“This time is different, though. Apple’s iPhone 4, which went on sale Thursday, isn’t simply an upgrade over the previous 3GS model,” Metz reports. “It has been significantly redesigned as a skinnier, classier and more covetous smart phone with a slew of new features. And while owners of the older model can get the new iOS4 software for free without emptying their wallets, a new iPhone 4 will also give you a higher-resolution screen, speedier processor and a second, front-facing camera for video calls.”
Metz reports, “If you want to make phone calls or do anything on the iPhone that involves the Internet you’ll need a good AT&T reception. Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding this at my home and office in San Francisco, one of the cities where AT&T has admitted it has run into network congestion problems. The reception for calls was good at work, but even though the iPhone seemed sure it had access to AT&T’s high-speed data network, I needed to use Wi-Fi for Facebook and other apps that connected to the Internet. At home, I could barely make phone calls and had no reception on the 3G data network, though after wandering around my neighborhood I eventually found a good signal for both.”
MacDailyNews Take: You know what we’re thinking. Its name need not be typed.
Metz continues, “I did notice a few times that holding my hand over the small black lines on the sides of the iPhone would lower its call signal strength a bit. But despite complaints to the contrary on Apple’s customer support website, this didn’t seem to affect call quality.”
“Despite the network issues, the iPhone 4 is a superb smart phone that makes most competing devices look old and boring,” Metz reports. “Whether you’ve been longing for an iPhone but haven’t taken the plunge, or you already own an older model, you may not be able to resist the pull of Apple’s latest — and greatest — iPhone hat trick.”
Read the full review, which is definitely intended for mainstream consumption, here.
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