If you are an ‘iPhonectic’ like me, staying up till midnight to catch Steve Jobs’ keynote at the annual developer conference, watch the live streams, blogs and twitter, you’ll be delighted to know that the iPhone 4 is finally out!

The most anticipated smartphone for the year. Apple has done it once again by introducing a lot of new technologies that will surely change the mobile platform industry for the years to come. I can't wait for this phone once it hits Singapore. Truly, a phone not to be missed out.

Looking very much like the recent iPhone leak, here are some of the key new features compared to the previous iPhones (http://www.apple.com/iphone/design/index.html#design-video):

Engineered glass
The front and back of the new iPhone is encapsulated between two panels of aluminosilicate glass—the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Perks: It is more durable, has higher scratch resistance and recyclable.

Retina display
With four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models, the new 960 by 640 backlit LCD display makes it the highest-resolution phone screen in the market. This will definitely improve the readability of documents and books on the phone.

A4 processor
Using the same A4 chip as the iPad, iPhone 4 is capable of launching applications faster, as well as multitasking, performing video editing, and carrying out video-conferencing using FaceTime.

Camera
The iPhone 4 finally catches up with the rest of the smartphones in the market with its 5-megapixel camera complete with HD video capturing ability. A built-in LED flash works both as a camera flash when shooting pictures in low light condition and as a video light to illuminate a scene. A built-in camera on the front allows for video-conferencing and taking self-portraits. With the iMovie app (video editing and themes) launching soon, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get an avalanche of videos on video sharing sites.

Gyroscope and accelerometer
iPhone 4 is the first phone with a built-in three-axis gyroscope (device for measuring or maintaining orientation). Paired with the accelerometer, the iPhone 4 is capable of advanced motion sensing, which translates to greater precision for a better gaming experience.

Battery life
Yes, there’ll be more of it—thanks to a larger battery coupled with the efficiency of the A4 processor, which will deliver 40% more talk time than previous iPhones.

How to get yours?

Currently, there are no details on when Singapore will get the new iPhone. But pre-orders will begin on 15 June and starts shipping to US, France, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan on 24 June. The 16GB model goes for US$199 and the 32GB at US$299 with an AT&T plan.

According to the WWDC keynote, the iPhone 4G will be in Singapore in July. I presume at the end of the month as no specific date was given.



New iOS update—free!

In the meantime, there’s good news for exisiting iPhone users. Apple has recently launched the iOS 4, and it’s free to all iPhone and iTouch users.

The new OS allows you to organise your apps into folders by simple drag and drop so you won’t have to keep deleting the apps on your iPhone to make way for new ones. You can also multitask on your iPhone using the new OS. No more having to exit an application when a call comes in, only to re-launch it again later.

That's all for today.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .
(An Article Review by Ivan Teo from inSing.com)