As an augmented reality navigator that you want to use for finding pizza joints and friends on Foursquare and Twitter, you’ve got more polished options than Junaio’s new 2.0 release — Layar  and Yelp, just to name a couple — but Junaio has at least one interesting differentiator with a feature it calls “Glue.” Basically, independent content providers can develop their own Junaio “channels,” which function in the same way as a Layar layer — it’s a particular set of points of interest that’ll be displayed in the current view. With Glue, though, Junaio isn’t just using your positional information as a point of reference, it can also scan the image for specific objects that developers have programmed their channel to look for, and when such an object is found, crazy things can happen.

In Junaio’s demo, pointing the camera at a superhero-type cartoon dude causes a 3D representation of him to be rendered on the phone’s screen; when you tap on him, he’ll point his gun. It’s an interesting concept that could eventually have some commercial implications, but in the short term, the company just needs to improve the app — it crashed several times for us, and its support for changing orientation is a little wonky. If you want to check it out, it’s a free download for both the iPhone and Android; while you wait for the install, check out our quick video demo after the break.

The iPhone 4 is no small thing to review. As most readers of Engadget are well aware, in the gadget world a new piece of Apple hardware is a major event, preceded by rumors, speculation, an over-the-top announcement, and finally days, weeks, or months of anticipation from an ever-widening fan base. The iPhone 4 is certainly no exception — in fact, it may be Apple’s most successful launch yet, despite some bumps on the road. We’ve already seen Apple and AT&T’s servers overloaded on the first day of pre-orders, the ship date for the next set of phones pushed back due to high demand, and die-hard fans in line outside of Apple locations a week before the phone is actually available. It’s a lot to live up to, and the iPhone 4 is doing its best — with features like a super-fast A4 CPU, a new front-facing camera and five megapixel shooter on the back, a completely new industrial design, and that outrageous Retina Display, no one would argue that Apple has been asleep at the wheel. So the question turns to whether or not the iPhone 4 can live up to the intense hype. Can it deliver on the promises Steve Jobs made at WWDC, and can it cement Apple’s position in the marketplace in the face of mounting competition from the likes of Google and Microsoft? We have the answers to those questions — and many more — in our full review, so read on to find out!

Hardware

Perhaps the most notable change with the new iPhone is the drastic industrial design overhaul — Apple seems to have completely rethought its strategy on how the phone should look and feel, and the results are nothing if not striking.

Industrial design

In his WWDC keynote, Steve Jobs likened the design of the iPhone 4 to that of a “beautiful, old Leica camera,” and as we’ve said before, he wasn’t off the mark. Instead of hewing to the curved, plasticky, silver-bezeled look of the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the company has turned the casing and face of the device into something decidedly more detailed and sophisticated. From the design aesthetic through to the actual build process, Jony Ive and his team have reset what we expect in an iPhone, coming up with something that clearly harkens back to the retro-future Braun designs of Dieter Rams. The iPhone 4 is made up of three basic parts: two pieces of smooth, strengthened glass, and a stainless steel band which wraps around the sides, top, and bottom of the phone. The effect is clean but not simple, and Apple has added little details, like altered volume buttons (what used to be a rocker is now separated into circular clickers labeled + and -), and notches in that metal band which serve to improve radio connections (more on that in a minute). The phone is noticeably thinner than the 3GS at .37 inches compared to .48 inches, but it weighs the same 4.8 ounces, making the whole package seem tighter and denser. It feels great in your hand, with good heft, although it might take a little time to get used to the lack of a rounded back if you’re coming from the 3G or 3GS.

We can’t overstate how high-end the design of the iPhone 4 is. The 3GS now feels cheap and chubby by comparison, and even a phone like the HTC Droid Incredible — which just came out — seems last-generation.

As we said, there are three main pieces of the phone, which together create an effect not wildly dissimilar to that of an ice cream sandwich. You know, but far pricier… and not edible. The face of the device is made up of extremely strong glass which Jony Ive says is “comparable in strength to sapphire crystal, but about 30 times harder than plastic.” A small slit for the earpiece and the front-facing camera are embedded in the glass above the display, with the familiar home button towards the bottom — a button we should note feels much clickier than on our 3GS. On the left side of the phone you’ve got the new volume buttons, a redesigned mute switch, and a small notch towards the base of the unit. On the right side is the Micro SIM slot and another notch in the band at the bottom, and up top there’s the power / sleep button, headphone jack, another notch, and new noise-canceling microphone. Along the bottom is a speaker, microphone, and the 30-pin dock connector port. The backside of the phone is made from the same kind of ultra-strong glass as the front, interrupted only by the new five megapixel camera, its LED flash companion and, of course, the Apple logo.

Overall, the iPhone 4 outclasses pretty much every smartphone on the market in terms of industrial design. It just comes off like a far more expensive device, like a Mobiado or Vertu — but better designed. And it’s not just the way the phone looks; the materials feel good — premium — in your hands. The first few days we had our test unit, we were definitely freaked out about dropping or losing the phone, and some of that had to do with the fact that it’s just a really beautiful device to use and hold.

Internals

It’s not just the face of the phone that’s undergone a transformation — the iPhone 4 is all new inside as well. For starters, Apple has moved on from the Samsung-built ARM Cortex-A8-based CPU used in the 3GS to its custom A4 chip used in the iPad, which funnily enough… is an ARM Cortex-A8-based CPU. While the company hasn’t yet said what the clock speed of the processor is, we’re guessing it’s something below the 1GHz touted for its tablet cousin. The phone is definitely snappier than the 3GS, so we’re not about to volley complaints just yet — in particular, graphics seemed to render faster, and overall responsiveness was slightly higher, though admittedly, it wasn’t blowing the doors off the joint. It’s certainly faster, but the 3GS wasn’t hurting on speed to our eyes, so it’s not as wildly noticeable a leap as the 3G to the 3GS.

As usual, Apple isn’t fessing up about the RAM situation, though we have on very good authority that the iPhone 4 has 512MB onboard, a big step up from the 256MB in the previous model and the iPad. We would have liked to see it futureproofed with something like 1GB, but then again, Apple’s got to sell a new phone in a year. As far as internal storage goes, you can buy the new iPhone in either 16GB ($199 on contract) or 32GB ($299 on contract) capacity — fine for now, but since the company has just introduced 30FPS 720p video recording, you could find yourself outgrowing that number pretty quickly. It’s a little odd, in fact, that the company didn’t double down here and bump the capacity to 64GB, as it’s recently done with the iPod touch. In terms of wireless, the iPhone 4 is packed with an 802.11n WiFi radio, as well as a quad-band HSUPA chip and Bluetooth 2.1.

