Good News 101: The iPhone 4G

Well, Apple’s done it again. The new iPhone has officially been offered to the masses. I must admit, it’s a rather attractive piece of technology, described as the thinnest smart-phone on the planet along with its all-glass front and stainless steel casing. It features a camera in the front; volume controls and an accessible microSIM tray on the side; a microphone, speaker, and 30pin connector for docking on the back; and a second microphone, a headset input, and a sleep/wake button on the top.

Now, some of these features may sound familiar, but even the old iPhones don’t have a stainless steel band working as part of the antenna system. Steve Jobs (co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple) describes it as a primary structural element of the device. It supports all the wireless capabilities of iPhone 4G holds, including 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and of course other cellular communications.

The iPhone 4G also boasts an impressive 326 pixels per inch—four times the pixel density of the usual LCD display and much denser than anything else in the consumer electronics market. If you’re not sure just how impressive this is, when held at a distance of about a foot, this is a higher resolution than the typical human eye can see.

There’s also the new camera to consider, which has a remarkable 5 megapixels and a backside-illuminated sensor, meant to increase the amount of light captured by the sensor resulting in better photographs. The camera will also record video in HD at 30 frames per second and 720p resolution. You’ll also be able to edit your videos on the phone and share videos on the Internet.

Summary: this is one pretty wicked phone. But it is worth it? Reviews are already in from some major technology sites.

Brian Caulfield, senior editor of Forbes in the Silicon Valley bureau, notes: "It feels solid. Also: the screen resolution makes it very easy to read. Other than that, it works like an iPhone."

Ars Technica comments: "As for speed, the iPhone 4 is fast. It's hard to perceive the differences between an iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, but it's definitely on the speedy side, on par with the iPad." Gizmodo (who, if we recall, somehow got their hands on a prototype of the iPhone 4 around two months ago) says: "As a person who never really liked the round mound of a back in the 3GS, the sleeker, flatter, squarer design is super welcome. It feels sturdier than the 3GS, and much less plasticky. The metal buttons give it a heftier feel-less of a toy-than all previous generations. The closest analog to it would be the original iPhone, which is more square and heavy than its newer brothers."

Its greatest assets seem to be its speed and thinness, but we’ll just have to see from the proud new owners of the iPhone 4G if it’s really worth it or not.

Written by Strawberry