iPhone 4 and video chat webcam
Apple has just released details about the June launch of the iPhone 4. It has many great features but more than anything we were excited to see a front facing camera which can be used for video chatting. It works like this. You need an iPhone 4 and your friend or family member needs one as well. You also both need to be connected to a wi-fi network as well. Using a built-in app called Facetime you will be able to tap one button and then instantly see the other party and be able to chat.
Apple has unveiled its new iPhone 4 after a couple wild, unprecedented months of leaks. Sure, it looks exactly like we expected it to (Steve compares it to an old Leica camera), with a glass front and back, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts, kids. The stainless steel band that goes around the phone is an antenna system, while also providing the main structure of the phone, though it’s plugged into the same old GSM / UMTS radio you all know and love — there’s a reason they didn’t call it the iPhone 4G. There’s also of course that front facing camera we were all anticipating, a rear camera with LED flash, and a new high resolution display that doubles the pixels in each direction (960 x 640) for a 4X overall pixel count increase — Apple calls it a “Retina Display.” It’s rated at 326ppi, which Apple claims is beyond the human eye’s limit of distinction.
Check out an example of the new screen up against the iPhone 3G after the break. Similar to the iPad, it’s an IPS display, offering 800:1 contrast. Naturally, it’s still the same old 3.5-inch size. Under the hood is the A4 processor that runs the iPad. Despite the new engine (and the 25% thinner chassis), Apple managed to make the battery slightly larger, and the new handset is rated at 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of music. Oh, and that WiFi? It’s 802.11n now. The camera has been bumped to 5 megapixels, with 5X digital zoom and a “backside illuminated sensor,” which now can also record HD video at 720p / 30fps.
On the software front, applications will automatically get high resolution text and buttons as part of iOS 4 (the OS previously known as iPhone OS 4), and with “a little bit of work” developers can make their entire app compatible with the new resolution display. Developers will also get access to a new gyroscope, giving devs “six axis” motion control between the gyroscope, accelerometer, and compass, with a new “Core Motion” API to deal with it all. Users won’t be left out in the cold, however: they can mess around with that new HD video using a brand new iMovie app, if they shell out $4.99 for it. If anyone’s feeling particularly frisky, iOS 4 even lets you switch your default search provider to Bing. Last but certainly not least, that new front camera is enabled for video chat using the new “FaceTime” feature. It’s a WiFi-only (for now) video calling feature that works from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 with “no setup” involved, and can flip over to the rear camera if your grandparents get tired of your face.
The phone will be available in white or black, retailing at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for 32GB. They go on sale June 24th, and AT&T will be giving some extra grace upgrade timing — up to six months early. The 3GS will be dropped to $99 and the 3G will disappear completely. Pre-orders start in a week, with 5 countries at launch (US, France, Germany, UK, Japan), with 18 more following in July. Apple will also be selling a first party case for $29, and a dock for the same price. PR is after the break, promo videos can be found here, and we got hands-on right here.
New features:
All new design.
Stainless steel back.
Front-facing camera
New integrated antenna.
microSIM
a second mic for noise cancellation.
“Thinnest smartphone ever.”
New retna display: dramatically increasing the pixel density. 4x pixels in the same amount of space. 326 pixels per square inch. When you hold something 10 or 12 inches away, “the pixels are so close together that things start to look like continuous curves.”
iPhone OS 4 makes it so apps run at the new resolution by converting the text into a high-resolution.
iPhone 4 is powered by the A4 chip.
New battery: 10 hours of video, 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 40 hours of music, 300 hours of standby.
A three-axis gyroscope and GPS combine for 6-axis motion sensing.
New camera with a backside illuminated sensor to capture more photons. Tap to focus. 5x digital zoom. LED flash.
Records HD video – a full 720p at 30fps. Tape to focus. Send it to YouTube.
iMovie for iPhone costs $4.99.
Geo-located videos.
iOS 4: multitasking, in-app SMS, power analysis tools, folders etc.
Enterprise upgrades: “Better data protection, wireless app distribution, multiple Exchange accounts…”
iBooks app: “Download the same book to all your devices at no extra charge.”
FaceTime: video-calling (videochat): webcamchatroulette
Live webcam from all the world on your iphone : Iphone webcam