The Geek Church

Heads up, dear readers! We’ve got breaking news as Steve Jobs of Apple unveiled the iPhone 4 earlier today. Obviously, you’ve got plenty of questions about what to expect from this new smartphone so we’ll give the full rundown of Apple’s latest product. Let’s start by discussing the iPhone’s design. Of course, the outer body of the phone consists of black glass and stainless steel rim, just like the infamous prototype misplaced, discovered and leaked in the news several months ago. The iPhone 4 is also three grams heavier and 34 percent thinner than its 3GS predecessor and has split volume buttons made of stainless steel. Apple says that this smartphone is currently the thinnest one in existence today. The stainless steel rim is also used for the phone’s antenna to provide better reception for 3GS and WiFi. The physical size of the phone is 4.5 x 2.31 inches in width, 0.37 inches thick with a weight of 4.8 ounces (137 grams).

Now we’ll take a look at the smartphone’s hardware. Like the iPad, this iPhone has an internal Apple A4 chip. Furthermore, the phone also uses several other interconnected chips, which include a Cortex-A8 main processor unit, a PowerVR SGX 535 and two low-power 128MB DDR SDRAM chips. The Cortex-A8 processor acts as the phone’s main controlling mechanism, the PowerVR SGX provides hi-def graphics and the SDRAM chips give greater processing speed. The iPhone 4’s battery was also improved, made 16 percent larger than the previous iPhone battery with a longer lifespan. According to Apple, the new battery makes the iPhone 4 capable of 7 talk hours over 3G, 6 browsing hours over 3G, 10 browsing hours over Wi-Fi, 10 hours with video, 40 hours with music and 300 hours on standby.

The new iPhone’s multi-touch screen is 3.5 inches with 960 × 640 pixels and Apple calls it the Retina Display. Thus, it has four times as many pixels compared to the previous iPhone display with 326 pixels per inch resolution in the screen. Apple said that this IPS display is the same tech found in the iPad, so applications can run with better resolution, sharper view for text, 3D graphics and vectorial art. The new display also has the same oleophobic layer as the iPad and iPhone 3GS for easy cleaning. The iPhone 4 has two cameras as well. The main camera is backlit, has a larger sensor, larger lenses and a higher ISO but retains the same 5 megapixels. However, the main camera also has an LED based flash for making photos and video. Meanwhile, a video conferencing camera is located on the front of the phone. It has standard VGA resolution, third-party application compatibility and also features Apple’s own video conference solution. In addition to these features, the iPhone has a internal gyroscope for tracking movement with great accuracy. It has a 3-axis, enabling it to detect roll, pitch and yaw. It’s also combined with an accelerometer to make 6-axis sensing possible. It features an extra microphone to cancel out noise and the same micro-SIM standard as the iPad as well.

Finally, let’s consider the iPhone’s 4’s software. It has ISO 4 for selective multi-tasking. Thus, you can multi-task with applications while consuming less battery power and resources. ISO 4 also gives the Retina Display resolution independence, so applications are instantly adjusted to look sharper. This applies to typography, 2D vector graphics and 3D graphics as well. Meanwhile, the iPhone also offers the capability for video calling, made possible with its video conferencing camera. Apple calls this service FaceTime and communication is available from one iPhone 4 to another over Wi-Fi. Apple is featuring a new editing sofware called iMovie for iPhone as well. This software runs on hi-def with 720p, allowing you to edit video clips, add extra effects for still images and gives you access to a music soundtrack from your phone’s iTunes. Then you can export finished videos to 360p, 520p and 720p. However, iMovie is a separate application not included with the iPhone 4 itself. Lastly, ibooks are also compatible with ISO 4 and they’re accessible through the same controls used on the iPad’s iBook application. The new smartphone is scheduled for release on June 24 in black or white color options while prices are $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB.

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When it comes to new technological developments on their product lines, companies tend to be secretive and protective of their latest stuff. Businesses often limit or restrict information about their newest products to have a competitive edge over their rivals and carefully plan out the release of their latest developments to make the biggest profit possible from them. Thus, information leaks and misplaced product prototypes are normally quite frowned upon in regards to their newest stuff. Apparently, an employee of Apple forgot these important facts about the proper handling of new merchandise when he brought a next-generation iPhone to a bar in Redwood City, California last month and accidentally left it behind.

This employee works for Apple as a software engineer who is responsible for the iPhone Baseband Software, the program that allows the phone to make calls. On the fateful night of March the 18th, this software engineer decided to spend his evening enjoying imported ales at Gourmet Haus Staud since this day just happened to be his 27th birthday. His reason for taking the new iPhone from outside the premises of Apple was to give it a field test. Of course, he prepared for this field test by disguising the new phone as a 3G iPhone and even discussed the test run briefly on his Facebook profile. Then he forgot about the new phone during his night at Gourmet Haus Stud and left it there before returning home.

Later on, this iPhone 4G was found by another man at the bar, who took it home and realized the significance of the find after he removed the phone’s fake 3G jacket. Afterward, the next-generation iPhone found its way into the hands of Gizmodo, who bought it for five thousand dollars weeks later. Of course, the tech blog also took the opportunity to post their own story about the iPhone 4G discovery this past Monday as well. Then, a letter signed by Apple General Counsel and Senior VP Bruce Sewell was issued to Gizmodo, formally requesting the safe return of the new iPhone prototype. So, Gizmodo Editorial Director Brian Lam sent a friendly reply to Apple, promising to give them the phone back after the opportunistic tech blog posted Apple’s letter on their website. At this time, it is unclear whether or not Gizmodo is facing legal repercussions for being in possession of the next-generation iPhone. Well, this whole situation was certainly more than a simple information leak. Personally, I wonder how it could affect the future of Apple’s smartphone product line and if that software engineer is facing certain disciplinary action for his mistake last March.

