Apple iPhone 4, FaceTime, iMovie, Smiles, & Technical Happiness!

For the last few weeks, hubby and I have had the opportunity to check out the new Apple iPhone 4. Why did both of us have one? We got to try out FaceTime and this post will tell you two peoples’ thoughts on what I think is the best invention ever; one that is in love with technology (me) and one that is still learning about technology and that is already in love with the sports apps (hubby). I have had an iPod touch for a few months and after that love progressed, I purchased an iPad. Who knew that the love with one company’s products could turn in an obsession with technology like my love has grown in to?!

Here is some info about the ever-so-addicting-and-amazing iPhone 4:

I have never used an iPhone, so this was an experience that made me beyond giddy with excitement! We have been discussing making the switch to AT&T just to get the iPhone 4 for me. First off, the new iPhone 4 is a beautiful glossy piece of technology that has the most amazing and crisp screen display I have ever seen.

All the breakthrough technology in iPhone 4 is situated between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable.

The images are gorgeous; the screen resolution is simply breathtaking. Literally, the apps on the screen pop out at you when you look at the iPhone and when you use it. This is where Apple has more than impressed me with the stunning 960-by-640 backlit LCD display and 326 pixels per inch. I do have to say that of all the pieces of technology that I have ever seen and used. If you are watching a video, the video is just like you are there; the images are so crisp, the websites you are browsing are like you are on a computer. I was expecting something slow, yet faster than my BlackBerry. It blew me away with the speed! I was able to browse any website that I wanted to.

If you have an iPod touch, you can hold the iPod touch and the iPhone 4 together. While the screens are ‘similar’, you will notice that the iPhone 4 is crisper in image and has the highest resolution ever on a mobile device. Impressed yet? I know I am!

Size & weight:
My thought at first was that the iPhone seemed kind of heavy, but out of all reality, the iPhone 4 is not much heavier than any other cell phone out there. Actually, after taking the case off my old BlackBerry and the bumper off the iPhone 4, they are very comparable in size and the weight hand in hand is very close.

Created from our own alloy, then forged to be five times stronger than standard steel, the CNC-machined band is the mounting point for all the components of iPhone 4. The band provides impressive structural rigidity and allows for its incredibly thin, refined design. It also functions as both iPhone 4 antennas.

Apple A4 Processor:

This seriously amazes me! I have been able to toggle between emails, taking a picture, recording a video, checking IM and even FaceTime with hubby; not only was the iPhone 4 super fast, I was amazed at the power that it took to toggle back and forth. Not once did the iPhone 4 freeze up on me. It probably should have froze up with as much as I put the iPhone 4 to use.

Info:
Apple engineers designed the A4 chip to be a remarkably powerful yet remarkably power-efficient mobile processor. With it, iPhone 4 can easily perform complex jobs such as multitasking, editing video, and placing FaceTime calls. All while maximizing battery life.

How does the iPhone 4 sound?
I had my main number forwarded to the iPhone 4 the entire time I have been using it. The calls are crisp and clear. I did have a couple of dropped calls, but that may have been from the area I was in at the time. So far, I am beyond impressed! I used the mic a few times and the calls sounded like I was next to the person I was talking to. The iPhone 4 doesn’t have just one mic, it has two; One in your regular placed area, just under the circle button on the front, where you talk in to, as well as the top by the headset jack. Why two? This helps when you are using FaceTime so you can have two mic’s to talk through.

Here is one thing about the iPhone 4 that amazes me beyond words; the touch screen. I will admit that I was a bit skeptical about using a phone that had a touch screen. I was scared I would ‘cheek-hang-up’ on someone. I have had nothing but amazing thoughts about the iPhone 4’s ability, screen, calls and everything about it.

