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By Jon Cohen

For day three I decided the battery would be the first think I tested. Before I went to bed I set up the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4. Both started with full batteries and Wifi was on for both. Data was turned off on the older 3GS, but not for the iPhone 4. I thought by doing this would balance the scale since the new iPhone has a better battery. I hypothesized that I would find both phones with similar battery levels by morning. Also, I left the same 3 apps open on both phones, and after a refreshing 8 hour sleep I woke to find the iPhone 3GS’s battery was down to 72% and the iPhone 4 was at 84%. Through the night I did get 10 emails and a lot of “tweets” which both phones displayed in the  morning. I knew the iPhone 4 had a bigger battery, but I suppose I didn’t realize how weak the older 3GS’s battery was.

I moved on to the HD Video next. On the phone the video looks sharp and is very clear. I was able to do basic edits directly on the phone as well iMovie is an Apple app. that allows for more rich features so if you want to edit and add titles, music, etc. it would be a great app. to get. I found myself wondering what it would look like once I looked at it on the computer screen. One of the nice parts of the iPhone is how it seamlessly integrates with social media. With the ability to upload to YouTube from the camera app. and how simple it is to post a video to Facebook or Twitter. The downside is that HD video can not be uploaded directly from the phone. You’ll need to use a computer to upload the HD footage. Below I have posted a short video I took from the phone and uploaded directly to YouTube.

As mentioned yesterday the software bug that I have noticed, it is not the much spoken about antenna or the proximity sensor, but the ambient light sensor. This sensor dims the screen when you are in a dark space (like a movie theater or outside at night). From what I can see, the sensor does not work well when compared to the older 3GS version. On the  iPhone 3GS the sensor would dim the screen within seconds, on the iPhone 4 it does not dim at all. A small issue for me, but still a pain in the butt when sitting at the movies and checking my email.

Tomorrow I look at some of my favorite apps. on the iPhone, as well highlighting a few popular accessories that can help enhance your iPhone experience. After all you’ll want the iPhone to fit in with your lifestyle and accessories are a great way to do that.

Read Day 1

Read Day 2

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

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.

By Jon Cohen

So, the iPhone 4 has been out for over a month and no one can doubt that it is a best seller. In fact, most stores that carry Apple products are out of stock on a daily basis. I find myself being asked the question “should I upgrade or not”. This in fact is a question that I am personally asking myself. Since I have a iPhone 3GS and it has been working perfectly for me for the last 13 months, why would I upgrade now? The answer is not an easy one.  Once you set aside the hype and desire that Apple evokes we can look at features and needs. Yes the iPhone 4 has a better processor, thus making it a lot faster. It also has an amazing display (far superior to my 3GS), and yes it has a front facing camera that allows for FaceTime (video calls). With all these things being accounted for, the real question is do the new features outweigh or at least counter balance the fact that when the phone is held a certain way, it does not work?  In my opinion the answer is maybe, well I know maybe is the safe answer and certain people believe that you should not buy a product if it is not 100% perfect, while others share my opinion. The opinion that almost all manufactured products are never going to be perfect from the start is a fact of life.  In all industries we see that products go through testing and most of the time this gets rid of all and any issues, other times testing does not show a high enough error rate to warrant any action. Examples of both these outcomes can be found in the pharmaceutical and automotive industries. As well computers are never bug free; just ask Sony after they recalled millions of notebook batteries due to randomly blowing up. Microsoft Corp. who produces one of the largest consumed products in the world “Windows” has been plagued with bugs and fixes for them for 15 plus years. Regardless, Apple nor any other company is not perfect and therefore a maybe answer to the upgrade question is valid.

My end feeling is that if you can wait 3 to 4 months and let Apple continue to tweak its software and hardware then you should! If you need a new phone right away then the iPhone 4 will be a great choice as long as you remember not to use the death grip. You can also count on Apple to have great customer service and be able to resolve most of your issues for the first year after your purchase date.