The redesigned housing allows for a much larger lithium-ion battery on the inside, providing improved numbers for Apple’s life ratings (more on that in a moment), though it’s still not easily replaceable. Additionally, the new phone has those two new cameras (VGA up front, five megapixels with LED flash around back), a new second microphone used to combat background noise while on calls (similar to the Nexus One), a gyroscope in addition to the standard accelerometer, a light sensor, and a proximity sensor. As with the 3GS, an AGPS chip and compass are bundled somewhere in that tiny frame as well.

Of course, the big internal story is what has become external: namely, the UMTS, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth antennas. Apple has made the stainless band around the phone essentially a couple of big antennae, and they seem to be doing a pretty good job at hanging onto radio signals. The big question is obviously whether or not this fixes or helps with the constant dropped calls iPhone users on AT&T’s network have gotten used to. Well in our testing, we had far, far fewer dropped calls than we experienced on our 3GS. Let’s just say that again: yes, the iPhone 4 does seem to alleviate the dropped call issue. It wasn’t perfect, and we had some connection issues in downtown New York City in particular, though it’s tough to say if it was the fault of our phone, the cluster of buildings we were near, or the person we were speaking to, who was on a 3GS in the same location.

Display

By now you should know that iPhone 4 has an all-new display, as well. Apple is calling the LED backlit, 960 x 640 IPS screen the “Retina Display” due to its high resolution and pixel density. At the same 3.5-inches as the older screens, the new display manages an insane 326ppi pixel density along with an 800:1 contrast ratio. Steve made a huge point about the science behind this technology during his keynote, claiming that the resolution of the screen essentially tops what is perceivable by the human eye. There have been some debates as to whether or not this argument holds water, but we can tell you this: to our eyes, there has never been a more detailed, clear, or viewable screen on any mobile device.

Not only are the colors and blacks deep and rich, but you simply cannot see pixels on the screen. Okay, if you take some macro camera shots or get right up in there you can make them out, but in general use, the screen is free of jaggies of any type, unless you’re looking at a last-gen app that hasn’t had its artwork updated. Text rendering is incredibly clear and clean — webpages that would be line after line of pixelated content when zoomed out on a 3GS (say, Engadget or the New York Times) are completely readable on the iPhone 4, though the text is beyond microscopic. It’s impressive, and doubly impressive when you look at higher-res graphics or watch 720p video on the phone — the detail in moving images is particularly striking. What’s nice is that most apps with text in them will benefit from this tech whether or not they’ve been updated, as long as they’re using Apple’s font rendering. Text in the Engadget app, for instance, looks cleaner, clearer, and much easier to read on the new iPhone.

Because Apple is using IPS and LED technology for its screen, the iPhone 4 is mercifully visible in full sunlight, and performance in low light and at extreme viewing angles are favorable. Overall, you simply won’t find a better display on a phone, and that’s not just lip service.

Cameras

The cameras on the new iPhone are going to be a topic of much debate, since this has been an area where Apple has been slow to innovate. The 3GS sported a measly three megapixel shooter with few bells and whistles (and no flash), and while it was fine for quick snaps, it wasn’t an artist’s tool by any means. The company finally seems to be listening to a public that’s interested in leaving the point-and-shoot at home in favor of a phone with a capable camera, by adding a five megapixel shooter to the backside of the iPhone 4 and a VGA camera up front.

Let’s first take a look at the higher-res main camera. At his WWDC keynote, Jobs said that getting great looking images wasn’t just about upping the camera’s megapixels, but had more to do with grabbing more photons. Increase the photon count, let more light in, and your images will look better, the thought goes. So Apple’s using a newer backside-illuminated sensor that’s more sensitive to light in addition to upping those megapixels — and we must say, pictures on the iPhone 4 look stunning. Our shots looked good right out of the gate, with few problems when it came to focusing or low light. With the flash on, we managed decent if somewhat blown out results (fairly common with smaller LED flashes) though impressively, the iPhone 4 was usually able to take completely useable and even handsome photos in fairly low light without the flash. It seems like that photon situation is definitely in play, because even shots taken in fairly dark lighting came out looking good. Autofocus worked well in most situations, and we were actually able to get some impressive looking macro shots (see the flowers and Penny below). In general, we’d have no trouble using the iPhone 4′s camera as a stand-in for a dedicated camera. Not only did it take beautiful shots, but the A4 and iOS 4 combo have considerably sped up the time it takes to snap pictures — it’s now almost instantaneous. Otherwise, you have options for a 5x digital zoom (which produces results that look like a digital zoom) and basic on / off / auto settings for the flash. It’s pretty bare bones, and we wouldn’t have minded a few basic options like white balance settings — but c’mon, this is Apple we’re talking about. Luckily, the App Store is chock full of applications that improve upon the stock camera app — we expect to see a handful of new ones that take advantage of the new sensor soon.

As far as video goes, we were definitely impressed by the 720p capture, though there are stability issues with the lens and the all-too-familiar “jellyvision” CMOS issues that tend to rear their head if you’re not holding the phone very steady. Still, we can’t see carrying around a Flip HD instead of just keeping this in our pocket (though as we said, we’d like to see a higher storage capacity). Everything we shot looked crisp and mostly artifact-free, and we didn’t see any hiccups in the 30 FPS rate Apple claims, even in lower light. Adding iMovie to the mix for on-the-fly editing is a nice touch too (more on that in the software section).

Around front, the VGA camera is… well, a VGA camera. It actually does a fine job of capturing your face during video calls, and worked surprisingly well in low light, but it’s not going to win any prizes for being the most advanced shooter on a handset. It does provide for some interesting angle options when it comes to video shooting, and we expect a lot of people will be taking advantage of the weirdly video game-like perspective. All in all, it looks good, but it’s pretty utilitarian.

Speaker / earpiece

We’ve never had a particular problem with the speaker or earpiece on previous iPhones (well, the speakerphone has never been loud enough for our taste), but it’s obvious that Apple has done some work on getting both call quality and speakerphone quality up. Beyond making the phone considerably and consistently louder in both places, the clarity of the iPhone 4 is noticeably improved from the previous generation. If you read our review, then you know that we thought Motorola’s original Droid had some of the best sounding components we’ve heard on a phone, and the new iPhone definitely gives them a run for the money. The first time we took a call on the device we were walking down New York’s extremely noisy Fifth Avenue, and right away it was obvious that the secondary, noise-canceling mic was doing some heavy lifting, at least on the other end of the line. Even though sirens were wailing behind us and we were surrounded by chatty shoppers, it was easy to hear our party on the other end, and they could hear us perfectly (unless we were lied to). There’s clearly a difference between the sound in the earpiece on the new phone versus the 3GS, and it ranks highly against newer competition like the EVO. As far as the speakerphone goes, it gets loud without distorting or producing cutting midrange, a problem we’ve noticed on quite a few recent phones. We’d liken the iPhone 4 in quality to something along the lines of the BlackBerry Bold — a bearable tone even when it gets hot.

