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By Jon Cohen

The number one thing that makes the iPhone such a winner is all those apps. Apps let a smartphone become smarter, and granted all the major players in the smartphone world offer apps. You should note that Apple has more apps. for you to download then Blackberry, Android (Google), Palm/HP (WebOS), Nokia combined. One thing you need to know if you don’t already own an iPhone is that the majority of apps. are free. This fact is one that often shocks people who look at my iPhone and comment on all the apps on the phone and makes the remark “You must have spent a lot of money on apps.”

Here is a list of a few of my favorite apps.

• Facebook, does this app. even need an explanation? I think not.
• Dropbox is a web (cloud) based file storage system that gives you full access to files and allows you to access them anywhere you go.
• SoundHound, a great app that will figure out the music that is playing and give you info like artist, title, and album. It will also link you to YouTube to watch the video as well as the iTunes music store to buy the song. Very cool, very powerful.
• PhotoShop Express will allow you to do quick and impressive edits to photos. From changing colors to cropping, to adding boarders and more. It is one of the simplest apps out their, plus it is free!
• Another free app is Urban Spoon, a Vegas style slot machine that helps you choose local restaurants with a spin of the wheel. It uses the iPhone GPS to locate where you are and then points you to restaurants in your area that meet your requirements. Whether it is Food type, Price, or locations. Trust the spoon to point you to a great place to eat.
• Echofon / TweetDeck / Twittelator – Best Twitter apps out today. All feature full and rich interface and make sending out “tweets” simple.
• Last is a very addictive game called “Plants vs. Zombies” it is not easy to describe in a few words. You are planting plants to fight zombies as they try to attack your house. Simple game but tons of fun. Great for everyone!

When it comes to accessories I will not be so specific to give out brands and such, rather the accessory types.

The number one thing is a speaker system, regardless of you listening to the music you moved from your computer or the music that can be heard from streaming music apps, it is a pain to listen to on the iPhone’s speaker. So get a good sounding set of speakers and if you find a pair that have the iPod dock built in then you can recharge the phone at the same time. Staying on the topic of sound, a good pair of headphone would be a very nice add on. Yes you do get a pair of Apple headphones in the box, but after a month with them they will go from a white color to a off-white and full of dirt. Plus sound of a better headphone can really help you enjoy the iPhone. The last accessory is a case, although I don’t use one, many people do love to trick out their iPhone with a cool case. A case will also help protect the iPhone from bumps or drops.

Their you have it, 4 Days of the iPhone 4. In conclusion I will state if you are going to buy a smartphone then the iPhone is the best choice for most people. If you currently own the iPhone, iPhone 3 then this upgrade to the iPhone 4 will be a welcomed change. But if you are like me and had the iPhone 3GS, you may not be so sure if you should upgrade. The benefits listed in the past three days of posts lead me to believe it is well worth the upgrade. I do realize it is not for everyone, and to spend the money to change a year old phone. Thus I leave it to you to make the decision.

By Jon Cohen

I woke up on this the second morning of owning the new iPhone 4 to the built in alarm. I was shocked by how loud this tiny little speakers sounded, I estimate it is at least 25% louder then the previous iPhone 3GS. As the day progressed I had a chance to make a FaceTime phone call using the iPhone 4′s front facing camera. Apple requires you to make the call using WiFi so it was a bit of a pain in the rear to have to find a WiFi hotspot but I did. I assume Apple will soon allow FaceTime over the 3G network. With that being said the experience of FaceTime was one I will not soon forget. FaceTime was easy to use, fun, and the quality on my end was remarkable and totally useable on a daily basis. I only hope that more devices use Apple’s open standard of FaceTime in the near future. Right away, I assume the next iPod Touch will have  the FaceTime build in with the same front facing camera as the iPhone 4. (Should be released in early September 2010)

One of the reasons I decided to get an iPhone 4 was the improved rear Digital Camera, now featuring a 5MP sensor and a built in LED flash I knew it would allow me to share better quality pictures with all of my friends and family. As well allow me to capture images that I would be able to be printed if needed I was very impressed. As for the front camera it does not impress me in the same fashion as the rear camera does but I must say it gives pleasing images that are very similar to the iPhone 3GS. An interesting feature that the iPhone cameras have is built in Geo-Tagging (it uses the iPhone’s GPS to keep track of where the photo was taken)

Below you will find sample images from the rear camera as well as the front camera. It should also be noted the LED flash can be used as a flashlight ( and There’s an App for that). Final thoughts on the camera, great with good light (day or indoor), very nice when ambient light is present and when that LED Flash kicks in. Poor images with no light, very grainy even with flash. Therefore, like most cameras use it in the correct settings and you won’t be left disappointed.