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Since the world is still reeling from last weekend’s release of the iPad, Apple is attempting to wow consumers further with their newest development, the iPhone OS 4.0. So far, fifty million iPhones have been sold, along with 450,000 iPads and OS 4.0 is scheduled to be applied to phones this summer. Then the iPad will get this upgrade in the fall. Obviously, people are wondering what the OS 4.0 can do. Well, here’s a rundown of its features and capabilities.

First of all, it offers multi-tasking. You can run applications with a double tap of the home button, pause games at any time and there’s a tray available for switching between applications. This tray pushes up the other home icons and has a metallic background. However, you will be facing limitations in using active applications even though you have the ability to switch between them easily. Furthermore, multi-tasking will not be available for iPhone 3G or the second generation iPod touch and there is no task manager to do the app. organization for you, either.

Second, seven background services are available for use. For background audio, you can play Pandora and manage it with pop-up controls. For background VoIP, Skype calls are still compatible, you can switch applications, a “return to call” button is available and you will be able to receive Skype calls on a locked phone. Push and local notifications are still available but local ones are for in-phone applications, pop-up alarms, etc. Fast app. switching is now possible. This feature allows you to store one app. in its present state as you switch to another one and then back to the previous one. The final background service is task completion, which allows for an upload if you close an app.

Next, folders are available for storing lists of usable applications. Up to 2160 applications can be stored for future use. There are also homescreen wallpapers, enhanced mail and unified mail to combine web mail, Mobile Me and multiple exchange accounts. A thread organization is provided as a more powerful inbox and attachments are now possible for third party email. Of course, iBooks are possible, similar to how they work on the iPad and you can sync bookmarks and between devices. There is also better email encryption and SSL VPN support for non-bold text. Then, gaming features include being able to challenge friends, compare high scores on leaderboards and do matchmaking and achievements. The OS 4.0 also supports Bluetooth keyboards. Lastly, ads will be appear in HTML 5, they are fully interactive and they now have access to APIs, which includes location and accelerometer as well.

However, there is no confirmation that it supports cameras with flash, and how easily you can download applications is another unanswered question.

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Hey, dear readers, if you’re keeping up on current events involving new technology, then you probably know that Apple’s iPad was finally released to the consumer over the past weekend. For those of you not able or not interested in buying one yet, you’re likely to have some obvious questions right now. Questions such as does it really work, what can it actually do, did Apple keep its promises about the product this time or what problems come with trying to use it? Well, Henry Blodget, the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of the Business Insider just wrote a review of his experience with the iPad earlier today. Here’s a summary with the highlights to answer your questions about the new Apple product.

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I would be remiss in my duties here on The Geek Church if I didn’t report on this, but honestly, there probably isn’t anything in here that you don’t know already. A few hours ago, Steve Jobs stood up at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and announced the iPad, Apple’s long-awaited tablet.

The Tablet has a multitouch screen that is 9.7 inches (on the diagonal) with 1024 x 728 resolution. It has 802.11 n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, speaker, microphone, built-in accelerometer and a compass. It also the first device to use a unique Apple A4 Processor. The battery life has been reported at ten hours of constant use. Whoa!

It has a screen that will rotate depending on which way you hold it. Just think of it as a big iPhone or iPod Touch. In fact, most people are thinking that already. The touchpad keyboard is about the size of a regular keyboard, which will definitely come in handy.

As for the price, that is depending on what you want. With Wifi, it is $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. It costs a tad more with WiFi and 3G as it is $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB. Apple promises to ship them in 60 days, so it is probably going to take a while for it to get to you.

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I’m not a Mac man, but whenever Apple does something, it is big, and always worthy of report.

Without further ado, here is what happened yesterday:

iMac: These aluminum-cased updates include a 21.5 and 27 inch screen, with 16 x 9 format, not to mention viewing angles of 178 degrees with minimal resolution of 1080p.

New iMacs will come with a wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse. The 27 inch model has an SD-card and video-in cable.

Magic Mouse: What is a Magic Mouse, you ask? This is a wireless mouse that has no scroll wheel but has multitouch gestures that will give greater control of your scrolling, among other things.

MacBook: It’s got a new unibody that is all plastic. It’s touchpad is made from glass and is totally multitouch. It’s also got a seven-hour battery.

Mac mini: The Mac Mini will feature an optional Mac Mini Server. This does away with the optical drive and replaces it with a 500GB HDD. As it is, the specs on the base model are 2.26 GHZ Core 2 Duo CPU with 2GB of RAM and a 160GB HDD.

Oh yes, there is an Apple remote that you can read about here.

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Every once in a while, there will be some sort of big rumor in the tech industry that is just waiting to be squelched. In this case, it is the one that says that Verizon won’t be carrying the Palm Pre.

That’s enough to make that weird Palm Pre lady from those ads go “say what”? The rumor started at The Street, but it has apparently been reported to be “in error”. A report at Gizmodo stated that Palm requires a Verizon launch, and not just Sprint and AT&T.

Well, I suppose that ends that rumor for now. Until then, I’ve heard that the iPhone would be coming to Verizon. I heard somewhere that this could happen in around 2011, after AT&T and Apple end their exclusive contract.