Multi Touch:

With its large Multi-Touch display and innovative software, iPhone lets you control everything using just your fingers. How does it work? A panel laminated on the glass senses your touch using electrical fields. It can register multiple touches at once to support advanced gestures such as pinch to zoom, two-finger tap, and more. The panel then transmits the information to the Retina display below it

There’s more? You bet there’s more! Everything about the iPhone 4 amazes me on a daily basis, but for those that know me, I live 14 hours away from my family in Texas. I love to stay connected any way that I possibly can. I have a family website that I can keep my family and friends up to date, but you will also know that I am a very technical person. When you mix technology and keeping in contact, here is where Apple comes in to play with the new technology of FaceTime with the iPhone 4.

FaceTime:
People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

Our Brief Low Down about FaceTime:
I was curious about FaceTime, yet excited, yet scared to check it out. I wasn’t sure how it worked. I thought I was going to have to set up an account, wait on a link to approve my account via email, and I thought I would have to go online and set up an account to be able to use FaceTime.

Three words: Not. At. All.

FaceTime was so easy to use. Literally it was ready right out of the box. As long as your phone is activated and you have Wi-Fi capabilities, you are ready to go! We have Wi-Fi in our home, so we were able to try it right away. With the traveling that I do, the majority of the hotels I stay in have Wi-Fi, so I am able to FaceTime back home to check in on hubby and the kids while I was a thousand miles away. When I am home with the kids and my mother wants to check in on the kids to say hi, she is able to FaceTime with us, straight from our Wi-Fi and the iPhone 4. “What if I don’t have my makeup on and someone FaceTime’s me?” You don’t have to accept the FaceTime call, you can just accept the phone call, talk, get yourself pretty and call back to FaceTime later. It’s not an automatic call, so there isn’t a fear that you will call someone at an odd time and catch them .. uhh.. not so decent. You might be thinking: ‘Why would we use or want FaceTime?’

Here are some thoughts from us about why you would want FaceTime: What if your family cannot get to you when there is a new baby born? What if you are on vacation and you want to say hi to your kids that may be back at the grandparents house? What if you are like me and you travel a lot and want to tell your kids goodnight, every night .. in person, via FaceTime? I will be using FaceTime to show my family Tucker’s first day of Junior Kindergarten. With my family being 10-14 hours away from where we live, my family will be able to see us at any time, via FaceTime. Holidays – the kids opening their Christmas present from Gamaw & Pops, or what about when Kambry blows out her third birthday candles in October? No matter what we do in our lives, I know that I can easily make a call, turn on FaceTime and we are instantly connected. This is a HUGE plus for me when I am traveling for a conference; I can call home and FaceTime and tuck my kids in bed, no matter where I am at.

One-tap simple.
FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using FaceTime is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your best friend. Just find her entry in your Contacts and tap the FaceTime button. Or maybe you’re already on a voice call with her and you want to switch to video. Just tap the FaceTime button on the Phone screen. Either way, an invitation pops up on her iPhone 4 screen asking if she wants to join you. When she accepts, the video call begins. It’s all perfectly seamless. And it works in both portrait and landscape modes.

The kids and I use this allot! I have a friends and some family that have an iPhone 4, so as long as the party you are calling has an iPhone 4, you are able to FaceTime. There is a camera on the front of the iPhone and one on the back, so you can easily toggle from the front of the camera, to the back of the phone.

Two cameras made for video calling.
iPhone 4 has two built-in cameras, one on the front above the display and one on the back next to the LED flash. The front camera has been tuned for FaceTime. It has just the right field of view and focal length to focus on your face at arm’s length. So it always presents you in the best possible light.

This is so cool because you can be FaceTime and talking to someone while holding the iPhone 4 and they can see you, or you can click the camera toggle image and it switches to the back camera of the iPhone 4, so you don’t have to toggle your body for the other party to be able to see what all you see. Easy as pie and so much fun!

While Facetime is technically an app, it’s already built in to the iPhone 4, so you don’t have to install any special software, no additional costs and no extra apps to install, but in order for the Facetime to work, both parties needs to have an iPhone 4 AND a Wi-Fi connection.So, hubby has an iPhone 4 and I have an iPhone 4. While we can FaceTime each other, if you plan on calling other people to FaceTime, that other person needs to have the iPhone 4. My list of family & friends is quickly growing for FaceTime friends!

