The iPhone 4 is a touch screen smartphone developed by Apple and is the fourth generation of iPhone. The “i” prefix no longer officially stands for anything, but is Apple’s trademark for all its products (such as iPad, iPod, iTunes, etc.). A smartphone can best be described as a mobile phone integrated with a handheld computer. They run full operating system software that allows the user to install and run more advanced applications. The list of iPhone apps is growing every day (more than 350,000), and nowadays you can find an app to do basically anything. Your phone comes with some apps already installed, but you can easily download more from the Apple App Store. Many of these apps are free and many are not, so double check before downloading to avoid unexpected costs.
Touchscreen functionality is one that is becoming more popular in devices lately, and it is also available on some Nokia, LG, and HTC cell phones, to name just a few. Instead of pressing or tapping buttons, simply tap the screen to operate the device. The touch screen means that the phone can have the minimum number of external buttons without affecting the usability and functionality of the phone. It also means that the phone can have a bigger screen. The iPhone 4 has just one button on the front and four buttons around the side. When using a touch screen phone for the first time, it may seem a bit different and complicated, but it is actually much more logical and user friendly than many of the standard mobile phones we have become used to. The key to getting used to it is simple: don’t be afraid! Touch and drag and aim as much as possible. If you break it just by touching it, it was broken to begin with. And most of the time, the phone will ask you for confirmation before deleting something, so you’re pretty sure. The glass on the front and back of the phone is coated with a special fingerprint-resistant layer, so unless you operate your phone with dirty, greasy fingers, it won’t leave too many finger marks. The coating also helps your finger glide across the glass, making it easier to work with.
iPhone 4 has many great features like FaceTime, Retina Display, multitasking, HD video recording and editing, and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. This is what they do.
FaceTime it’s a video call with two cameras, one in the front focused on you and one in the back focusing on everything else. You can switch cameras at any time during a call with the touch of a button. The best way to explain why you would want to use this is with an example of a news reporter on the scene of a newsworthy story. He wants to show viewers his face as he reports, but he also wants to show his viewers what he is seeing when something is happening. Now, if you didn’t have two cameras to cut, you’d have to do the full 180-degree camera turn multiple times, which would make some viewers dizzy. As with all video calling devices, you can see what you’re showing the person on the other end using the small “viewer” window in the bottom corner of the screen.
Tea retina display It’s a very sharp, vibrant, high-resolution display, the best yet in the iPhone family. The name comes from the fact that the screen’s pixel density is so high that the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels. Looking at the object on the screen is compared to looking at the object with your own eyes. Nice.
Tea multitask The feature allows you to easily switch between third-party apps and iPhone apps without slowing down foreground app performance or draining your battery. The fact that Apple is calling attention to this feature must mean that it was a problem on previous iPhones. I’m glad they fixed it.
Tea HD video recording feature allows the user to shoot their own movies in high definition. Many other mobile phones also have a video recording feature, but very few have high-definition recording. The iPhone 4 can also capture good quality images in low light conditions using the built-in LED light and illumination sensor. The editing part, however, is not included as standard with the phone. It is done using the iMovie app, which is available on the App Store for $4.99 (around R40.00). The iPhone 4’s good video recording quality means it can replace your digital camcorder in most cases when you’re not recording for long periods of time. However, the longer the recording time and the better the quality, the more memory it will require, so it is best to restrict recording to a few minutes at a time.
The iPhone 4 also has a 5 megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. By using the front camera, it’s now easy to take selfies too.
Another cool feature of the iPhone 4 is the gyroscope and accelerometer. I know it’s not exclusive to the iPhone, but it’s still something worth mentioning. The iPhone 4 has a gyro sensor that detects angular acceleration in all 3 axes, allowing it to calculate yaw, pitch, and roll. The accelerometer detects any acceleration, jolt, vibration, or fall of the device along all 3 axes. Although this is one of the least functional features of the iPhone 4, it is one of the best, in my opinion. It makes the device seem more real when interacting with the user in this way. It is mostly used in applications like games where you use tilt to scroll an object, but there are many smart and creative people who have thought of many fascinating ways to entertain the user with this feature.
As for network connectivity, the iPhone 4 uses a Micro-SIM card for all devices that run on a GSM network (cellular network with 3G). The Micro-SIM card is not like an ordinary SIM card that you can buy for a few cents. This is something important to keep in mind. In fact, the iPhone 4 launch in South Africa was delayed in many parts of the country because Micro-SIM cards for our networks were not yet available. I think this problem has been fixed now, but it’s still worth keeping in mind if you want to buy an iPhone 4. You can turn a normal SIM card into a Micro-SIM card with a knife or a pair. of scissors, but I really don’t recommend it. Unlike an ordinary cell phone, the iPhone 4 does not store data on the SIM card, but on the built-in flash memory. There are two iPhone 4 models, one with 16GB internal flash memory and the other with 32GB memory, which is understandably more expensive.
One of the many accessories available for the iPhone 4 is a bumper. A bumper is a ring of rubber and plastic that wraps around the edge of the iPhone 4. The folks at Apple have worked very hard to produce the delicate design of the iPhone 4, and they don’t want you to damage it. The bumper wraps around the edges of the device, but does not cover the front or back of the phone. It protects the screen from heavy knocks and bumps, but not from my bag. So I would buy a carrying case or other cover to protect the screen as well.
Availability and price: The iPhone 4 is available on many global sites like Amazon. Please note that if you live in South Africa, you cannot order from Amazon.com. They no longer ship to South Africa due to the high rate of postal theft. However, you can order from Amazon.co.uk. They usually have similar products to the US site, and the prices differ slightly based on the exchange rate. In South Africa, the iPhone 4 is mainly available at Vodacom and MTN stores. However, at the moment it is only available for Vodacom and MTN networks. Take note: Before you buy an iPhone 4, make sure it will work with your cellular network provider. Most of them get locked into a single network. This is especially important if you are buying your iPhone 4 online. If it’s locked to the wrong network, you’ll have to unlock it by “breaking” (read: hacking and cracking), and I personally don’t like “breaking” anything that costs that much.
US Price: iPhone 4 16GB: $199, iPhone 4 32GB: $299
Keep in mind that in the USA, to get iPhone 4 at these prices you will have to renew or contract a 2-year contract with AT&T.
No Contract: iPhone 4 16GB No Contract: $599, iPhone 4 32GB No Contract: $699
South Africa price: This largely depends on the type of contract and the provider, but here are the prices online just to give you an idea:
Online Prices (South Africa): iPhone 4 16GB: R6400 – R10,000, iPhone 4 32GB: R7800 – R11,000
So that’s the world of the iPhone 4 explored. It’s a very high quality device and nothing else comes close, but it’s still too expensive for me. However, it’s a really cool device to make all your friends and family green with envy, and no one said envy came cheap.
