The iphone 4 - Raising the Standard or More of the Same?

The world has had nearly two weeks to glimpse the new iphone 4. Its official release date of June 24th 2010 has come and gone with many retailers having very briefly held stock.Now it seems that the waiting game has started. Vodafone are taking orders and offering email updates to new purchasers regarding the status of their orders, promising that when they arrive they will be dispatched as quickly as possible to those that have pre-ordered. With so much expectation and now, finally, actual delivery, many of us will still have to wait to actually see one in action. Given the scarcity, a brief overview of the iphone 4's features and gadgets may help some to visualise their, as yet, undelivered phone.iphone 4 - Main FeaturesThis new version of the iconic iphone has some upgrades that will make using it quicker and less time consuming. The Apple A4 processor and the 512MB RAM are the most obvious new additions that will immediately appeal to those that like to quote specifications. With the higher resolution 'Retina' display, that has a resolution of 960-by-640 that results in 326ppi, the ability to view video and pictures rises to a whole new level. The extra backward facing camera brings back the often discarded video calling concept and maybe this time the idea will actually take off. The main camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels and the video recording function has HD recording capabilities. The battery life is the most obvious and universal requirement of many owners and Apple have improved the maximum time for many of the iphone 4 functions.3G and 4 ComparisonThe screen resolution on the 3G has been upgraded from 160ppi to 326ppi giving a significantly improved watching experience for the user. The video calling function is brand new, something that 3G owners may feel the need to upgrade for. The camera upgrade from 3 megapixels to 5 megapixels will please many that love to record their special occasions using their phone rather than a separate digital camera. In this respect the addition of an LED flash will make the iphone 4 a more universal camera phone. The 3G autofocus and tap to focus facilities have been left unchanged in this newer version, presumably because research has shown that these functions are sufficient for most users’ needs. The switch from VGA recording to HD is a major step toward creating the ultimate all in one multi-purpose media unit. So often with multi-purpose units the individual functions can be just 'not quite good enough' but this upgrade to HD will add high quality video to the ever increasing list of exceptional attributes that the iphone can claim.  The 3G didn’t have an Apple A4 processor and this change will be assessed by many new users over the coming months and I am sure that many personal blogs will share their experiences of this new architecture. Finally the battery life has been upgraded in the key areas of talk time, internet usage and audio playback. The talk time being up over 30% on 3G, internet usage time up by 20% on 3G and audio playback up by over 30%. All areas that some had commented that they felt let the 3G down.All in all this newer version of this world storming brand has broken new levels of expectation and only the coming months will show if users are suitably impressed enough to allow the meteoric rise of the iphone to continue. The branding and iconic status will ensure that this version will achieve new heights in terms of sales and loyalty, but only time will tell if there is another manufacturer out there that can match or surpass the incredible levels of intuitive interfacing that Apple have managed to install as a benchmark for the rest of the world to follow. Or maybe, just maybe, you are one of the small but solid minority that have rejected this phase of phone escalation, not many but some have become vociferous in their demanding an opposite to the smartphone. One that has excellent battery life, makes and receives calls and texts and takes basic but good quality pictures. for those of you that are in this camp maybe you should take a look at our Nokia 7230 review. From one of the most respected stables and based on a long line of excellent quality handsets this phone offers basic but high quality features for those who insist on a minimalist approach to mobile phones.