You see that? That's what we like to call the Apple iPhone 4S. We also would like to call this an Apple iPhone 4S armored with the Ballistic HC case, but we'll get to that in a bit. I have some explaining to do with a disappointed Android community that I just alienated in a full circle fashion. My very first smartphone was the Samsung Captivate. I instantly fell in love with this phone. I was on this "don't fall into the iPhone fad" phase, so originally, I had to force myself to like the Android format even though it was a pseudo copy of iOS (which I had some experience with through my 1st gen iPod Touch); all the way down to the framework and the terminal interface (both being UNIX based OS's). Regardless of this, there is one thing that separated Android and iOS. That being the fact that Android is Open Source. Basically, if you know how to, you can alter, replace and rebuild Android to your liking without any reprieve from original creators or current property owner, Google. iOS was designed by Apple, for Apple products, and is similar to OS X (technically is OS X). Under those terms, the OS is Closed Source, and that makes the act of Jailbreaking your iOS device evil and wrong [in Apple's eye].
Goodbye, old friend.
Now, that is Androids clear advantage over Apple. Yeah, people do Jailbreak their iPhones, so this applies more in the legal sense (and Apple just loves to sue the pants out of you). I enjoyed my Rooted Android devices for the time being, but ultimately, it has become victim to the network provider. Up until Tuesday (Dec 20th), I have been using my Rooted HTC Inspire 4G. For the past month, this phone has been suffering from massive network issues. Places where I usually get at least 4MBit/s is now getting around .9 if i'm lucky. Changing the Antenna drivers to boost signal failed to work. Smartphones are nothing without the network to interface with. You can have full signal, but what good is it for a smartphone when it can't access network resources like the internet? I was getting tired of it.
Another thing that started to bug me is my already integrated life in the world of Apple and moreover, iCloud. In particular, contact syncing, calendars, and document syncing. Yes, I know Google has the same exact thing, but one, the only thing I use is Google Docs. Two would be that the contact syncing, and calendar interacts with my Google sync phone lists and Google Calendar by default, so I can add a person or event and it'll sync not only with all my Apple products, but with Google Docs and address list anyway. I might as well use the devices that can do both. I have the newest iPod Touch, iPad 2, and my old Macbook. All interfaced through iCloud. I might as well complete the circle... and that's what I did.
So my 24 hours started on Tuesday at around 1:45pm when the phone went live. The rep asked me if I wanted all my contacts transferred and I said no. Giving me a weird look, he gave me the phone and I showed him the magic. I entered my login info for iCloud and after logging in, I set the phone to sync my contacts. Seconds later, all my contacts that were on my Inspire showed up on my iPhone. I set out to the local shop that sold phone cases and found this Ballistic set staring me down. I couldn't resist and I bought it.
The cool thing about this case is that it's quadruple layered with an extra silicon insert and a clip. It also has a protective film covering the screen and camera lens and I have experienced no interference between the film and the touchscreen itself.
I make it home by 4 with 20% charge remaining in the battery, so I register the device, and sync'd my device with the apps I wanted. I also started to download the top of the line camera apps due to my excitement that I now have a bitching camera for my iOS device and NOT that VGA crap that's on the iPad and iPod. Aside from the new camera hardware, the internals for the 4S are only slight upgrades from the iPhone 4. In fact, I'm know the average user wouldn't even notice the internal changes of the device, so without getting into too much detail as I usually do, I'm just going to say that the 4S runs on an Apple A5 processor which is slightly slower than the A5 processor in the iPad 2. It still uses the same 3.5 inch Retina Display known for it's clarity and brightness. It comes in 16, 32, and 64GB (model used is 32GB). It's particularly optimized for iOS 5, but you shouldn't notice any difference with the iPhone 4, iPad 2, and current gen iPod Touch. The camera is a very capable 8megapixel lens that can autofocus, tap to focus, and record videos at 1080p (30fps) with video stabilization in place. Add a app like 8mm, Camera+, and Instagram and you have a very potent camera with a variety of styles.
Check out the following Instagram shots:
Also check out these generic shots with the default camera app:
The big thing that this phone has over the rest is Siri. For those who don't know, Siri is an AI assistance program built within the 4S, and it's main purpose is to dictate actions that you may want it to do. At the most basic, You can tell Siri to either call someone on your contacts, send a message/text, create an alarm, set up appointments, and create reminders. You can also ask about the time or the weather at a certain place. What restaurants are in the area, do web searches, and do math. Siri is a big hit for the majority of users. It is known for it's sassy personality and the best part is that there really is no preset way to ask things. All you have to do is ask as if you're asking somebody else a question. You can even ask further. For instance, you ask "Siri, what do I have scheduled on Thursday?" After her answer, you can follow up with "well how about Sunday?" Speaking to it is easy, and don't have to sound like a robot or someone reading off an instructions manual. There is a problem that people overlook. Siri is actually learning as you use the iPhone. No, it's not forever on, but the more you look up stuff and interact with programs, it'll pick up on that for further ease. It also picks up your unique tone, so if you say some things in a certain way, it'll pick that up and eventually learn and understand it. People overlook that, and some have written Siri off because of it. They don't realize that it has to learn and build knowledge in order to converse with it. Remember, Siri is not a gimmick. It was a DARPA funded project meant for military application. If you're one of those people, you have to give it time and actually talk to it casually instead of yelling at it or reading like you're reading a book for the first time ever. Look out for the Easter Eggs as well. Ask Siri if it knows HAL (as in 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL 9000). You may also ask about Skynet, and what the meaning of life is. It'll even help you if you need to hide a body, call a prostitute, or find drugs.
Yep, dumps...
...and it knows Monty Python flicks, too!
So where do you stand with the 4S? Are you in the market for a new phone? In my humble opinion, if you're integrated into with other iOS devices, Macs, and iCloud, you might as well get the phone that interacts with all of the above. If you have an older iPhone, I suggest that you keep it until the iPhone 5 drops sometime next year. Those who already bought the 4S but have regrets knowing that the iPhone 5 is around the corner, stick with your 4S. Yes, the iPhone 5 is expected to be a major upgrade. Yes, you may feel a little Jelly about it. There are two factors which will make or break this phone for you. The first is the area you live in. No signal from one state is the same in the next. Hawaii is notoriously spotty when it comes to data coverage. You can have full cell/SMS signal, but as I said earlier, it does a smartphone no good if you can't utilize the data coverage. Some places work better than others, and it's always changing. This ties into the second factor.
The iPhone 5 is expected to carry the 4G LTE antenna. That's really fast data speeds; that's up to 34MBit/s or faster than most consumer broadband internet speeds. The problem is the slow rollout plan that companies like AT&T is doing. I mean, their fake-4G system (HSPA+) isn't even fully operational in Hawaii, and they already started rolling out LTE in 15 Mainland cities. Another thing about 4G anything is that it's coverage is much more spotty than expected due to the radio band it uses. I already see this going bad in Hawai'i and we're expected to get LTE last, so it'll definitely get here and cover the whole state well after the iPhone 5 is released. Stick with the 4S, alright? For the most part, it works with a consistent data speed and is predicted to be more reliable in the long run. This will ultimately set you up for one-upping the friend who rubbed his iPhone 5 in your face when you pull out an iPhone 5S or 6. You're welcome. Cheers!
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