With the dual camera, one on front and one on back, you are able to take self pictures, and you are able to FaceTime from the front and the back, and flip easily from front to back with the toggle of a button on the touchscreen.

We have been using the amazing 5MP camera on the iPhones.

Camera, photos, and video

• Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
• 5-megapixel still camera
• VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera
• Tap to focus video or still images
• LED flash
• Photo and video geotagging

While the iPhone & iPhone 4 are in the same Apple Family, the new iPhone 4 is nicely updated to have more pixels in the iPhone4. The amazingly 5MP camera has a tap to focus feature (tap on area to focus), as well as an added 5x digital zoom. Oh, and guess what? iPhone users – the new iPhone 4 has a FLASH!

Here are some pictures that are unedited, just resized for the web, that we took. Amazing quality!

Come on – we all do it; we all take funny pics of ourselves! The front and back camera feature rocks!

This was a summer of memories… Here we go with my summer stream! Talk about memories… these pictures were all taken with the iPhone 4. We drove right through a storm (This picture amazes me!)

The kids were playing their games at the family’s cottage.

We had a memorable Summer. I captured a lot of memories, including (if you read my trials with my Jeep, this means a lot to me) I was able to capture the moment that I bought my brand new Borrego:

I was able to take pictures from my son’s 5 year well check for Junior Kindergarten:

I was able to capture the smile of an angel and Kambry capturing mommy taking her picture.. while I took her picture:

Who would have thought this picture was taken with a ‘cell phone’?

Hubby discovered that he is madly in love with the iPhone 4 and the Sports Apps for Fantasy Football:

We love that you can take a picture of yourself, with your honey, while you see yourself. It’s nice to do self portraits and have yourself IN the picture.

We stopped at a beautiful overlook in Iowa, on our way home.

While we were in NYC, we walked by the Apple Store; Fifth Avenue. It took all that I had not to go in and drool on the Apple products.

We used our iPhone 4 cameras to take all of our pictures while we were in NYC. It was perfect and the quality is amazing!

I had some questions when I talked with Apple about the iPhone 4, just as I received our phones:

1. When you sync the iPhone to your computer and you already have an iPod touch and iPad hooked up, when you go to your iPhone, are you able to delete apps from your phone, but when you sync, will they stay in your iTunes, and just be gone from your iPhone? 
   • YES – You can use the iPad, iPod touch & iPhone 4 and it all recognizes it as different devices, yet you are able to share your iTunes with those devices so you do not have to purchase the same apps, times three.
2. If you have 2 iPhones, are you able to use the same computer to sync, or do you have to have 2 separate computers – or accounts?
   • You can use the same computer for two iPhones – it will automatically recognize that you have the same iTunes, but different devices that are all synced to you. Example: Hubby has his iPhone 4, I have my iPhone 4, we have an iPad and we have an iPod touch. We are able to sync all the apps on all the devices and you are also able to pick and choose what apps you want to bring over to the iPhone 4’s. We have some kid apps that the kids use on my iPhone 4, that hubby may not want on his iPhone 4, so I was able to pick and choose what went on my phone and hubby’s.

I had questions about FaceTime, but I didn’t ask them since I had already answered them when I opened the boxes & turned the phones on. FaceTime works off Wi-Fi, so since our home has Wi-Fi, we were able to try it out right away.

What about the video stream? The iPhone 4 now records in HD for that crisp video playback!

• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second. Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

There’s one more feature that I want to share with you on the iPhone 4 and the HD video capability. It’s a fabulous app that is $4.99 called iMovie. What is iMovie? You are able to edit videos from your iPhone 4 and upload directly to YouTube, MMS/message the video to someone or email it to anyone you want. Here is a creation that I made while we were in the car. Kambry and her American Girl Doll, Kammie. See for yourself what the videos look like. Crisp. Clear. Stunning!

With iMovie, you download the app for $4.99. You are able to edit videos on your iPhone4, add transitions, add themes, music…. all from your iPhone 4!

What accessories are available for the iPhone 4?

