iPhone 4: Not really that good with WiFi
By now we’re all very familiar with the SNAFU that went on during Steve’s demo of the FaceTime video call feature on the iPhone 4.
During the botched up demo, Steve claims that that the over 570 WiFi hotspots in the room was interfering with all his iPhone 4s including the backups. From the videos we’ve seen, it appears that his bevy of iPhone 4s was having a difficult time getting connected to WiFi.
We find rather worrying and here’s why.
During his keynote Steve said that the iPhone 4 “is one of the most precise and beautiful things” Apple has ever made. He went on about how the iPhone 4 glass and steel construction was like and “an old Leica camera”. Well, old Leica camera has problems connecting to WiFi networks too.
The other new iPhone: 8GB 3GS
The iPhone 4 created such a buzz that it even manages to overshadow even its own stalemate.
Yes people, when Steve announced the pricing for the iPhone 4 many of you missed out on the other new iPhone coming June 24 – 8GB 3GS.
With the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4 entering the market there will be no room for a 16GB and 32GB 3GS so that will be discontinued and it place Apple will introduce a new variant of the 3GS with 8GB storage for a bargain basement price of US$99 (with contract).
It’s good that Apple got all its bases cover with low, medium and high-end price points but we’d rather they still make 16GB 3GS and make that the entry level iPhone rather than introduce an 8GB version. Oh well, Apple know their customers better than us so they probably have a good reason for it.
Any word on whether this new entry level iPhone will make it to Malaysia? Still too early to tell but if what Maxis is doing with the iPhone 3G and 3GS is anything to go by, then there might be a possibility. How much is it going to cost? Roughly the same at the iPhone 3G right now but they will have to get rid of their existing 3G and 3GS stocks first.
The Samsung Wave uses a A4 processor too (in a way)
Analysts from UBM TechInsights have revealed a surprising discovery. They’ve found out that Apple’s claimed proprietary 1GHz A4 processor features very much the same ARM CORTEX A8 core found in Samsung’s S5PC110A01 application processor used in the recently released Samsung Wave S8500. The same processor will also run Samsung’s Android flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S.
Apple’s A4 processor is currently running its tremendously popular iPad and soon the company recently announced iPhone 4. Incidentally Samsung manufacturers the A4 for Apple and the S5PC110A01 processor for itself.
With a Samsung processors at the heart of two of the world’s most prolific mobile devices, what we can take out of this is that Samsung is the global leader in wireless and mobile applications processor manufacturing.
What it also means is that with roughly the same processor running three different devices with three different operating systems and varying specifications, it would be very interesting to see how they stack up against one another.
Now we’re wondering what did Steve Jobs mean when at the WWDC10 keynote he said that the A4 designed by Apple’s own team. Hmm.
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iPhone 4: Sample pictures and video taken from the 5MP camera
You’re looking at a sample picture taken using the iPhone 4 5MP camera. It certainly does look good but not anything we’d call spectacular. Comparable with what the HTC Desire and the Nokia N8 can churn out.
The thing with digital cameras is that if the light conditions are optimum any one can take a decent snap that’s sharp with accurate colour reproduction. The real test of a camera is how it performs in the absence of light. Low light conditions will really tell if a camera is good or not.
And with the backlit sensor – a first for a smartphone – the iPhone 4 has to really shine in dim situations, so to speak. Unfortunately, none of the sample pictures from the Apple website really tested the low light capabilities of the iPhone 4 camera. So we will have to wait until we try the iPhone 4 out for ourselves.
Head on over to the jump to see a 100% crop of the same picture to really get some idea on the level of quality the iPhone 4 main camera can deliver.
iPhone 4: FaceTime demo FAIL
It’s doesn’t happen often so we all might as well savour it while it’s still fresh.
When Steve steps up to any stage, the atmosphere is usually electrifying. We haven’t had the privilege to watch his presentations live but from the many videos and live blog feeds that we’ve seen it’s very easy to get engrossed in what he’s talking about.
At WWDC10 however something very rare happened. Steve’s usually very slick presso hit a snag when he wanted to demo what was arguably one of the most important features of the iPhone 4 – FaceTime video calling.
The funny thing about FaceTime is that it currently runs exclusively on WiFi. That means with the iPhone 4, you can only make video calls if there’s a WiFi hotspot around. On top of that, you’ll need two iPhone 4 to make the call, one on the caller side and one on the receiver side.
In a day and age where 3G networks can support video calls just fine we can’t really understand why Apple would want to implement its version in such a different manner.
Well, we can only understand why when we make a FaceTime call of our own. So for now we’ll leave you with a video documenting Apple’s foul up during the FaceTime video call demo.
Jump to take a look. It’s an invaluable lesson on how to take control of a situation and maintain flow. Top stuff Jobs!
Steve’s WWDC10 keynote is now up on Apple.com
If you’ve missed all the action at the WWDC10 keynote two nights back, we’re just letting you know that Apple has just uploaded the full video on its website along with two other video about the iPhone 4.
Hop on over to the links to take a look.
WWDC10 keynote address
iPhone 4 design video
FaceTime demo video