Software

As with the other revisions to Apple’s phone line, the hardware is only half of the story. Along with the iPhone 4 comes iOS 4, the re-branded iPhone OS which boasts loads of new features, most notably a very Apple-ized version of smartphone multitasking, a video calling feature dubbed FaceTime, folders so you can organize your apps, enhanced Mail, and lots of other nips and tucks — both big and small — that refine the company’s growing operating system. Additionally, Apple has ported the iPad’s iBooks to the smaller screen, and has created a new version of its popular iMovie just for the iPhone 4. Overall, the OS is still very much the same as it’s always been, but there are some big changes here that bear investigation.

Multitasking
This is a big one, and more than just a little controversial. Since the dawn of apps for the iPhone (remember, way back in 2008?), people have been up in arms about the lack of third-party backgrounding for applications. Sure, you could keep Mail, Safari, iPod, and a few other Apple programs cranking while you used your phone, but those privileges were strictly off limits for third-party devs working on the device. It’s arguable that one of the driving forces behind the jailbreaking movement was a desire for this feature — something a phone as powerful as the iPhone was clearly capable of. Apple’s argument has always been that multitasking causes an undue amount of battery drain from phones, and had to be approached with caution, lest we all end up with juiceless phones at high noon. Recently, however, that tune has changed. Apple has — in true Apple fashion — “figured out” how to “do multitasking right” — namely, the company isn’t allowing full backgrounding as much as it’s allowing a handful of APIs that mimic backgrounding. Things like holding onto a GPS signal, letting music play in the background, staying connected to VoIP calls (or receiving them), and fast switching (basically a way for you to return quickly to exactly where you left off in an app).

So, does Apple pull it off? Can this scarce handful of APIs makeup for true backgrounding? In a word: yep.

Here’s the thing — this may not be “true” multitasking for a lot of us, but it amounts to multitasking for most of us. That is, it looks, feels, and acts like multitasking, so it’s pretty tough to complain about it. In fact: we’re not going to complain about it, especially given the fact that some of our favorite apps — the IRC client Colloquy being one of them — do just about exactly what we need them to do, all according to Apple’s rules and regulations. Previous to the new OS, we’d been jailbreaking our phone just to keep an IRC session running in the background. Now, utilizing some of those new APIs, the Colloquy developers have created an elegant and useful solution that pleases both users and the Cupertino Cops. The point is: it works, it does so bug free, and without a major drain on battery life (quite the contrary… more on that in a moment). We’re not saying we liked waiting for this kind of thing to come around, and yes, we’d prefer something more open and flexible — but this works, and works well.

So how is Apple making this magic happen? Here’s a breakdown of just exactly what multitasking really means (and feels like) on the new iPhone (and the 3GS):

* Fast app switching: You know how you can leave off in Mail halfway through writing a response and go back to exactly where you were? Well that happens everywhere now. When you leave the app, you go back in exactly the same place. And it happens quickly. Fast app switching is essentially like toggling between “paused” applications. This combined with Apple’s new app switcher (double tap the home button to bring up your most recently used apps) destroys that annoying iPhone feeling of going in and out and in and out. It just doesn’t exist anymore, provided all your apps are up to date, which is going to take some time. It’s amazing how much this single feature counts — it’s definitely one of the prime movers here, and it’s so simple it’s stupid. We would have liked to see options for “favorite” apps or some way to prioritize what you’re switching to, but once you get used to this system — which just puts whatever you’ve used most recently to the far left — it makes some sense.
* Task completion: Basically, task completion lets an app do its thing even if you leave it. So if you’re uploading or downloading a picture in Evernote or Dropbox, or saving an article in the New York Times app, even if you navigate away, the job is done when you get back to the app. This accounts for a lot of what we think of as multitasking. Most of your apps are just idling — it’s only when you interact with them that it counts. We don’t know the boundaries for this API, though it seems to leave a lot of room for creative use. We know it’s not just big jobs, it’s little ones too — Colloquy uses this feature to keep you connected to your IRC host. To be honest, that kind of behavior is one thing we thought we wouldn’t see in iOS 4, and here it is. Hopefully Twitter app devs and other instant messaging clients will utilize the API in a similar manner.
* Background audio and VoIP: These two are straightforward. The first allows for music playing apps to keep their stream running in the background (and even gives them little widget controls in the app switcher), and the second allows VoIP connections to stay active. That means you can stay on a Skype call and go check your mail, but it also means that the VoIP connection will be aware of incoming calls when you’re not actively using an app. Additionally, this API can be used to allow for recording even if you exit an app, as demonstrated effectively in the new version of Evernote.
* Background GPS: Basically, GPS apps can keep running in the background… for obvious reasons. This one will drain your battery if you’re not docked — but who’s using a GPS app and not plugging that thing in? Okay, we might be a little guilty of that. Regardless, this will keep your navigation software afloat if you have to take a call, and apparently will let GPS-centric apps like FourSquare check in even if you’re not running it in the foreground.

Apple combines these heavy hitters with more familiar tricks, like push notifications, to excellent effect. We know that the hardcore users will cry foul because a lot of this doesn’t amount to “true” multitasking, but we also know that often solutions to problems come in different colors. Apple found a way in iOS 4 to solve a pretty good amount of its major problems in this department, and so far what we’ve seen is very promising. If it’s only going to get better from here, we don’t mind coming along for the ride. But it better only get better, Apple.

FaceTime

If you didn’t know anything about video calling, Apple would definitely have you convinced that they just up and invented the concept based on never-aired Jetsons footage judged too futuristic for TV. Of course, the truth is that in lots of other places (and even in the US to an extent), smartphone video calling isn’t exactly a new thing. In fact, in much of Europe and Asia, this technology is old hat. But Apple isn’t going to let a little thing like facts get in the way of a good marketing play, and in their (slight) defense, no one’s effectively brought video calling to the masses just yet. (One of our European editors says that he’s gone ten years without seeing anyone make a video call in his neck of the woods.) While this may be an unscientific perspective, it suggests that it’s not enough to just have the tech — the feature needs to be sold to people.

