iPhone 4

4 Times the Amazing.

Review By Anastacia Cosac

In 2007, Apple released the iPhone - Essentially, it was an iPod that was also a phone. In 2008, Apple took the iPhone and added the App store - which would grow to become one of the largest and most successful online stores ever, and 3G capability. The iPhone 3GS, released in 2009, made some behind the scenes improvements with the iPhone 3G. 2010 - Apple releases the iPhone 4. Arguably the biggest overhaul yet - with tons of new features and a redesigned OS - but is it worth your hard earned money?

DESIGN: The first thing you will notice with the iPhone 4 is the new redesign. The iPhone 4 is no longer made of plastic unlike its predecessor. Instead, it is comprised of two panels of scratch resistant glass that sandwich a metal band that acts as the antenna. Buttons have more of a 'clicky' feel. The phone looks and feels like an expensive piece of technology. A 'premium' feel if you will. While the phone looks keen, it is also less durable, so if you want an iPhone 4 and feel as if you may drop and break it, you may want to invest in a durable case.

CALL QUALITY: Call quality on the iPhone 4 is superb. While using other cell phones, I was occasionally asked if I was using speakerphone because of a background noise. Thankfully, the iPhone 4 has a noise cancelling microphone on the top. While talking with another iPhone 4, there was absolutely no background noise when the other person wasn't on speaker phone.

Cell phone reception varies depending on what your carrier is and your location. I have AT&T, and while the cell phone reception where I live isn't the best, (2-3 bars), I have yet to drop a call with someone. However, as stated, your reception will vary.

FEATURES: The iPhone 4 packs a ton of new features. A big feature would be the 960 x 640 "retina" display. This is the best looking phone display I have used to date, and I've used my fair share of cell phones. Another new feature is FaceTime. FaceTime allows you to video chat with someone with another iPhone, an iPod, an iPad, or an iMac - provided they have a supported model. Unfortunately - FaceTime can only be used with a Wi-Fi connection at this time.

The iPhone 4 has two cameras. The camera on the back of the iPhone 4 is a 5 megapixel camera capable of shooting 720p video. Pictures and video taken with the phone look great. Colors vibrant and detail is sharp. The iPhone 4 has a front facing VGA camera, which is mostly used for FaceTime, but apps such as Skype make use of it as well.

As previously stated - the App store is one of the largest online stores ever. There are over 400,000 apps on the app store - and they range from entertainment apps to music apps to games. There are tons of apps that add even more features to your phone - such as satellite radio, or photo editing.

The web browsing experience remains virtually unchanged from the original iPhone. Same goes for email. The iPhone comes with an iPod built in. In addition to music, you can also watch movies and TV shows. It's simple, but works. New music, movies, and TV shows can be added right on the phone using the iTunes app. The battery in the iPhone 4 is larger, and I can usually get through a day of heavy use with 40% of my battery life left.

GAME LIBRARY: The best part of this post, because the phone is a great handheld console too! The game library on the App Store offers something for everyone. There are games such as Angry Birds that are fun and easy to pick up and play. There are also music games, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Some of these games also offer wireless multiplayer with another iPhone or an iPod. There are games for almost everybody.

OVERALL:  The iPhone 4 is a great phone - whether you're on business or a gamer. It's nice just to pull the phone out and watch a movie, or write up a document for work or school. Some better customization and a better mail application would be nice, but overall, there isn't any major flaws with the device.