I was never a great fan of iPhone but always liked to have it. Happily continued with my t-mobile. My contract was ending in May and my desire to put my hands on a iphone increased... Took a 3GS.. exchanged it for 4.. Thats a big story.
I have a great respect for apple and its products.. and ofcourse everyone knows why.... It was Jun24th 10a.m. I was told that the parcel has arrived. Picked it up. Happy about its looks.. It was really well above expectations.. And I felt apple did it again...So happy for my new toy. That feeling didnt last long....
Slowly started finding information about the antenna issues, the yellow spot on the phone, apple's response etc. Not only I closely followed them until now.. but I also started doing my own field study.. Ofcourse I have the phone with me... And now its been 10 days, I feel I have enough information to share with everyone on the features of the phone.. the way I think...
Lets start one by one:
The Look: Its definitely stunning. I had a 3GS for a month. I definitely liked the iPhone4 better... Both sides were so shiny. Its simply a show off. I think apple guys know the meaning of "Perfection" pretty much than others. Pretty neatly done... the edges, the apple logo and the words in the back all are pretty crisp.. And the glass itself its well done.
The Back Camera: They say its a 5.0 MP camera. May be its equivalent to a 3.5 or 4MP camera. Want to take some nice pictures in broad sunlight and still people??. Well the camera is just awesome. But moving objecs esp kids is tough to be shot with the camera. Well you can see below some pictures taken from the camera.
Front Camera: Its just like a normal VGA Camera. There's not much to tell about it.
Retina Display: I totally agree to Apple here. Its pretty crisp. Especially when multiple bright colours are displayed on the screen, its really awesome. In the below picture, I have compared a 3GS and iphone4 next to next and you can see the difference for yourself.
Facetime: I think thats a really good innovation from apple provided... Apple allows apps like Skype and Fring to make use of it. Instead if apple puts a lot of condition around it.. then its a complete waste of effort. Currently skype / fring does not seem to be enhaced to use it. And currently facetime only works in wi-fi and the other person also must have an iPhone4. Whats the use of it then...
Glass sides: The Glasses are made of the same material which is used for helicopters etc and bullet proof.. Ha ha ha.. cant stop laughing. The iPhone4 break test conducted by couple of guys brought the truth out. May be the glass is strong.. Its only our mistake :D. If you have a phone.. you must buy a CASE for it. And its not a 3G or a 3GS. The advantage of the 3G* phone is that, its sides are curvy. So even if it falls it wont have a big impact. The phone will easily slide off. iPhone4 has a flat side. It really hits hard. And you dont need to buy a steel protection around the iPhone4. A bumper or a silicon skin is more than enough (thats my assumption). I think it has enough cushion and it makes the sides curvy. But I really wish that someone does a Drop test with a bumper on it, so that I am more confident.
Battery Life: Its really way good than a 3GS. When I used to have a 3GS, I had to charge it often. But with the 4, though the charge reduces, I dont feel its reducing to that extent. Certainly they have improved it.
Reception: I know this is the most awaited section for everyone. And I am going to spend more time on this section than any.
I have till now talked over 400 to 500 minutes on this phone. And how many times did I had a call drop - None. I have been very conscious about where I hold the phone initially. But as time went on, I used to forget that as I talk. In certain times I do realized that I was holding the phone exactly in the way jobs does not like.. I see NO BARS in the signal. And my call keeps going on without issues. That means there is something wrong with the "display" of the bars. Apple's letter on July 2nd is partially correct according to me.. Yes, I said "Partially". But I also noted couple of times, when I was in a weak signal area... and naturally I see less bars on the phone.. and my calls will have a blank second (i.e. me or the other person cant hear anything)... I dont know what that is. As per Apple I should be seeing many bars even in weak signal area. And I dont see that. Apple's letter seems not correct.
And there was once, I was holding the phone and browsing on my laptop. After 5 minutes, I found "No Service" on my phone. Yes.. I was holding "there". I had to switch off and switch on the phone to resume service. I saw 5 bars immediately.. ha ha ha...
It was always easy for me to simulate the death grip situation. But I was trying to simulate the "death grip" to my colleague last friday (without any case on the phone) in my office.. and to my surprise I could not simulate it at all. Was the signal so strong there. This buys me into Apple's theory.
May be I am in a Area where AT&T signal is good/strong and I dont get into the reception which many people get and its really worse people have "dropped calls". I am happy that I didnt have any. But I will not go to office and home. I would go for vacations.. outside the city etc. And I would expect something consistent in the phone.. like anyone. And wish everyone have some good news soon.
And I bought a bumper today. And based on my experience, the reception issue didnt go off fully. Still the bars reduces.
I am getting frequently lost into this reception thing.
But why should I have all these confusions!!! I just bought a phone which is supposed to be a time-tested one and a pioneer in the industry. Increased my monthly bill by $20. Paid a $199 for a phone. May be in India we pay a lot more to buy a phone. But not in US. I get really good free phones here.
So is it really worth a buy.....The phone is really a marvel. But the reception issue makes it less attractive. Moreover, Glass on both the sides really makes me a lot nervous. Am being very very conscious in holding the phone. When I had 3GS, I never bothered much about it. Only the following weeks and Apple's software update would really determine whether its really that worth or not.
iPhone4 Vs. Android Phones: Well, I would say lets not compare both. My colleagues call Android as Geek and iPhone4 as cosmetic. Thats true.. Android phones have a lot of easy to use features.. provides video conferencing capabilities in skype/fring already. provides a better multi tasking than iphone4. Developer friendly. And the best is Over the Air sync.
Whereas, iPhone is its own world. It never had a good competitor until now( for some reason I dont feel Droid/T-mobile G1 as a competitor. Dont know why). But not anymore. Apple keeps innovating new things.. but misses the basic necessity which the androids provide.
Apple needs to start thinking about the missing features to continue its success journey. Otherwise iPhone could become another Mac resting in the hands of only its Fan boys. May be I am wrong. Ofcourse I am not a person with in-depth knowledge of such things...
