iPhone 4 launch
As expected the new iPhone 4 was revealed at WWDC10, with it boasting a new retina display, a forward facing camera for Facetime, a revamped design and gyroscope, however, rather disappointingly, no upgrade in terms of capacity, with the same 16Gb and 32Gb models being offered.
The launch of the iPhone has not been without incident, with some users experiencing yellow discolouration on the screen, similar to the iMac, and more recently, problems with the proximity sensors, a feature that has been around since the first iPhone, that prevent the touch screen becoming active when making a phone call. The most pressing issue regarding the new iPhone has been the reception issues, in which holding the iPhone in a certain way causes reception to drop or to cut out completely. The issue seems to effect around 40 percent of new iPhone users and, in particular, left handed users. Some have put it down to the new design in which the antennas are encased around the outside of the phone. Apple’s official current stance is to either ‘hold the phone in a different way’, or buy one of the official bumpers. However, since the devices primary function is to make and receive calls, simply telling hard paying customers to buy a case or hold the phone differently is unacceptable. There has been talk of a case to sue Apple over the new iPhone, however Apple remains confident that an upcoming software update will fix the problem. Despite all this, Apple has still managed to shift 1.7 million in just the first three days of sales- a solid testament to the popularity of the device.
iPod Touch
The release of the new iPhone has also given us a clue as to how the iPod Touch will be updated come the end of the summer. I presume that Apple will kit the new Touch out with the retina display, gyroscope, a outward facing camera and an A4 processor. The only uncertainty regarding the new iPod Touch is the capacity of the new device since there has been no upgrade for the iPhone this year.
My impressions of iOS4
The release of iOS4 has given 3GS users a taste of what is in store for new iPhone 4 users and overall the opening of apps and general tasks on the phone feel slightly more responsive and the new transition effects give the OS a polished and refined feel. I have yet to notice any detrimental effects on my battery and having been accustomed to the default black background for so long, I was worried about how the wallpapers would clash with the apps and the interface. However, many of the supplied backgrounds and photos that I had taken that, worked well in terms of providing a suitable backdrop for my iPhone.
Overall I feel that iOS4 is the last iteration of this line of OS, as since the initial release of the iPhone, back in 2007, each software upgrade has merely added on another layer on functionality or user experience and eye candy. I would hope and expect that Apple will totally overhaul the OS, for the next iPhone, since some aspects of the OS, such as that notifications system, are in dire need of improvement. Especially with the moves towards more cloud based computing and as our phones start to become not only content consuming devices, but like our computers, devices that are able of creating content as well.
For those who have upgraded to iOS4, how are you finding the new software update?
iWork coming for the iPhone.
There have been rumours circulating the internet about the release of an iWork branded app for the iPhone, and such rumours have recently gained a somewhat solid foundation with documentation appearing on some Apple Store websites, dedicated to iWork and other Apple branded applications for the iPhone. The section has since been taken down, however the release of iWork for the iPhone platform would not be unsurprising move from Apple, since the company is pushing forward with it’s cloud based initiative with the original release of iWork for the iPad and the recently unveiling of iMovie for the iPhone 4. The only mystery aspect that remains about this, is how will Apple make Pages, Keynote and Numbers work on such a small screen?
Site Updates
Some of you may noticed that the format of the reviews has changed slightly, with images of the app being moved down to a gallery at the bottom. I have made this alteration to allow you to get a better view of the app through the pictures, since they can now be clicked upon to get an enlarged view. Social links are also being provided at the bottom of all new posts, so you can quickly share posts with your friends, or the rest of the world. I am also going to start doing a few more ‘article’ style posts, like this month’s iPad post, however, this will never over take or interfere with this blogs primary function as a review site. The ‘About’ section is down at the moment for some much needed work. I will be working on it over the month to update some of the information and give it a general tidy up.
More quality reviews and articles are all ready being prepped for next month, so stick around and as always, if you have any suggestions, comments or advice, then you can contact me, either by email at, tomwbagshaw@gmail.com, or at the above mentioned twitter account, appjudge_wp.
This Month’s Posts
It’s been a busy month here at Appjudge, I have covered a number of posts, ranging from reviews on 2Do, to covering all the aspects of iOS4, to a full analysis on the iPad.
Updated: Flight Control Review
What you need to know about 4.0
2Do : Time to organise your life
The iPad: A Revolution, but not as we know it…
Kickball! : Location, location, location
Disposable App of the Month
As always, I honour the monthly tradition of the disposable app, which is a type of app that is worth downloading and checking out, but is unlikely to stay on your iDevice for any lengthy period. This month’s disposable app is, Lego Photo.
Lego photo allows you to take a photo, either from the camera or your pre-existing photo library and turn it into a Lego mosaic. In effect, the app bunches pixels together and then replaces them with a correspondingly coloured Lego block. The end result heavily depends of the photo that you submit to the app, with the best results coming from close up photos of distinct objects with a plain background.
The lego photo app boasts a simple but charming interface, based around a lego theme with the users being presented with two simple options upon opening the app. One takes you to the camera app so you can take a snap to convert into lego, while the other takes you to your photo library, so you can select a photo to be legofied. Once you’ve selected your photo the app takes a few seconds to process and transform your picture into a lego ‘masterpiece.’
Lego photo is available from the Appstore for absolutely nothing, right now.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
Appjudge 