So has Apple done it? Maybe, and maybe not. We’re certainly impressed by the concept and Apple’s willingness to open up their “FaceTime standard” to anyone who wants to get in on the party. That means that developers on any platform — provided they can meet all the necessary requirements — can create applications that talk via the protocol (or set of protocols, really). We’re also impressed with the tech itself, which feels polished and slick out of the gate. But right now, there’s only one way to do FaceTime calls, and that’s via the iPhone 4… and only over WiFi, which means that the opportunity to make these calls is pretty limited for now. Additionally, in our testing, we found that you really need to have a good, strong, nearby WiFi signal to hang onto a connection. More than once we had video freeze on us, and we had one fully dropped call because someone went out of the WiFi range, but hey… you need to be in range for even the most basic tasks, so we can’t fault Apple too much for that. It does seem clear that the iPhone video chats are moving quite a few bits around, however. What’s nice about FaceTime is that unlike Qik or other third-party options for something like the EVO, there’s no setup here and it’s completely integrated into the dialer of the phone — meaning the only hangup is whether or not you have decent WiFi.

But what is it like? Well in truth, it’s actually a teensy bit amazing. Yes, we’re a little numb to the PR speak about how game changing it is, but there’s still something deeply sci-fi about dialing up a friend and being able to hold this thing in your hand and have a video chat. We did a call with Apple’s Greg Joswiak while he was in Paris (see the image above), and when he walked outside and flipped the camera to show us the Eiffel Tower, it was a legitimately weird experience — a “you are there” moment. As you can see in the call below with USA Today’s Ed Baig (his take on the iPhone 4 is right here), it’s a pretty new way to talk to someone, at least for us. Having a random face-to-face conversation with a kid about what he’s having for lunch is just the tip of the iceberg — we can definitely see this feature coming into play in all sorts of ways in our lives.

Technically speaking, actually making calls is straightforward; you can switch to a FaceTime chat while you’re already connected, or you’re given to option to launch right into a FaceTime connection. We were a little surprised by the fact that you can only mute the audio on your calls; if you want the video off, you need to cover the lens in the old fashioned way — with your hands.

All said, it’s a fascinating inclusion, and we’ve got a sneaking suspicion that Apple intends to do more than just basic calls with this. Obviously the addition of conference FaceTime sessions would be huge, and we’re also looking forward to using the function on a 3G network — it’s nice to have a chat from your house, but what would really be great is taking these kinds of conversations out into the wide world. We think that coupled with active development for clients on lots of platforms (not just the iPhone) will make FaceTime much more interesting — it’s a curiosity right now, but it could be something else entirely with a little time and elbow grease.

Folders

What can you really say about folders? Basically: it’s about time. We’re happy that Apple has seen the light and included something like this in iOS 4, and the implementation is elegant enough, but it would have been nice to store more than 12 items at a time. As it stands, if you have a lot of one kind of app, you’re going to end up with a group of folders in the same category. We have a second “Games” folder, but some of you out there will have more like six or seven of those. That helps the problem, but doesn’t solve it completely. We get why Apple made this decision — likely a desire to keep it simple — but it would be nice to be able to make the room if you wanted it.

Mail improvements

For a lot of us, the new tweaks to the iPhone’s Mail app have seriously been a long time coming. Among the major improvements in iOS 4 are a unified inbox and threaded messaging (finally!) — both of which have made dealing with email on the iPhone a considerably more enjoyable experience. We still think that the mail client is lacking in comparison to Gmail, but that has more to do with our addiction to Gmail than anything else, we suspect. Overall, Mail feels much more complete now, and Apple has solved the same problem in Mail that it had with app switching — that feeling of constantly jumping into and out of your inboxes.

iBooks / iMovie

This isn’t a barnstormer, but it’s a nice inclusion. If you’ve used iBooks for the iPad, the experience is about the same… just smaller. There’s not a ton to say about it, except that in addition to lots of other great book apps on the iPhone, Apple has now given you its own. We still don’t think it stacks up to Amazon or Barnes & Noble in terms of selection, though the presentation is better in many ways, and it will sync your notes and bookmarks across platforms.

iMovie, on the other hand, is something new entirely. We can’t say we didn’t see this one coming since Apple just added video recording and editing to its arsenal with the introduction of iPhone OS 3 and the 3GS — but this takes things one step further. The $4.99 app gives you access to more advanced features, like a (very) limited selection of transitions between clips, the option to add audio to your videos, plus a handful of themes and titling effects. We found it to be extremely capable for fast edits, though everything is pretty sandboxed here, so while you do have the most basic editing tools, things like splitting a clip can be a little bit of a hassle. Since you can only edit the beginning and end of a snippet, if you want to split something into multiple parts you have to drag the clip into your edit repeatedly and then scale the start and finish points for each one. It can be a pain if you’re doing lots of jump cuts — though we don’t expect everyone to be making the next Casino on this thing… though, someone probably will, right? For a few bucks, it’s definitely worth having, and we expect that after a few people start using the thing, Apple might be prompted to add a few more options.

What’s not in the new OS

It’s not all wine and roses as far as we’re concerned. While Apple has made huge strides in many areas here, this wouldn’t be an Engadget review if we didn’t have our nitpicks. In particular, we still cannot understand or accept the company’s approach to notifications. We’re at version 4 of this OS, and we’re still plagued by these intrusive, productivity-freezing alerts. If you’re as busy as we are, then you know what it’s like to get invite after invite for your calendar, text messages, and push notifications that just stall the phone out. While every other modern OS-maker has figured out an elegant way to deal with notifications (including the forthcoming Windows Phone 7), Apple clings to this broken system. Why? We can’t really say. We find it hard to believe that there aren’t folks in Cupertino who feel the way we do — in fact, we’re sure of it. Maybe that explains the hiring of Palm’s “notification guru” Rich Dellinger. We sure hope!

The other thing that’s driving us crazy is the lack of widgets. Apple almost gets there with its new extensible music player controls, but there are still no good solutions for glanceable information on the iPhone. We’ll admit that it’s better now that fast app switching is in play, but we’d still like that weather icon to actually show us the temperature where we live. Is that too much to ask? The competition seems to have this one licked — we’d really like to see Apple take a stab at it.

Accessories

It wouldn’t be a new iPhone without some accessories, but Apple has kept it tidy. The company is offering a new dock, of course, for twenty-nine of your US dollars (that’s $29), and a selection of colorful “bumpers” that protect the phone for the same price. We’ve got a few bumpers in-house, and while we’re not really big fans of the way they look or feel, they do seem to protect the phone pretty well. On that note, we’ve actually seen the iPhone 4 tossed with and without a bumper across a room (one hit a wall) with no issue, and we dropped ours pretty hard from about two feet up onto tile with nary a scratch.

