What's Good and Bad About The iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 is gearing up to break records and Apple is really good at that, especially when it comes to their mobile devices. I’m not going to bore you with the various facets of the device yet again, you can take a look at all the new features here. What I’d like to get into is merely what I liked and disliked about this fancy new Apple mobile phone so I’ll get straight to it.

Likes
It’s an outstanding design, I have to admit that. Apple has gone all out to make sure that if you buy the iPhone 4, this may very well be the last phone you’ll ever own, or at least till the next model. Right from it being super slim at just 9.3mm to the hardcore, helicopter glass surfaces it’s packed in between that’s doesn’t just make it averse to getting scratched but keeps fingerprints at bay too.

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The upgraded resolution and pixel depth on this ‘Retina display’ is intriguing. We’re talking about super clear scripts, better viewing angles, and vivid colors, possibly unlike we’ve seen so far in the mobile field.

The addition of a secondary microphone for noise suppression will make calls so much better than they ever were and of course fact that super strong aluminum border that’s designed to help with better reception.

I have to give Apple credit for designing a processor (A4) that was smaller and seemingly just as powerful as the speediest handset’s out there, just to make room for a bigger battery. Lord knows, we needed a better battery life for the iPhone.

I’ve always liked the iPhone’s light/proximity sensor. From my experience, just a few other devices were able to provide the kind of sensitivity that and response as Apple’s device. The three-axis gyroscope in cahoots with the existing smooth as a hot knife through butter-like accelerometer can totally provide six-axis motion sensing making the mobile gaming take on a whole new level of intensity and interaction, and since this is one of the main aspects for me to own an iPhone I’m a happy camper.

Tethering your handset with your PC or Mac Book is definitely a beneficial service that Apple has provided with the handset. Just hook it up to your computer and surf the web via the handset’s 3G service. Of course it’ll be a while before that’s actually possible for us over on this side of the pond.
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Now Apple’s iPhone’s have never been perfect, except if you’re an Apple fan of course, then they could do no wrong. And as perfect as the iPhone 4 may seem, there are a few things that came up that I found I still disliked about even the new handset.

Dislikes
One of the biggest issues I had with the Apple iPhone (all generations) has been the lack of Bluetooth file transfer. This is a fix that we desperately need as handsets that cost a mere fraction of the iPhone’s price support the same. Sure issues of transferring music videos etc. from one device to another without using the ‘almighty’ iTunes could be a concern for Apple, but that ego should be shelved. Give us what we want. The iPhone 4 supports Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR but there’s still no word on native file transfer capability, although A2DP is not an issue anymore.

The Face Time function seemed like a great idea till you realize it works only with other iPhone 4s. It’s also limited to being used via Wi-Fi and not a data plan.

This poses another problem as Mr. Jobs’ Wi-Fi demo of the device is already a matter of concern. Hopefully, whatever bug that embarrassed the CEO has been severely dealt with and will be fully resolved by the time the first handset hit’s the shelf. We’ll have to see what initial users say though. But should this issue persist, Steve should know, hell hath no fury like an Apple-Fan scorned.

The lack of Flash support is of course one of the biggest concerns for most mobile users and it’s highly unlikely that Apple will give in and accept Adobe with open arms. This really makes browsing a half-assed job, pardon my French.