It’s amazing how many times you see something you want to photograph but don’t have your ‘real’ camera with you.

Camera phones are steadily improving and although my iPhone 3GS is lacking compared to dedicated cameras, I wouldn’t have captured 90% of the moments I’ve captured with it.

The new iphone 4 is due out at the end of the month and you can rest assured the improved camera specifications, for me, will be worth the upgrade alone. Even if I capture one never to be repeated moment with it’s much better quality, I’ll deem it a worthwhile investment.

As expected, Steve Jobs has announced the new iPhone at this years WWDC. iOS 4 will also be available free for existing iPhone 3G and 3GS users on June 21.

The new hardware features a front facing camera for video calling or ‘FaceTime’ as Apple like to call it. There is also a built-in gyroscope for much more precise user input.

The camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels and can shoot 720p HD video at 30fps.

The full keynote video can be seen here.

Last year McDonald’s rolled out free WiFi to over 700 restaurants across Australia. This makes McDonald’s the largest provider of Free WiFi Internet Access in Australia. You can access the service with devices that have WiFi (802.11 b/g) capabilities.

You can find out more information including a map to help locate sites at http://www.maccasfreewifi.com.

After receiving my iPhone 3GS I was interested in how it compared with my iPhone 3G. One of the areas I was curious about was video recording. As you may be aware, the iPhone 3G is not shipped with this ability but you can install a program called Cycorder which is available to jailbroken iPhones.

The other option is to install an application from the App Store like Qik or Ustream Broadcaster but they don’t perform as well as Cycorder.

Here are two videos I shot at the same time with both iPhones side by side.

Let me know what you think?

First iPhone 3G

Then iPhone 3GS

As I patiently wait for my Google Nexus One phone to arrive, I started thinking about the iPhone features and improvements I’d like to see in the new model.

Don’t get me wrong, I think my iPhone 3GS is the best piece of technology I’ve ever owned, but it will be a relic in 2 years. Replaced by something newer and shinier, with even more bells and whistles.

I’m actually typing this post on my iPhone using the WordPress app, one of about 90,000 apps available. The quantity and diversity of apps available is definitely the iPhone’s best feature.

So although I love my iPhone and believe it to be a life changing device (seriously!), there are some things I’d like to change.

Battery life

Because the iPhone is really a mobile computer which happens to also be a phone, you find yourself reading emails, looking up things on Google or writing blog posts just because you can. This results in heavy use and consequently drains the battery much faster than you would on a normal boring plain vanilla phone with none of these features. I find the rare days I just use it as a phone, I have no problems with battery life.

So, either a bigger battery which would obviously increase the size of the phone or an interchangeable battery would help a lot. I notice Google’s Nexus One has a replaceable battery.

Bluetooth

Why on earth can’t I send a picture by Bluetooth? My sister has a valid point when she tells me this is ludicrous for a phone which could easily be capable of this. Especially since there is no card slot to use to transfer files.

She has an Samsung Omnia, which on paper looks so much better than the iPhone but in reality the ‘experience’ is so much better on Apple’s device. I still haven’t managed to convert her though, she thinks iPhone owners have Stockholm Syndrome, a situation where kidnapping victims start to feel compassion for their captors. Apparently we make excuses for out iPhones and only extol it’s virtues.

MMS

OK, this has now been fixed with updated firmware but how can a smartphone be shipped without MMS? Yes I’ve heard the argument “who needs MMS when we have email right on our phone”, I can tell you my Mum and Dad don’t have email on their phone so I need MMS!

Video

The iPhone 3GS now has VGA video at a smooth 30 frames per second. So this feature is now taken care of. You will either need to jailbreak your iPhone 3G and add a program called ‘Cycorder’ or install ‘Ustream Broadcaster’ or ‘Qik’ from the app store if you want video on Apple’s older device. This is because Apple feels it better you don’t have video, even though the iPhone 3G is quite capable of it although at a lower frame rate than the current device. Who cares right? Better to be able to capture motion even if it looks slightly jerky than be restricted to stills.

Multitasking

Since the iPhone is really a mobile computer, it would be nice if we could run multiple apps simultaneously.The device is clearly capable of this as you can speak on the phone while browsing the internet or answering email. If you jailbreak your phone you can install a program that will allow you to do this albeit against Apple’s wishes.

As good as it is, the iPhone is not a perfect device. We have come along way since my first mobile phone, a Motorola Brick. That phone didn’t even have SMS!

I’m looking forward to seeing smart-phones develop over the next few years but right now, eagerly anticipating what the Nexus One has to offer when it arrives and will post my findings here.

You can’t buy the Nexus One in Australia at the time of writing, Google’s site says it’s not available in our country.