During Day 3 testing I plan on trying out the HD video, discussing the battery life, and left you know about the first software bug I have found.

Read Day 1

Read Day 3

In my house:

Image from rear camera on iPhone 4 without LED flash

Image from rear camera on iPhone 4 with LED Flash

Image from Camera on Front of iPhone 4

At the pub:

Image with good light source no LED flash needed

Outside:

Panorama with the iPhone 4

Using the Zoom:

Zoomed in with digital zoom (more then 200 ft. away)

By Jon Cohen

Background: I took the plunge and bought what has been described by many users and critics as a defective product, the new iPhone 4 from Apple. I had to give the idea of buying the iPhone 4 some thought, but once I did buy it, I found myself hoping that I would not be disappointed by it. After all a lot of people are asking me for my thoughts on this new device. People want to know whether or not they should buy/upgrade to iPhone 4. So I opted to buy one and test it out for myself and thus allow me to give people an informed opinion.

The screen is so sharp to look at, both text and images are super clear that it made me almost forget that I was wanting to test it for signal issues and dropped calls. The first impressions of the new iPhone are summed up with one word “Wow”. Although it feels heavier then the 3GS iPhone (it is not, both are 4.8 ounces), but it also feels like the weight is in the right place to use this phone. Unlike the 3GS this iPhone sits in my hand comfortably, and feels solid! After syncing my data with iTunes the new iPhone was ready to use. (Apple deserves a lot of credit for shipping a phone that is charged out of the box)

I tried out the phone feature without using any case or bumper looking to drop calls and checking for the signal to deplete, both didn’t happen on Day 1. In fact the “Death Grip” that is much talked about all over the Internet was not causing me any issues. I did loose a bar from time to time, but it was not different on any other of the older iPhones I had used. I am using this phone on the Rogers Wireless network which has offered me wireless service over the past 10 years, I only wish the Internet speeds would be faster. I plan on testing with both Bell and Telus in days to come, provided that PR from each of the companies gets back to me.

After one day, my thoughts are the following; great display, super fast, and no signal issues. Tomorrow I plan on testing the video call feature known as “FaceTime” as well as doing some test images using both the front and rear cameras. So far I can’t find any reason why someone would not want to buy/upgrade to the iPhone 4. Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow.

By Jon Cohen

As we age, we lose the ability to do some of our most enjoyed hobbies. One hobby that seniors tend to miss is reading books. At one point you may have read 3 or 4 books a month, and now struggle to be able to even read the numbers on a telephone. For most, the loss of vision has been a source of much anger, and embarrassment because reading fills a need for information in oneʼs life. Well, there is good news on the horizon; with new technology reading will once again be a possibility for most. This is due to the introduction of eBook Readers. Today’s seniors, regardless of age might be able to reignite their passion for reading. Most of these devices give the reader a choice of brightness and text size. This helps to address one of the reasons why seniors donʼt read as often as they once did.

Some of the devices that you will want to consider are the Sony eBook Reader, the Amazon Kindle, or my favorite the Apple iPad. All of these are light weight and easy to use, pricing for the eBook Reader vary from $299 up to $899 depending on which options and configurations you choose. For most, the average price will be about $499.

Regardless of which device you choose you will be impressed with how easy it is to get access to books. Both Apple and Amazon offer a book store on the device that allows you access to many books. The catalog includes best sellers, new releases, and public domain titles. This leaves readers with somewhere between 60,000 to 150,000 books to choose from, and the list is always growing. eBook Readers also offers readers 30,000 free books to choose from and new releases or a best sellers will only cost between $10 and $20 per title. The best part is that you don’t even need a computer to start accessing or buying books. The Reader uses a safe and secure integrated store that only requires a credit card if you are purchasing books.

All of these devices offer users many different ways to display text. So if you have a problem with your vision, you will be able to take advantage of the many different text configurations such as black backgrounds with white text or white backgrounds with black text. The device can even give you that authentic book feeling if you so desire to change the background to the original paper from the book. The Apple iPad will also allow for color illustrations which gives your old favorites a new look and feel.

Other key features to consider when choosing the eBook Reader for yourself or someone you love is that Apple’s iPad is more then just a single use device. It can also offer email, internet, music, and the ability to watch movies. I think this device is the overall winner in the market.

So whether you are an avid reader who has stopped reading or if you just read less because of the strain on your eye, you will want to pickup an eBook Reader and get reunited with your favorite books.