“It is,” Pogue reports.
“The new phone uses the same custom chip that’s in the iPad; it’s really, really fast. It makes a difference every time you tap the touch screen” Pogue reports. “It’s not the first phone with both a front and back camera. It’s not even the first one to make video calls. But the iPhone 4 is the first phone to make good video calls, reliably, with no sign-up or setup, with a single tap. The picture and audio are rock solid, with very little delay, and it works the first time and every time. This feature, called FaceTime is pure Apple.”
Pogue reports, “However, you can enjoy this classic ‘show Grandma the baby’ fantasy only if you and Grandma both have the iPhone 4, and only when you’re both in strong Wi-Fi hot spots. Both limitations may change in time; other software companies are free to create FaceTime-compatible programs for other gadgets. And Apple implies that next year, you’ll be able to make such calls over the cellular airwaves. Clearly, Apple is giving its ball and chain, AT&T, time to get its network ready.”
Pogue reports, “The new screen, with greater contrast, is excellent. It packs in four times as many pixels as before; at 326 dots an inch, it’s now the sharpest phone screen on the market.”
“Now, peculiar as it may sound, phone calls have always been the iPhone’s weak spot. It took too many steps to dial. Audio quality wasn’t state-of-the-art. And from Day 1, dropped calls in several big cities have driven people there wiggy,” Pogue reports. “With the iPhone 4, Apple tried to relieve the wigginess. Sound is much better on both ends of the call, thanks in part to a noise-canceling microphone and an improved audio chamber (which also helps speakerphone and music sound). The stainless-steel edge band is now part of the antenna…. Does any of this mean no more dropped calls in New York and San Francisco? No. But there do seem to be fewer of them.”
Read the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: Ball and chain.
multiple phone makers are competing, and Google updates the software several times a year
This is because they all are alphas, soon to be replaced by the next rev, … hopefully a beta sometime soon.
And just how much money is Google making off Android sales? Any?
“Phones running Google’s Android software are gaining rave reviews and packing in features that iPhone owners can only envy.” As far as that goes I’ve never envied anything on an Android phone and in fact my friends with Android phones envy me for my iPhone.
heheh heheh..huh huh huh.. huh huh huh…. he said ball… heheheh.. huhuh
Thre only and I repeat only thing I covet on a Droid phone is a different network symbol!
“Google updates the software several times a year. Apple releases only one new model a year”
Am I the only one that notices Pogue is comparing Google software updates with Apple hardware models?
With all that positive news MDN focusses on the ‘ball and chain’.
Zaphod FTW.
Android: bloated feature list that works horribly – this is Microsoft’s last-century strategy all over again. And the suckers still fall for it.
It’s the New York Times. It must all be LIES!
Would MDN please explain why you delete my posts when ever I point out that there are lots of phones out there with more features, more WOW, and better service than the iPhone and yet you post Pogue’s column and allow him to go on and on and on with the very same statement of fact.
I own two iPhones, will pick up another one on Thursday all because of how they work with my Macs (computers, that is, not the relatively useless iPad gadget) and not because the iPhone is the one with the most and best features.
As usual, David Pogue gives the competition much more credit than they deserve. But at least he comes to a reasonable conclusion.
@Question, please:
Your posts are deleted because you are a moron.
tclash, too, is indeed a moron.
And, fortunately, reading Pogue’s review did not give one the impression that the ball and chain known as AT & T was a deal-breaker, therefore- get one of those Android multiple-carrier things.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if all the whining here about AT & T hurt Apple more than any competitor or Android fan club?
:Google updates the software several times a year. Apple releases only one new model a year”
But, I still prefer to Apple’s.
“iOS4: Everything You Need to Know”
http://www.ifunia.com/iphone-column/iphone-os-4-everything-you-need-to-know.html
Everything you need to know about new features for iPhone users and new tricks for iPhone developers.
I wonder what I was doing for 5 hours on Sunday if it wasn’t turn by turn voice command gps? Good thing I didn’t know I didn’t have it or else I wouldn’t have gotten home
I’ve been waiting 3 years to buy an iPhone. We’ve always had terrible AT&T;reception here in my home and great reception with Alltel (that merged with Verizon last year). Ever since the merge, it seems, my reception has gotten worse and worse. Now, I’m dropping almost every call! Time to make the jump to the iPhone and iOS4!
Too bad so many existing Android phones cannot use those frequent OS updates issued by Google, unless it happens to be a Nexus One (Google’s standard), or a brand new “non-Google” model that came with that new version of Android.
It’s only now, after three years, that the very first iPhone model can no longer run the latest version of iPhone’s OS.
The end of the review…
> If what you care about, however, is size and shape, beauty and battery life, polish and pleasure, then the iPhone 4 is calling your name. But you probably didn’t need a review to tell you that.
Gotta love Pogue’s writing style (compared to most product reviewers).
Every person I know that uses a droid… EVERY SINGLE ONE… is a Droid user because they want to be on Verizon or because they don’t want to be on ATT. That’s it. They all know their phones are Solid Number Tooz. They don’t ever have anything to show me that’s gonna wow me any better than my 3 year old iPhone can.
Who the hell needs Pogue’s review of the iPhone.
“Google’s Android software are gaining rave reviews and packing in features that iPhone owners can only envy…”
LIKE WHICH ONE????? I have iPhone and know a lot of people with android phones and I don’t see a single feature I would like to have and do see a lot features missing from android phones.
If no more dropped calls in NYC – I am happy!! iPhone has been almost useless for talking on it as a…..phone. Dropped calls every single time I use it, every day. So, I guess, here we go to iPhone 4. We shall see; I don’t know if the trouble is with ATT or iPhone, but we shall see.
Don’t we all just LOATHE cell companies in America?!?
Face Time will undoubtedly be on the Android quickly as it is available to all, just like webkit. iOS4 is a step up and since most apps have only been debugged for it rather than leverage it’s new functionality it’s way too soon to compare A to B.
That said, Apple needs to roll out phones on all carriers. The CEO of
Verizon said he’s ready- it’s just up to
Apple (CNBC yesterday). A iPhone nano would be nice.
I live in the maryland suburbs of Washington DC, and have NO trouble with my ATT connections.
At first, things were a bit flaky, but over the last two years, my service is almost stellar. Good signal almost everywhere but inside some buildings, and the speeds were increased dramatically at the beginning of this year.
Frederick County in MD, two years ago, had only EDGE, and pretty spotty edge at that, but got 3G about six months after I got my 3G iPhone. They now have perfectly good 3G, and nice and fast, too.
In my experience, ATT has not only gotten better, but they are better than others in this area, even Verizon. To top things off, they are now contracting with Metro, and have cell service in about twenty Metro stations in the Washington DC area, with more to come, so Verizon is no longer the only cell provider in Metro.
From here, it looks like ATT has done nothing but get better in the last few years!
@rwahrens:
I agree with you. In fact, I think it was only last year that I started getting ATT signals in metro…especially the Crystal City and Pentagon areas. The only time I lose signal is when the train is deep in the tunnel. Otherwise, decent reception.