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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

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

Canada listen up, iPhone 4 is coming to you, and only a month after the US consumers. Questions will remain whether or not it will have the issues that the current iPhone 4 have with AT&T and signal loss. If in fact the issue lies with AT&T and not the hardware then the fact that Canada gets 4 different carries to provide service to iPhone 4 (none being AT&T) may prove to be the biggest advantage of using the newest iPhone in Canada. With Rogers, Bell, Telus, and Fido offering service Canadians will soon get access to some well deserved FaceTime (Apple’s new iPhone 4 feature that allows video calling between iPhone 4 users over WiFi).  July 30th is the date that Apple has set for  the Canadian release.

Only time shall tell if all the bad hype about the iPhone 4 in the USA will drive normally conservative Canadians away from purchasing. In most people’s eye Apple is perfect and people expect nothing but the best from them.

By Jon Cohen

Their is no doubt that FREE is GOOD! Blackberry users have known this for a few years now. Blackberry owners have had a leg up on the rest of the mobile phone market by offering a free service to allow users to chat with each other. The service was called PIN-ing in the beginning and developed to become an application on the Blackberry simply known as BBM.  I was a member of the elite club of BBM (Blackberry Messenger) users for many years. In fact I was lucky enough to be one of the first users in North America ( I hacked my blackberry at the time with the OS from China).

Today I am using an iPhone and it was a hard decision to make, switching away from RIM the Blackberry makers. But now after 6 months or so with the iPhone 3GS I am happy I have made the move.

A bit of history

It should be noted that I had been using the Blackberry since 2003 and was a HUGE fan of the device. I had owned over 10 different models in the 6.5 years of using Blackberry and I was always wanting the newest and best model. I had gone as far as buying US models of the phone and unlocking them to work here in Canada. (Ironic since RIM is a Canadian company) So the title of Blackberry FanBoy would have been appropriate.

I did indeed try twice before 2009 to move away from the Blackberry by getting the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G. In both older models of iPhone I was not happy with the speed, the functionality and the lack of key features. It should be noted as well the the two iPhones mentioned were using OS 1.0 and 2.0, both an immature operating system in my opinion.

Back to the future

Now that I have made the move to iPhone, it would be very hard for me to go back to the Blackberry. I really love the iPhone and all of the Apps that are on the App. store. The two things that I found are missing on the iPhone when compared to the Blackberry where; 1. Spell Check, 2. Chat Client like BBM.

Well it was pointed out to me by a friend that Apple does have an App. for Spell check, it is not free but it does work most of the time. But until today Apple didn’t have an App. for Chat. This is were “Ping” [iTunes Link] comes in. It is a slick chat client that will give you a nice clean look and feel and also offers a unique user name for your iPhone or iPod Touch. With this unique user name this App. gives iPhone users the same FREE chatting capability that PIN-ing gave Blackberry users in the early days while still embedded this functionality in an App.

Ping is not perfect, but it will get there. Right now the App. which launched on Sept. 29th. 2009 is getting a lot of good hype and more and more users are joining Ping by downloading the App. and signing up. (No actual sign up is required)

The early tests I have done on Ping have shown great function, it is easy to use, and it is quick and the notification option works like it is suppose to.

Their are a few concerns that I have and I hope to interview the developer to see if he can address these issues.

Firstly if Ping can grow and still function? With so many users of the iPhone can a P2P chat app scale to handle the large volume of iPhone users.

Second, what is the privacy policy? Since the chat is P2P it must so through Ping’s servers and because of that I would want to know if it is encrypted, as well if it is publicly visible to anyone other then the two people chatting.

Third, user name? How is Ping going to avoid the issues that have plagued Twitter and Facebook with regards to user names being untrue. I expand on this questions by using this example;  if Oprah is my user name what will stop me from letting people believe that I am the real Oprah (TV Star)? How can Ping police this, what is there plans to validate the user is who they say they are.

Forth, Battery drain. Since I have installed Ping I have noticed a bit of battery drain (5%-10% loss)  and I assume that since Ping does use notification service that when I turn that function off my battery life will improve. It would be great if the developers of Ping would be able to figure out a way to improve battery life while keeping notification on.

In closing, as it stands today, Spell Check App and Ping App fill the only two voids I had on my iPhone following the switchover. If Ping can not or does not address user concerns thenI will have no choice but to re-think if I’d want to continue to use this App. My assumption is that like most developers the authors of Ping [iTunes Link] will want to have a great product and will welcome constructive feedback like the kind listed above. Once again I will state that Ping is a great App. Go out and  downloaded it ASAP (While it is still free).