Battery life

This is a big one for many people, and we have some fairly surprising news to report. The battery life on the iPhone 4 has been outstanding thus far, exceeding our expectations for longevity during testing. We’ve only had a short time to use the phone, but in the week or so we’ve been carrying the device as our main phone, we’ve had pretty amazing results under normal to heavy use. In fact, we managed to squeeze more than 38 hours — yes, 38 hours — of life out of a single charge using the phone as we normally would. We’re talking calls, some gaming, lots of push email and calendar invites, playing music over Bluetooth in the car, and just general testing (like downloading new apps, rearranging icons, tweaking settings). We went from 10:30AM on a Saturday morning till 1:00AM on Monday without needing to charge the phone. Of course, it switched itself off just after the clock struck 1, but it was thrilling — like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer and the car salesman see how far they can get in a car with the tank on E. Sitcom references aside, the battery life seems markedly improved in the iPhone 4, and why not? It’s got a much larger battery coupled with that iPad-powering A4, which has already shown that it can sip rather than gulp power.

Once the rest of the team has their iPhones in hand, we’ll do some hardcore battery life testing and see what we come up with, but we think under pretty active use, the iPhone 4 blows Apple’s previous generation phone out of the water, and makes a lot of the competition look downright needy.

Wrap-up

We’re not going to beat around the bush — in our approximation, the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone on the market right now. The combination of gorgeous new hardware, that amazing display, upgraded cameras, and major improvements to the operating system make this an extremely formidable package. Yes, there are still pain points that we want to see Apple fix, and yes, there are some amazing alternatives to the iPhone 4 out there. But when it comes to the total package — fit and finish in both software and hardware, performance, app selection, and all of the little details that make a device like this what it is — we think it’s the cream of the current crop. We won’t argue that a lot of this is a matter of taste — some people will just prefer the way Android or Symbian works to the iPhone, and others will be on the lookout for a hardware keyboard or a particular asset that the iPhone 4 lacks — but in terms of the total picture, it’s tough to deny that Apple has moved one step past the competition with this phone. Of course, in the hyper-accelerated smartphone market where the Next Big Thing seems to always be just around the corner, it’s anyone’s guess how long they keep that edge.

n a lot of ways, Apple’s iPhone 4 announcement was short on surprises. We’ve been playing with the new iPhone OS 4 (now dubbed iOS 4) for a while, and photos of the hardware had been widely disseminated, a rarity for an unreleased Apple product. Still, Apple managed to fill in the gaps and build up the hype, and there’s plenty to know about this handset that extends beyond what you can glean from bricked hardware of dubious provenance. Follow along with us as we break it all down, including detailed impressions from our hands-on time with the device.

Hardware

Specs

The iPhone 4 marks the most dramatic shift in form factor for the iPhone since the original, but it still looks pretty much exactly like an iPhone. As per usual, it’s what’s inside the phone that matters most, and Apple has made plenty of changes. For a full spec-by-spec comparison with the previous-generation iPhone 3GS, check out our tale of the tape chart, but let’s hit the main points:

Build

The iPhone 4 is just barely heavier than the 3GS at 4.8 ounces vs. 4.76 ounces, but it’s is significantly thinner (9.3mm vs. 12.3mm) and a bit narrower (58.6mm vs. 62.1mm). It’s sandwiched front and back by aluminosilicate glass, which very scratch resistant and strong (30 times harder than plastic, says Apple), and similar in theory to the impervious Gorilla Glass we whaled on recently.

Display

The Droid and Nexus One have popularized the once unheard-of WVGA resolution in high-end smartphones, but Apple’s doing them one better with a 960 x 640 display — a higher resolution at the same 3.5-inch size of previous iPhones, and a smaller size than flagship smartphone competitors. The size tradeoff is all about pixel density: Apple’s branding the screen with the “Retina Display” name because the 326ppi resolution is denser than what the human eye can perceive. The Retina Display is also LED backlit, and uses the IPS screen tech from the iPad for wide angles and a high 800:1 contrast ratio. Apple also claims to be doing some software tricks to enhance the quality of the screen even further, and with all this combined the company claims to be “years” ahead of the competition on screen tech, although we’re sure the competition would beg to differ.

Processor

One of the other most important hardware improvements is the A4 processor the iPhone 4 now shares with the iPad. While Apple was happy to declare the 1GHz clock speed of the iPad, it has been less forthcoming with the iPhone 4, and it’s very possible the chip has been downclocked somewhat to conserve battery life. Either way, the chip itself is a tighter package that uses less power while running faster than the processor in the 3GS, and that’s always a good thing.

Battery life

Speaking of battery life, Apple has actually managed to improve this spec over the last generation, with seven hours of 3G talk and 10 hours of WiFi data, vs. five hours of talk and nine hours of WiFi data on the 3GS. The phone is also rated at 40 hours of audio playback and 10 hours of video runtime, with a 300 hour standby time.

Cameras

Apple’s added a front-facing VGA camera, as well as a new five megapixel camera around back to replace the 3.2 megapixel sensor from the 3GS. The camera is capable of shooting 720p video at 30fps, and iOS 4 now allows you tap to focus while taking video and stills. There’s also a new LED flash to help illuminate your shots. Apple is using a newer “backside illuminated” image sensor, a technology that’s cropping up in all manner of compact digital cameras and other high-end phones like the HTC EVO 4G — essentially, these types of sensor are better able to capture more light. While we appreciate Apple sticking with a lower megapixel count to enhance image quality, the real proof will be putting this phone up against the likes of the Nokia N8 and HTC EVO — Apple’s example shots are always a lot better than anything we can eke out of its sensors. Here’s a full gallery of unedited photos from the iPhone 4 — you can see they’re good, but it won’t replace your DSLR.

Radios

The iPhone 4 supports the same theoretical 7.2Mbps HSDPA downloads of its predecessor, along with adding 5.7Mbps HSUPA uploads, and adds on top of that quad band 3G, making more of a world phone when it comes to data (though T-Mobile US’s odd 3G spectrum is still out of the loop). Perhaps more exciting for many folks is the addition of 802.11n, though unfortunately it’s only the 2.4GHz flavor, leaving out the exciting possibility of escaping runaway interference into the relatively clean 5GHz band. There’s also the usual Bluetooth and GPS hardware inside. The iPhone 4′s design is somewhat unique in that Apple is using the multi-part stainless steel band that runs around the device as a pair of antennas — hopefully this will alleviate some of the iPhone’s existing coverage woes.

Sensors

Apple’s added a three-axis gyroscope to its usual complement of sensors, giving it almost a Wii Motion Plus’s level of input when paired with the existing accelerometer and compass. Unfortunately, with tens of millions of gyroscope-free iPhones on the market, we might not be seeing too many major titles putting it to good use right off the bat.

Accessories

Like with every iPhone since the original, there’s no dock included — it’s $29 extra. Unlike every other iPhone, Apple’s actually building a case for this phone: the colorful Bumper, which only surrounds the sides of the phone, leaving the front and back free and clear. A bit steep at $29, however.

