An iPhone Lover’s Take On The iPhone 4 The world's most advanced mobile operating system.

With over 200,000 apps in practically every category, iOS 4 is the platform for the world’s largest collection of mobile apps.Some will call that being a fanboy, and that’s fine. But really, it’s just my opinion that the iPhone is hands down the best mobile device out there. If there were a better one, I would use it. But there’s not. So I use the iPhone.

The iPhone 4 is no small thing to review. As most readers of Engadget are well aware, in the gadget world a new piece of Apple hardware is a major event, preceded by rumors, speculation, an over-the-top announcement, and finally days, weeks, or months of anticipation from an ever-widening fan base. The iPhone 4 is certainly no exception -- in fact, it may be Apple's most successful launch yet, despite some bumps on the road.The devices reduced size is primarily due to the antennas being placed externally.

The iPhone 4 runs Apple's iOS operating system, the same operating system as used on previous iPhones, the iPad, and the iPod Touch. It is primarily controlled by a user's fingertips on the multi-touch display, which is sensitive to fingertip contact. Without modification, the iPhone restricts users from running any software that is not explicitly approved by Apple and distributed via its App Store.

The most noticeable difference between the iPhone 4 and its predecessors is the new design, which incorporates a stainless steel frame that acts as the device's antenna. The internal components of the device are situated between two panels of chemically strengthened aluminosilicate glass.

It has an Apple A4 processor and 512 MB of eDRAM, twice that of its predecessor and four times that of the original iPhone. Its 3.5 inches (89 mm) LED backlit liquid crystal display with an increased 960-by-640 pixel resolution is marketed as the "Retina Display". Many iPhone 4 buyers have reported signal reduction when the phone is held in certain ways, especially in the left hand, as the antenna problem is in the bottom left corner of the phone's side casing. The company has offered customers a free case until September 30, 2010, or a refund within 30 days of purchase.

The iPhone 4 features a redesigned structure, designed by Jonathan Ive. Most notably, the bulges of the back panel as well as the band between the front and back are gone and have been replaced with flattened surfaces. The redesign reflects the utilitarianism and uniformity of existing Apple products, such as the iPad and the iMac. The only remnant of the previous generations of iPhone is the general layout of the device; the distinctive metal structure of the iPhone 4 is more reminiscent of the 3G and 3GS. The overall dimensions of the iPhone 4 have been reduced from its predecessor. It is 4.5 inches (110 mm) high, 2.31 inches (59 mm) wide, and 0.37 inches (9.4 mm) deep, compared to the iPhone 3GS, which is 4.55 inches (116 mm) high, 2.44 inches (62 mm) wide, and 0.48 inches (12 mm) deep; making the iPhone 4 24% thinner than its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS. Steve Jobs claims that it is “the thinnest smartphone on the planet".

The iPhone 4 is structured around a stainless steel frame which both acts as the primary structure for the device, and additionally acts as the iPhone 4's antennae. The stainless steel enclosure features three slits that divide the band into three sections; the left section of band acts as the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS antenna, and the right and lower bands sections act as the antenna for GSM and UMTS connectivity. There is some debate as to whether or not this causes issues with signal strength and availability. The act of touching the gap between the two antennas with an un-gloved hand potentially bridges these two separate antennas, leading to poor signal reception.

The internal components are situated between two panels of aluminosilicate glass, described by Apple as being "chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic," theoretically allowing it to be more scratch resistant and durable than the previous models.The iPhone 4 switches the placement of the microphone and speaker on the base on the unit — the speaker is now on the left.

The main upgrade of the iPhone 3G from the original iPhone was the 3G chip which brought faster download speeds. The main upgrade of the iPhone 3GS from the iPhone 3G was the CPU speed increase and the video-taking capability. All of those were nice upgrades. But again, the iPhone 4 offers much more from a hardware perspective. And that makes it worth the upgrade from an older iPhone, as well as worth an outright purchase if you’re new to the platform.

The iPhone 4, which uses Apple’s A4 chip just like the iPad, is definitely faster than the iPhone 3GS. However, the most part, it’s not noticeably faster in the same way that the iPhone 3GS was noticeably faster than the iPhone 3G. But it is in some cases, such as photo manipulation. One of my favorite apps is one called CameraBag (you can find it here for $1.99). On the iPhone 3GS, it can take several seconds to apply various filters to pictures in this app. On the iPhone 4, the same tasks take about a second.(via TechCrunch)