With an estimate of first day iPhone 4 sales exceeding 1 million, there’s a good chance many of those buyers are iPhone newbies. If this is your first iPhone or even your first smartphone, we’ve got a starter kit to get you going. Get to know a little about a lot of features on your new iPhone.
Talking wonders
FaceTime comes as a free feature on the iPhone 4, using the front-facing camera to enable two-way, face-to-face video chats. Incorporating the webcam approach to a cell phone, iPhone 4 users are the envy of the town. Best of all, FaceTime doesn’t use up any of your minutes.
Truphone’s free iPhone app combines VoIP with social networking. Manage your conversations across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Skype and SMS. Make calls over Wi-Fi, which avoids using up your minutes, and call people directly on their mobile or landline phones. The app’s iOS 4 upgrade means you can take calls without closing your apps.
Background running
Now that you’ve got your iPhone 4, you’re probably looking to get organized. The free DropBox app lets you sync and share files, and now DropBox can do so in the background. Choose methods for sharing files, pull files directly from your phone, and keep all your files on hand, no matter where you are.
Audiobooks has thousands of titles in its library, all of which can be read aloud to you. The free version of this app lets you listen to books while you send emails from your iPhone 4. Manage your library, search titles and view book details. Users can share comments and ratings on books.
If audio books aren’t your style, try some music running in the background. Pandora Radio’s free iPhone app can stream music based on your likes and dislikes. The app will learn your music preference the more you listen to it. View artist information and where to buy their albums.
Navigation is improved with the iPhone 4, so try out the MotionX GPS Drive app. For 99 cents, you get voice turn-by-turn navigation to get you to your destination. Search by keyword, address, category or contact, and let the navigation tool run in the background.
To stay socially connected, you’re going to need the Twitter app. Free, this is one of the only major social networking apps to release an iPhone 4 update. Share pictures and videos with your updates, read tweets from your lists, and keep track of your friends’ whereabouts.
Good lookin’ apps
For a pleasant presentation of the news, you’d better get The New York Times app. Upgraded for iPhone iOS 4, the publisher’s free app delivers headlines, photos and videos to your phone. Share items you like and sync articles for offline reading.
How to Cook Everything is a great recipe search and instructional app, with iPhone 4 updates that make photos of dishes look great. As far as practicalities go, the $4.99 app can now keep your cooking timers running in the background, with location notifications for keeping up with that shopping list.
GodFinger was already a beautiful game, but it looks even better on the iPhone 4. The wonderfully interactive game is full of adventure, and plays a little faster with the iOS 4 upgrade, too. The free casual game is a delightful way to get to know your new phone.