Hands-on

The essential layout of the iPhone 4 is not dramatically different from the 3GS — all of the expected parts are where you expect them to be — but there are major, substantial differences. Firstly, this thing is thin. Deathly thin. We were shocked by just how svelte and tiny it feels in your hands. That’s especially impressive when you realize that the iPhone 4 is sporting the same 3.5-inch screen size as the original iPhone, but has cranked-up battery life, a faster CPU, and two entirely new cameras.

In your hand it feels really solid, which of course belies its construction of two tempered glass slabs sandwiching a steel band that wraps around the device. In a way, the phone looks like a really thin, really sexy ice cream sandwich. Jobs said it reminded him of a “classic Leica camera,” and we can’t disagree. There’s a retro quality to the design that gives the iPhone 4 a timeless feel — like khaki pants that never seem to go out of style. It doesn’t look like it’s from the future so much as it looks like it’s from the future as conceived by Dieter Rams, and that shouldn’t be a surprise. It is an elegant, beautifully executed piece of industrial design.

The front of the phone is very much classic iPhone, save for that new high-test glass. The home button seems to have more travel and click to it, which we liked. There’s also the new front-facing camera, which is barely noticeable. Around the back it’s more smooth glass, interrupted only by the camera and LED flash. Everything is flush and smooth, and nothing feels out of place. Up top there’s the headphone jack, a new noise-canceling microphone, and the sleep / wake / power button. On the left side you’ve got those new rounded volume buttons, which are really nice and clicky, and a mute switch. On the right side there’s a small microSIM tray, and along the bottom there’s the speaker, microphone, and dock connector. There are three notches in that stainless steel band which allow antennas to reach the outside of the casing. Some people don’t care for the look of them, but we happen to like the detail.

Holding the phone is comfortable, but it takes some getting used to because there’s so much less “back” to it than the previous versions. You definitely need to shift your fingers if you’re going from a 3G or 3GS to the 4 — it’s just way thinner around and side to side. We’d also say the iPhone 4 feels slightly more hefty than a 3GS — in a good way — since it’s the same weight in a smaller package.

But the main course here is the new screen, Apple’s “Retina Display.” That 960 x 640 resolution is really quite dramatic when it’s packed 326ppi tight into the 3.5 inch display. Comparing the new display to the 3GS is stunning, but the difference is apparent even compared to more modern phones like the HTC EVO or Incredible — the iPhone 4 just kind of blows everything out of the water. It’s hard to describe without seeing it, but you cannot really see pixels on this screen (provided you’re rendering text or images at full resolution). Text just looks like printed text, images look incredibly warm and deep, and video is stunning. We’re trying not to be over the top, but it’s just a really, really gorgeous display. This is one case where Apple’s hype actually matches reality.

In short, the new iPhone design is a big step up from the previous versions, and it places the goal line — from a hardware perspective — a little further out for the competition.

Software

iOS 4 overview

It’s likely you already know a lot about iOS 4 — we’ve covered it in depth in the past, when it was still called iPhone OS 4. Obviously the big additions are multitasking, folders, iBooks, along with user-defined wallpapers, Mail’s new unified inbox, Bluetooth keyboard support and some 1500 other features, most of which require updated apps in order to really shine. Here’s a quick list of the biggies — you can get most of this stuff on your iPhone 3G or higher / iPod touch 2G or higher right now if you’re a dev, and it’ll be free for everyone on June 21st:

• Background audio (think Pandora).
• Background VoIP (think Skype).
• Background location data, both with live GPS for backgrounded turn-by-turn, and cell tower-based for lower power draw.
• Orientation lock — you can set it to always stay in portrait
• Spell check (like on the iPad).
• Bluetooth keyboard support (again, on the iPad).
• User-defined wallpaper (a jailbreak favorite).
• Tap to focus when recording video, just like with photos, and a 5x digital zoom for the camera.
• Playlist creation and nested playlists
• App folders for sorting apps. You can even put an app folder in the dock.
• Enhanced Mail. You can have a merged inbox view, switch between inboxes quickly, and sync to more than one Exchange account. There’s also threaded messaging (at last!) and in-app attachment viewing.
• iBooks, just like on iPad, only smaller. You can wirelessly sync books between platforms, a la Kindle.
• Enterprise features, including remote device management and wireless app distribution.
• Local notifications. Like push notifications, but sends a notification straight from the app without needing a push notification server, perfect for an alarm, for instance.
• Fast app switching. Saves the state of an app and resumes it from where you left off, without dwelling in memory.

We’ve been using iOS 4 since it was announced on our iPhone 3GS, and it’s very much the same iPhone experience with some extremely welcome tweaks, like being able to quickly switch between apps by double-clicking the home button, and being able to lock the phone in portrait orientation. But other than that it’ll be up to the app developers to really take advantage of these 1,500 new APIs — we haven’t seen too many apps make use of the new features yet, and that’s where iOS 4 will really shine.

Hands-on with the iPhone 4′s new features

So what does iOS 4 feel like to use on the new iPhone 4 and its A4 chip?

Well, it feels really snappy. The OS is definitely brisk in most of its tasks, and when it comes to something like the camera app, it’s a whole new ballgame. We were actually really surprised at how fast the iPhone 4 can snap pictures, especially considering the higher resolution of the camera. If you’re an impatient photographer, you’ll love the iPhone 4. The same was true for HD video capture — there wasn’t any lag in getting things done. Apps, folders, and task switching also went off without a hitch. If you think your 3GS feels tight, the iPhone 4 is like a vise grip.

The big iPhone 4 software exclusives — and likely your big questions — concern FaceTime and the new cameras, which are untested ground for Apple. We were confused at first because we expected FaceTime to be its own app, but instead it’s baked into the phone app. Here’s how it works: if you place a call to someone else with an iPhone 4, it’s able to autodetect that they’re FaceTime-compatible and you’re given the option of requesting a video call. Otherwise, you can go into the contact card and initiate a FaceTime call right from there (like sending a text message). We experienced varying levels of smoothness when we tested things out — we experienced some stuttery video and freezes when there were a lot of people crowding the demo booth and trying to make calls, but things were much, much better when the crowds died out a little. Our impression is that if you’re on your home network, this will be a really great experience, but you need to have some bandwidth — hence FaceTime’s current WiFi-only status. Of course, the real question is whether or not anyone will actually want to make video calls at all, and we’ll have to wait and see on that. There was something oddly sci-fi about using FaceTime — even though we know there are other video calling options out there, Apple’s presentation makes it all seem a little more futuristic. Apple says the FaceTime standard will be open and people will be able to create apps around it, but we haven’t heard much in detail on that front — it sounds promising, however.

