Front Camera, Flash and Zoom for iPhone 4G
Ready for more iPhone 4G rumors? The latest is that a front-facing camera, flash and zoom are all included in the new spec.
The names of all three new features are found within the iPhone SDK 3.2 – with clear indications of Flash, FrontCamera and Zoom as programming references.
With luck, these features will make it to the final released version of the iPhone 4G, along with a decent camera. Or is that wishful thinking?
Why The 4G Phone Will Kill Pay By Minute Calls
4G phones are coming and both WiMAX and LTE variations of the service will soon be able to deliver high quality voice calls over an IP network, rather than a standard mobile phone network. That means that rather than pay by the minute, we could soon be paying a flat rate for all 4G calls.
It’s the like the difference between using Skype and a normal pay as you go landline.
Analysts predict flat rate mobile phone calls on a 4G phone will be commonplace within three years. Even if mobile operators would prefer to continue charging by the minute, the availability of flat rate services like Skype and TruPhone via their own 4G network means they’ll have no choice but to offer flat rate phone calls themselves.
First Nokia 4G Phone Soon
According to production schedules released by the technology department of Nokia the mobile phone company will release its first 4G phone later this year, making Nokia one of the first phone companies to produce a 4G phone.
A number of 4G networks are already operating or are just around the corner. Verizon 4G is due to launch soon, while AT&T 4G should be online in 2011.
In Canada, both Bell and Telus have announced new 4G networks in the pipeline.
NTT DoCoMo To Demo 4G Phone
Japanese mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo will demo a prototype 4G phone based on LTE technology later this month, according the company’s handset partner NEC.
The 4G demo will take place at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which starts on February 15.
While 4G modems are starting to go on sale around the world, voice 4G phones have yet to appear in the marketplace. NEC says NTT DoCoMo will demo streaming high resolution video across a 4G network at the Mobile World Congress on a 4G phone joint developed by Fujitsu, NEC, NTT DoCoMo and Panasonic.
Sprint 4G Windows WiMAX Phone
Sprint 4G looks set to deliver on its promise earlier this year of a 4G WiMAX phone in 2010.
The phone division of both Sprint and mobile phone company LG have sent invitations to an event at next months CES trade show at which it’s thought they’ll announce a new smartphone that runs Windows Mobile and can connect to 4G WiMAX networks.
No further details are available for the Sprint / LG 4G phone, so we’ll have to wait until CES on January 6 to find out more.
4G Speed – The Truth
What speed will the mobile 4G internet run at? Motorola and ZTE think they know and it’s 20Mbps.
While showcasing data modems at trade show ITU World that support download speeds of up to 100Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps, both companies admitted that real world internet speeds will much slower.
Actual mobile speeds will instead be more like 20Mbps for downloads and 5Mbps for data uploads. That’s not as bad as it sounds – it’s still around ten times as fast as current real world speeds experienced by most 3G mobile users around the world.
MetroPCS 4G Phone Network Coming
MetroPCS will launch a 4G / LTE phone service in the second half of 2010.
Launch dates and markets haven’t yet been announced, but the first 4G handsets will be provided by Samsung. Possibly the 4G Samsung Mondi?
