Last week, an iPhone was found by a bar patron at a local pub in Redwood City, California. After playing around with the phone, and making repeated attempts to return the phone through Apple, the discoverer was lead to the impression that this was not a standard iPhone, and sold it to Gawker for $5,000. Gawker, a conglomerate of websites that includes tech junkie site Gizmodo, disassembled the iPhone and realized it was the prototype for Apple’s new iPhone 4. There is some debate as to whether this phone was actually lost, or strategically “leaked,” because the viral exposure that this phone has received over the last week on the net is worth it’s weight in gold.
The phone was encased in what appeared to be a modded out iPhone 3GS case, with some extra holes drilled out for extra controls and options that the new phone offers. The first thing that one would notice would be the extra camera on the front of the phone. Since the new iPhone will run on 4G technology, making the data transmission much faster, techies assume this new camera will be for video chatting during phone calls, so you and other iPhone users can see each other during calls. In addition to the new camera, the back camera has a larger lens and a flash, something that previous iPhones were lacking.
The screen is the ever so slightly smaller than the previous version, however the resolution is said to be in the ballpark of 960×640, which would rival the so-called iPhone “killers” like the Droid that have appeared on the market since the last iPhone was introduced. This means a much clearer picture when it comes to viewing video or snapshots, and improved performance in gaming. There is also a second mic on the front near above the screen, which will probably be useful for noise canceling and speakerphone mode.
The leaked iPhone also had what appears to be two separate volume control buttons, however, when the guys at Gizmodo dissected the phone, they now believe that it’s possible the second control will actually serve as a shutter button for the camera, something iPhone users have been asking for since the phone’s inception. Another thing that stands out on the phone is the buttons. The power, mute and volume controls are all metallic, making for a cooler looking phone.
Another physical difference about the phone is the flat back. Currently, iPhone models have a more rounded back, much like the iTouch, however this phone rests flat on its back. The backing is also made of plastic rather than aluminum, theoretically to improve the Wi-Fi range of the phone. The phone itself is about three grams heavier than the previous iPhone, however this is due to a larger battery, which will obviously improve battery life.
By the time the phone was obtained by Gizmodo, it had been remotely disabled by Apple, however the guy who found it claims it was running iPhone OS 4, and this was before OS 4 was announced. Also, since it has limited operations, there is no way of telling how much memory the phone has, however it is evident that the phone runs on new microsim technology.
With the second front facing camera, camera flash and shutter button, it looks like Apple has really listened to what their customers long for in future iPhone models. They have also delivered a thinner body, a better battery, and improved Wi-Fi coverage. With all of the press this phone is getting right now, you should expect to see hype rivaling the iPad when this new phone finally arrives.