At the end of the day, iOS 4 on the iPhone 4 is still fundamentally the iPhone OS you know and love (or hate with a passion). There’s little here you don’t know, and there aren’t any game-changing features. We love the multitasking, and we love the music-player controls (hopefully there’s more of this to come), but Apple is sticking to what it knows with iOS 4. That said, iOS 4 and the iPhone 4 are definitely a match made in gadget geek heaven.

How to get one

Buying a new iPhone — or any phone on contract, for that matter — can be a harrowing experience filled with legalese, unexpected expenses, nail-biting, and signatures that commit you to a solid 24 months of loyalty. Both AT&T and Apple have released all the particulars on getting a brand-spanking-new iPhone 4, whether you’re a new AT&T customer or you’re coming in for an upgrade — but in an effort to prevent any last-minute drama on the 24th, let’s break it down in one spot, shall we?

If you’re new to AT&T or you’re adding an additional line, you’ll pay $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB one, assuming you’re comfortable with signing a two-year contract. If you’d like to keep yourself out of contract so you can leave at any time you like, you’re looking at $599 for 16GB or $699 for 32GB.

What if you sign the contract and decide to ditch out in the middle of it? You’ll pay $325 minus $10 times the number of months you’ve been in the contract in penalty fees. For example, if you’re ten months into your iPhone 4 contract and you decide to jump ship, you’ll pay $225 to leave. If you bought a 32GB iPhone 4 for the subsidized price of $299, that means you will have effectively paid $524 for it (not including the cost of your monthly plan over the course of those ten months, of course).

Interestingly, this means that you could theoretically save $75 on the no-commitment price of the 16GB model by buying it subsidized and breaking your contract immediately (excluding fees), but unless you’re insistent on unlocking the phone immediately (assuming there’s a reliable unlock available) and taking it to T-Mobile to use with 2G service alone, there probably isn’t much logic in doing that.

If you’re upgrading a line of AT&T service that you already have, the situation is a little bit more complicated, but AT&T has made it about as painless as possible. The first thing you need to do is confirm whether you’re eligible for what AT&T refers to as the “new activation” price — this is the same price you’d pay as though you were a new customer coming in off the street, and it’s usually the best price a carrier offers on a phone. AT&T’s extended eligibility by six months to many of its current customers, so make sure you check! You’ve got three options:

• Visit AT&T’s website. From there, you’ll log into your account and click on the “Check Upgrade Options” link.
• Dial *639# on your current AT&T phone. In a few seconds, you’ll get a reply text message telling you what’s up — whether you’re eligible, or if not, the date on which you will be.
• Call customer service. No offense to AT&T’s call center reps, but we’d use this as a last resort.

It’s important to note that your upgrade eligibility date is not necessarily your contract expiration date — in fact, the two are only tangentially related — so you can’t assume that buying a phone from AT&T since June 24, 2008 takes you out of the game. The way AT&T calculates upgrade eligibility dates is a closely-guarded secret that involves your monthly spending, the length of time you’ve been with the carrier and other mysterious factors, but we’ve been told by an AT&T spokesman that iPhone customers who spend at least $99 a month can generally expect upgrade eligibility to come every 12 to 18 months. In this case, though, the company has pulled ahead any existing iPhone customer who’d previously had an upgrade date in 2010 so that they can get the best $199 / $299 pricing on the iPhone 4.

You may also be required to pay what AT&T calls an “upgrade fee” of $18. Like the upgrade eligibility date, the way AT&T determines whether you’ve got to shell it out isn’t publicly divulged; we’re just told that it involves the length of the contract, the customer’s payment history, monthly spend, and so on.

If you’re not eligible for an upgrade, not all hope is lost; you could either add another line of service (assuming you pass the credit check) or pay what AT&T calls the “early upgrade” price. It’s more than the new activation price, but it’s still better than the full price of $599 / $699 — the only downside is that your current contract is extended to a full two years again from the date of your purchase. This early upgrade pricing comes in at $200 more than the $199 / $299, which means you’ll pay $399 for the 16GB iPhone 4 or $499 for the 32GB version.

Regardless of how you get the new phone, you might be wondering whether you’re able to take your $30 unlimited data with you when you go in light of AT&T’s recent data pricing changes. The short answer is yes, you can — unless you want to add the $20 tethering option, which requires that you switch to the new $25 DataPro plan that includes 2GB with overage of $10 per additional gigabyte. Be warned: if you do decide to switch to DataPlus or DataPro, you’ll never be able to go back to the $30 option, so think long and hard before you take the leap.

Wrap-up

So what’s the verdict? Well, we’re obviously holding final judgments until we have a chance to give the iPhone 4 an official Engadget review, but from the short time we spent with the device and OS, we’re definitely impressed. Apple has answered quite a few of the minor questions and issues we’ve had with the current model, and even seems to be tackling some of the bigger problems like connectivity with those new antennas. When it comes to the competition — judging by specs and OS capabilities — the new phone puts Apple ahead of the curve. It’s still got some very stiff competition in devices like the EVO 4G and Nexus One, but a gulf has been created by the combination of the iPhone 4′s look and feel, an increasingly polished OS, that insane display, superfast CPU, and solid new camera additions. It might not be a revolution tantamount to the introduction of the original iPhone (as Steve and company would like you to believe), but in terms of evolution, Apple just took a giant step forward.

Courtesy : Engadget

MacDailyNews reports an unconfirmed rumor that Apple may soon make MobileMe’s services free to all users. MobileMe currently costs US$99 per year for a subscription; it provides cloud storage, email, photo galleries, and syncing of contacts/calendars/bookmarks across Macs, PCs, iPhones, and iPads (not to mention Find My iPhone). While the service has many useful features (some implemented better than others: I’m aiming my stinkeye at you, iDisk), many have balked at the price tag.

Similar storage and email services from competitors like Google and Microsoft come either free of charge or at reduced cost compared to MobileMe; even MobileMe’s distant ancestor, iTools, was a free offering back in the day. Of course, MobileMe delivers more iPhone & Mac-friendly syncing than Google does, but at $99 per year, it’s a fair bet that few people are taking advantage of everything MobileMe has to offer.

MacDailyNews’ source says MobileMe will become free of charge “sooner than later… depends on certain facilities going operational.” This almost certainly refers to Apple’s new server farm in North Carolina. Aerial footage of Apple’s server farm, released in February, showed that the complex’s buildings were either mostly or entirely constructed, so the facility may be ready to go online at any time.

I hope this rumor is true, especially the “sooner than later” part — my MobileMe subscription is due for renewal at the end of this month.

Anyone who’s used an iPhone  or iPhone 3G for a few days has discovered that while these phones are more powerful, and more fun, than perhaps any other cell or smart phone, one place they don’t excel is battery life. Any halfway intensive iPhone user will recharge their phone almost every day.