Dress up your iPhone 4 with an iPhone 4 Bumper. Choose one of six colors — white, black, blue, green, orange, or pink — and slip it around the edge of your iPhone 4. With metal buttons for volume and power, two-tone colors, and a combination of rubber and molded plastic, Bumpers add a touch of style to any iPhone 4. We have these on our iPhone 4′s and I have to say that when I saw them at first, I thought ‘how in the world will these help protect my iPhone?’ These are amazing! The entire iPhone is not covered, just the main areas where you might bump the iPhone. This small bumper protects the iPhone more than I realized. Apple has an iPhone 4 Case Program going on that if you purchase an iPhone 4 before September 30, 2010, you are eligible to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or a select third-party case from Apple at no charge.

Overall, what do I think about the iPhone 4? I am amazed. I am in love. I do so much with the iPhone, that I honestly cannot see my daily routine without the iPhone. My iPhone is attached to me at the hip. I take the kids pictures on an hourly basis, if not more. I am able to snap videos and email them quickly to my family that is 14 hours away. I can FaceTime with anyone that has an iPhone 4, which makes it perfect to connect to friends that are in other states, my family can call to say ‘Hi!’, literally via FaceTime. I am able to keep up with Twitter, Facebook and even moderate my comments on my blog when I am home, or away from home. All in all, the iPhone 4 is any technical lover’s dream come true!

I have a few suggestions for the iPhone 4 that are some of my personal thoughts, as well as I have been taking suggestions via Twitter, email and messaging.

• I wish that the iPhone 4 had the ability to have a messenger service. Example: BlackBerry has BB Messenger. It would be awesome if the iPhone had the ability to iPhone Message other iPhone users. While text messaging is always an option, while I use BlackBerry messenger, this isn’t counted as a text message; it’s a free service that is offered through RIM.
• While I LOVE FaceTime, I would love to see the ability for FaceTime to be used with or without Wi-Fi capabilities, and to be able to use it anywhere at any time.
• I am utterly in love with the iPhone 4. Oh, my, gosh! I love it! I love the features, I love the apps, and I love everything about the iPhone. My only wish is that the iPhone 4 was available through other carriers other than just AT&T.
• While I was able to lower my power and screen brightness settings to save on battery power, I wish the battery power was a bit better. I do have to say that I used my iGo charger and was able to charge fast & so easy while on the go. I am an addict to Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, apps, Google maps, apps in general, email and overall – the iPhone 4, so I had to recharge more often. Overall – I lowered my screen brightness settings and it was a lot better.

I love that am able to:

• FaceTime with my family when I travel away from them out of town.
• I am able to use the iPhone as my shopping list when we are grocery shopping or running errands.
• While we were in NYC last week for BlogHer ’09, we had our iPhones with us the entire time.
• We used the iPhones in NYC, as our camera, for all our photo opp needs, so we wouldn’t have to tote around our big camera or risk it getting stolen or broken.
• We were able to take top quality HD videos on the iPhones.
• We used the GPS Google mapping app while we walked around NYC to navigate ourselves to a grocery store, shopping, and site seeing.
• Hubby uses his iPhone 4 all the time to keep up to date with Fantasy Football with some cool apps, most are even free!
• Hubby watches any football game, any live event, via Justin TV – from anywhere that we are at.
• While we were in NYC, I was able to remote in to my laptop from home. Why would I need this? Well, I don’t like traveling with a heavy laptop, but I am a blogger and need to be able to log in to my home server for documents, images, etc. that I need for blog postings. I was able to remote in, via iPhone 4, with a cool app that let me log on to my laptop and Outlook Email and work on emails while away from home so that I didn’t have to come home to a thousand emails. This was amazing to have the ability to do this while we were waiting at the airport!

For more information about the iPhone 4, FaceTime and iMovie, please visit http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Mommy Goggles gives this product:
Rating:
Why this rating? This is a star rating (1-5) that is based off our opinion on the product itself, use, wear & tear, price and how it fits in to our family’s lives (at home or on the go).

All opinions in this posting are 100% my own. We were loaned two iPhone 4′s to use for the duration of our review. We were not paid in any form of product or cash for our thoughts.