it’s not out of the question that the N1 has it too.

I spoke with Google’s Erick Tseng during CES and he told me there were many secrets left in the Nexus One that we would discover later.

When is it Android 2.2 coming out?

Circle May 19th on your calendar. This is the opening day of Google I/O and I’m anticipating the release of Android 2.2 (and maybe the Flash 10.1 beta) will be tied to this event. Google has provided every developer attending the event a free Droid or Nexus One, so it is possible to see a simultaneous release on both devices.

I’m really curious how first generation devices are going to play with this release. We are expecting most phones to receive Android 2.1 this month, so it will be interesting to see how Froyo fits in. Some of the Android engineers have been talking about Froyo on the Google boards and it is unclear if the HTC Dream and Magic will be able to support it since they only have 192 MB of RAM.

What features do you want in the next version of Android?

What is the biggest issue that you think Google needs to address in the next release of Android? Are you satisfied with the rumored list of changes? Is there some glaring feature that you think Google is overlooking? Share your hopes and predictions in the comments and let us know what you think.

Things to Know About NOKIA

1. The ringtone "Nokia tune" is actually based on a 19th century guitar work named "Gran Vals" by Spanish musician Francisco Tárrega. The Nokia Tune was originally named "Grande Valse" on Nokia phones but was changed to "Nokia Tune" around 1998 when it became so well known that people referred to it as the "Nokia Tune."
   
2. The world's first commercial GSM call was made in 1991 in Helsinki over a Nokia-supplied network, by Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri, using a Nokia phone.
   
3. Nokia is currently the world's largest digital camera manufacturer, as the sales of its camera-equipped mobile phones have exceeded those of any conventional camera manufacturer.
   
4. The "Special" tone available to users of Nokia phones when receiving SMS (text messages) is actually Morse code for "SMS". Similarly, the "Ascending" SMS tone is Morse code for "Connecting People," Nokia's slogan. The "Standard" SMS tone is Morse code for "M" (Message).
   
5. The Nokia corporate font (typeface) is the AgfaMonotype Nokia Sans font, originally designed by Eric Spiekermann. Its mobile phone User's Guides Nokia mostly used the Agfa Rotis Sans font.
   
6. In Asia, the digit 4 never appears in any Nokia handset model number, because 4 is considered unlucky in many parts of Southeast/East Asia.
   
7. Nokia was listed as the 20th most admirable company worldwide in Fortune's list of 2006 (1st in network communications, 4th non-US company).
   
8. Unlike other modern day handsets, Nokia phones do not automatically start the call timer when the call is connected, but start it when the call is initiated. (Except for Series 60 based handsets like the Nokia 6600)
   
9. Nokia is sometimes called aikon (Nokia backwards) by non-Nokia mobile phone users and by mobile software developers, because "aikon" is used in various SDK software packages, including Nokia's own Symbian S60 SDK.
   
10. The name of the town of Nokia originated from the river which flowed through the town. The river itself, Nokianvirta, was named after the old Finnish word originally meaning sable, later pine marten. A species of this small, black-furred predatory animal was once found in the region, but it is now extinct.

New Samsung Phones: Get One Of Them

The Samsung is a corporation that is from Korea and it is a multinational conglomerate. It has been the world's most popular consumer electronics brand since 2005 and is the best known South Korean brand in the world. The firm initially started as a small trading company with forty employees located in Daegu.

Some of the most popular new Samsung phone is Samsung Pixon 12 M8910 which is an amazing touch screen camera phone comes with a highly attractive casing complete with a sophisticated black coloured finish. Its front section is taken up with the huge touch screen which allows the user to make on screen selections & input data with ease with touch screen controls. It has integrated camera feature which has a 12 megapixel camera lens & supports high quality imaging features & video capturing functions. It is a widget which allows the user to control their automatic focus feature by using their touch screen controls to select where the automatic focus feature actually focuses on. Samsung Pixon 12 M8910 comes with picture geo tagging feature with their photos which records when a photo was captured & its location thanks to the add GPS navigation feature.

Another popular new Samsung phone is Samsung B3210 Corby TXT which is a solid bar designed handset complete with highly focused messaging features which makes communication a pleasure for its user. In this gadget, the user can enjoy creating, editing, sending & receiving a selection of messages on their mobile phone which include an instant message, SMS text message, email & a MMS multimedia message. Not only this, it comes with a SMS text messaging service allowing the user to share a message contain text with any SMS compatible contacts. Samsung B3210 Corby TXT supports a Bluetooth® wireless connectivity to other devices allowing the user to connect their handset to other compatible Bluetooth® devices without using cables or wires when transferring data files.

Fring update approved for iPhone, does video calling with front cam over 3G

We weren't exactly sure whether Apple was going to approve third-party video calling apps using the front camera on the iPhone 4, but good news: the answer is "yes." Fring just slid in a new version of its longstanding iPhone app today featuring support for video calling, which is pretty awesome in and of itself -- but the real news is that it works just fine over 3G, as you can see in our quick test above between Chicago and London. This opens the door for services that could have potentially broader implications than FaceTime itself, since Apple's service is limited to WiFi and currently only works between iPhone 4s. Just make sure you're wearing clothes when you call, alright?