There are ways to conserve iPhone battery life, of course, but many of them involve turning off services and features, which makes it a choice between all the cool things that the iPhone can do and having enough juice to do them.

Here are 12 tips to help you get the most out of your iPhone battery life.

1. Turn on Auto-Brightness

The iPhone has an ambient light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen based on the light around it. Turn this feature on and you’ll save battery because your screen will need to use less power in bright places.

Find it in Settings -> Brightness

2. Reduce Screen Brightness

Users can control the default brightness of the screen. Needless to say, the brighter the default setting for the screen, the more battery it requires. Keep the screen dimmer to conserve more of your battery.

Find it in Settings -> Brightness

3. Turn Bluetooth Off

Bluetooth wireless networking is especially useful for cell phone users with wireless headsets or earpieces. But transmitting data wireless takes battery and leaving Bluetooth on to accept incoming data at all times requires even more juice. Turn off Bluetooth except when you’re using it to squeeze more juice from your battery.

Find it in Settings -> General

4. Turn Off 3G

The iPhone 3G and later models operate on two cellular networks, EDGE and the faster 3G. Not surprisingly, using 3G requires more battery life to get the quicker speeds and higher-quality calls. It’s tough to go slower, but if you need more battery, turn off 3G and just use EDGE. Your battery will last longer (though you’ll need it when you’re downloading websites more slowly!).

Find it in Settings -> General -> Network

5. Keep WiFi Off

The other kind of high-speed network that the iPhone can connect to is WiFi. WiFi is even faster than 3G, though it’s only available where there’s a hotspot, not virtually everywhere like 3G. Keeping WiFi turned on at all times in hopes that an open hotspot will appear is a sure way to drain your battery life. So, unless you’re using WiFi right this second, keep it turned off.

Find it in Settings -> WiFi

6. Turn Off Location Services

One of the coolest features of the iPhone 3G is its built-in GPS. This allows your phone to know where you are and give your exact driving directions, give that information to apps that help you find restaurants, and more. But, like any service that sends data over a network, it needs battery to work. If you’re not using Location Services, and don’t plan to right away, turn them off and save some power.

Find it in Settings -> General

7. Turn Data Push Off

The iPhone 3G can be set to automatically suck email and other data down to it or, for some kinds of accounts, have the data pushed out to it whenever new data becomes available. You’re probably realized by now that accessing wireless networks costs you battery life, so turning push off will extend your battery’s life. With push off, you’ll need to set your email to check periodically or do it manually (see the next tip for more on this).

Find it in Settings -> Fetch New Data

8. Fetch Email Less Often

The less your phone needs to access a network, the less battery is used. So, set your phone to check your email accounts less often. Try checking every hour or, if you’re really serious about saving battery, manually. Manual checks means you’ll never just have email waiting for you on your phone, but you’ll also stave off the red battery icon.

Find it in Settings -> Fetch New Data

9. Auto-Lock Sooner

You can set your iPhone to automatically go to sleep – also known as Auto-Lock – after a certain amount of time. The sooner it sleeps, the less power is used to run the screen or other services. Try setting Auto-Lock to 1 or 2 minutes.

Find it in Settings -> General -> Auto-Lock

10. Do Less Battery-Intensive Things

Not all ways to save battery life involve settings. Some of them involve the way you use the phone. Things that require the phone be on for long periods of time, or use a lot of system resources, suck the most battery. These things include movies, games, and browsing the web. If you need to conserve battery, limit your use of battery-intensive apps.

11. Sleep and Wake Less

Constantly putting your phone to sleep and waking it up will drain battery life. Of course these functions are common parts of using the phone, but you can also be judicious in your turning on and off of the phone and save battery life at the same time.

12. Buy an Extended Life Battery

If all else fails, just get more battery. A few accessory makers offer extended life batteries for the iPhone. If you need so much battery life that none of these tips help you enough, an extended life battery is your best bet. With one, you’ll get days more standby time and many hours more use.

For a pretty wonderful line of products, iPod battery life can be a sore spot. The situation is even worse with the iPhone, where a recharge every day or so is common.

The problem, though, is that unlike other consumer electronics, iPhone and iPod batteries can’t be replaced by users. This is the result of a calculated trade-off by Apple: to get the high-end, smooth-lined industrial design that have helped the iPod and iPhone be so successful, batteries have to be locked inside the device’s case.

This can mean, in some cases, that an otherwise perfectly good iPod can be done in by a failing battery – which can be a frustrating situation. This site offers a number of articles to help you get the longest battery life out of your iPod or iPhone and to understand your options when batteries fail.

A recent study has shown that nearly 40% of Blackberry owners would trade their RIM device in for an iPhone. The same study showed nearly a third of Blackberry users would switch to Android devices.

Word has come from SXSW that the Rhapsody app for iPhone is set for an update. The app will get caching this time around so users can listen without needing that wireless connection.

PayPal has unveiled a new app for sending money using the iPhone. The app is version 2.0 of PayPal Send Money and allows access to money and features of their accounts.

Want to know what exactly does the Motorola Droid has? What are the real comparisons between the ever so popular Apple iPhone 3GS and the latest Motorola Droid. Then we have an exclusive comparison for you. Watch the video and make your decision on which one suits your needs the best. Enjoy.

So for all those eagerly waiting to upgrade to iPhone 3.1.2 and the accompanying baseband, and then unlock their iPhone – the day is almost here.

According to GeoHot, blackra1n RC3 will be available for download from NOON EST TODAY! blackra1n RC3 will also have blacksn0w to unlock iPhone 3.1.2 05.11.07 baseband.

For all those who don’t know, here’s a little introduction for both of these iPhone tools. blacksn0w is the unlock for the latest 05.11.07 baseband, and will also enable official tethering. blackra1n, a jailbreak for 3.1.2, has been updated to blackra1n RC3, with hacktivation support, 15 second speed improvement, Tiger+PPC support, and installation of the latest blackra1n.app.

GeoHot has posted some important instructions that you need to follow before you try out blackra1n RC3 or blacksn0w on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Read his latest post for details. Click Here.

The iBike Rider is a wrist-mounted iPhone case designed to give you easy access to your handset as you cruise around town looking for fights. When paired with its heaphone / mouthpiece, you can listen to tunes or accept calls via the headset. Of course, if you actually wanted to place a phone call it’s a simple matter of stopping the bike, removing the phone from its case, removing your gloves, and then dialing away. But once you’ve done all that, jump back on your “hog,” look both ways before entering traffic, and you’re an Easy Rider once again! This bad boy is also useful for turn-by-turn GPS instructions — but if you don’t know your way to Bass Lake by now, what kind of a Hell’s Angel are you? Available now for £34.10 (about $54).