#@%* That Matters Technology, Electronics, Psychology, Sports, and Ninjas.

iPhone 4 : An Overview

Apple has usually been able to run alone when setting the standard in the world of smartphones. In recent years, however, other companies have caught up with their own research and development of handsets and put some pressure on Apple. The iPhone, Apple’s bread and butter, continually receives updates to keep the company ahead, and it has been released as the iPhone 4 to an eager public.

The iPhone 4 features some changes on the inside from previous models. Replacing the Samsung-based Cortex CPU in the 3GS, iPhone 4’s predecessor, is Apple’s own A4 chip. Those in the know will recognize this as the same chip found in the iPad. While the iPad boasts 1GHz of speed with the A4 processor, the iPhone 4 doesn’t quite reach those heights. This is not to say the phone is slow by any means. It renders graphics quickly and navigates smoothly. Users who are looking for a high performance phone have nothing to worry about.

A 3.5 inch screen displays these graphics, which is notably smaller than some other models of the iPhone 4’s ilk. Before the complaints begin, it should be noted that the display features 960 x 640 pixel resolution in addition to a whopping 326 ppi pixel density. Known as the Retina Display, it earned the moniker based on claims that images are displayed in more detail than the human eye can accomplish. Granted, it may seem a bit much if the eye can’t even fully appreciate the sharpness, but the Retina Display should allay any fears of pixilation or anything less than perfect. That alone makes up for what the screen lacks in size.

It almost wouldn’t be worth having the Retina Display if the iPhone 4 possessed the 3 megapixel camera of past models. There are no worries here, because it doesn’t. The iPhone 4 has upgraded to a 5 megapixel camera that includes a backside-illuminated sensor with improved sensitivity to light. Also featured is an LED flash, although it can blow out some photos, a symptom not uncommon in flashes of this kind. It really is not that big of a deal, because the camera takes great pictures in low light and without a flash.

Perhaps the biggest addition to the iPhone 4 is the ability to multitask. Some critics have voiced their displeasure that the handset doesn’t offer true backgrounding (the iPhone lets a few APIs that approximate backgrounding to operate at a time), but it is close enough that most users won’t have a problem at all. Apple’s claim was that they didn’t apply multitasking to their smartphones due to battery drain. Now that this is not an issue, the iPhone 4 has been noted for its battery life, approaching nearly 40 hours of normal use in some tests.

The iPhone 4 has placed Apple at the forefront of smartphone technology once again. Featuring a Retina Display unmatched in the industry and improved performance over older models, Apple’s iPhone 4 is a standard setter. Customers will be thankful for the efforts.