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iPhone 4 Finally Unveiled

It’s finally here. After all the leaks, rumors and speculation, Apple has unveiled the next in the iPhone series: iPhone 4. Here is a breakdown of the features of the iPhone 4.

FaceTime

FaceTime is real-time video conferencing. The iPhone 4 uses its two cameras, one on the front with VGA resolution, and a 5MP on the back, for handling FaceTime. A call can be turned into FaceTime by the click of a button. FaceTime works in both portrait and landscape mode. The camera can also be toggled during FaceTime, from the front camera to the back.

Retina Display

The 3.5 inch screen of the iPhone has a resolution of 960×640 pixels. This resolution is higher than yesterdays computer browsing standards, and of any phone that has ever come out. The pixels of the iPhone are 78 micrometers wide. This results in a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. The Retina Display uses a technology called IPS (in-plane-switching) – also used in the iPad – to achieve a wider viewing angle. The contrast ratio is 4 times greater than the iPhone 3GS at 800-to-1. The glass screen has an oil-resistant coating to keep the screen cleaned, and is chemically strengthened to be more durable and scratch resistant. The display has a proximity sensor to turn off the screen when you lift the phone to your ear, to save battery life and prevent accidental dialing. The display has LED backlighting and ambient sensors to adjust the screen brightness and for battery life.

Multitasking

The iPhone now has multitasking and can run programs simultaneously such as listening to music or skyping while playing games or checking your email. The home button when double clicked brings up currently opened applications to single click back into. The background applications restore from where you previous left off.

HD Video Recording

The iPhone 4 records and can output video at 720p. The iPhone comes with a built-in LED light and backside illumination sensor to adjust light settings. With the iMovie application that will be available on iTunes, the iPhone will be able to splice and combine video, add effects and transitions, music, photos, then export it at 360p, 520p, and 720p.

Hardware

According to Gizmodo, the iPhone 4 runs on a Cortex A8 processor with a PowerVR SGX 535 graphics processor, combined in an A4 chip just like in the iPad. The processors are directly connected to two low-power 128MB DDR SDRAM. The battery is 16% bigger, and Apple claims 40% longer talk time. The iPhone 4 has a new stainless steel rim and acts as an antenna for the 3g and wifi. A new built-in gyroscope capable of pitch, roll, and yaw, has been put in for motion sensing. There are now two microphones to assist in noise cancellation.

Dimensions

The iPhone 4 is 4.54 in (115.2 mm) x 2.309 in (58.66 mm), and 0.37 (9.3 mm) in thick. The phone weighs 4.8 oz (137 g).

Battery Life

  • Talk over 3G: 7 hours.
  • Browsing over 3G: 6 hours.
  • Browsing over Wi-Fi: 10 hours.
  • Video: 10 hours.
  • Music: 40 hours.
  • Stand-by: 300 hours.

Pricing and Availability

The iPhone 4 becomes available on June 24th. The fully eligible upgrade price is $199 for the 16gb and $299 for the 32gb. AT&T is allowing upgrade pricing for anyone with a current iPhone contract that ends in 2010. Early upgrade price is $399 for the 16gb and $499 for the 32gb, and without a contract the price is $499 for the 16gb and $599 for the 32gb.

  • Roger A

    Ill be the first to say that this is exactly the iPhone I expect from Apple. I actually expect NO LESS then this phone. This is the type of technology and phone that Apple could really sell more of, pride itself on, and really redesign the smartphone landscape with.

    While I will likely NEVER go back to AT&T, no matter how pissed off I get at my current carrier, I can admit that I want the phone, and think that the limits in place for wifi-only (currently) will definitely help performance on AT&T.

    I am a little sad that this phone will not make any appearances on Verizon or Sprint however, as both in my opinion and the opinion of many others that live in urban centers, both networks offer a by far superior data network. While EVDO is not capable of 7.3MBPS speed that HSPA might be, we do have consistent higher speed average data then HSPA networks in urban centers – thus, the phone will be “faster” then it ever has been, but likely not as fast as European networks. Its all relative.

    GREAT WORK APPLE!

  • Roger A

    Ill be the first to say that this is exactly the iPhone I expect from Apple. I actually expect NO LESS then this phone. This is the type of technology and phone that Apple could really sell more of, pride itself on, and really redesign the smartphone landscape with.

    While I will likely NEVER go back to AT&T, no matter how pissed off I get at my current carrier, I can admit that I want the phone, and think that the limits in place for wifi-only (currently) will definitely help performance on AT&T.

    I am a little sad that this phone will not make any appearances on Verizon or Sprint however, as both in my opinion and the opinion of many others that live in urban centers, both networks offer a by far superior data network. While EVDO is not capable of 7.3MBPS speed that HSPA might be, we do have consistent higher speed average data then HSPA networks in urban centers – thus, the phone will be “faster” then it ever has been, but likely not as fast as European networks. Its all relative.

    GREAT WORK APPLE!

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