I apologize for my absence! Fortunately, work at Viant has been extremely busy. However, with the release of iOS4 and iPhone 4 I realized I needed to put my lame excuses aside and get back to work on a new blog post.
First, if you are
looking for some great reviews on the iPhone you can check out the links at the
end of the article. This is just a quick
highlight of some key new features.
Hardware
The new phone is great to hold. I love the new design as it doesn't feel like it's going to slip out of my hand and the buttons are very easy to access. The screen is just as amazing as everyone says and it is reportedly 30% faster than the prior iPhone, has twice as much memory and much improved battery life. Also added is an improved video camera (720P), improved call quality a front facing camera. There are two items to be aware of. First, the signal bar is going to show a weaker signal than it actually has. This is a software issue that will be resolved in a software update. Second, it has been reported that touching the iPhone in the lower left hand corner of the phone while on a call can cause signal
Software (iOS4)
The new software adds several new features:
- Multi-tasking: Only certain applications support this feature and in limited fashion. However, I appreciate the fact that my GPS will continue running in the background while I take a phone call and that I can continue listening to music on Pandora while checking email. It's not as functional as the Droid's multi-tasking, but it's a great step forward.
- Folders for applications: The first thing I did is take all of Apple's stupid applications that I can't delete (e.g. Stock Ticker, Weather and iTunes store) and dumped them in a folder called "Lame". To do this simply tap an icon and hold it till it wiggles. Then drag icons on top of each other to create folders. It's really that easy. You will be prompted to create a folder name.
- Updated Double Tap: Double tapping the home button now gives you a list of recently used applications (and if you scroll to the left you get the iPod controls). This is also how you switch to a new application while leaving the current application running.
- Email: Emails are now threaded by conversation by default. This is a great new feature and very intuitive to use. You are also provided with the option of viewing each mailbox individually or viewing one consolidated inbox. To toggle between views use the Mailbox tab in the top right-hand corner.
Well, hopefully this is a good start. In my next blog post we'll begin digging into some of the new features in iOS4 and how to take advantage of them.
Reviews: