Apple Gives iPhone Glass Face and Extends Talk Time To 8 Hours

Gizmodo article

-the entire top surface of iPhone has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity
-8 hours of talk time
-6 hours of Internet use
-7 hours of video playback
-24 hours of audio playback
-up to 250 hours (more than 10 days) of standby time

Hah, that should put to rest some of the fears people had regarding the iPhone.

Now if only they could squeeze 3G support in there for the european release...

In related news, the Apple Bluetooth headset got FCC approval:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/iphone-accompaniment/apple-bluetooth-headset-gets-fcc-approval-269734.php

Man, I'm really wanting one of these things. I just am not so sure how well the Cingular/ATT service is in my area since I've been Verizon for the last few years. My Verizon contract isn't up until next May also... D'oh.

only real world testing from consumers will determine how long that battery really lasts. manufactures never quite get it right.

yeah its like the 6 hour battery life on my laptop - you need to not use it to get that but 3-4 hrs is more the reality so I will work on the fact that of 2/3 of the quote will be more realistic.

That said - how do the stats on the ipod battery life and playback compare. I have a 2g version so not in the best position to comment.

I heard that the reason apple wasn't adding in 3G support was because there is a huge patent case that is going to court and if the case actually is found valid, then 3G phones will not be able to be sold in the United States for the duration of the case, causing two things to happen. One, apple will still be able to sell their phone. Two, many phones will get taken off the market for a sizable time period giving the iPhone the perfect ability to steal market share from competitors as they attempt to get their phones off of 3G before putting them back on the market. Is there anyone out there that could possibly verify this, or nullify it?

Smeshy

Glass face sounds cool, but it's hard to imagine dropping your phone and having it shatter on the floor (^_^)

Plus scratches and crap. If I were to ever purchase one, they would have to have a sleek cover or something to cover it that doesn't get in the way of the phone operation and doesn't look like ugly butt. I'm obsessive about keeping stuff like my cell phone screen, watch face, or any other thing like that clean all the time.

Walking around with a finger printed up iPhone would just seem scrubby to me.

Village Idiot,
Glass is VERY difficult to scratch when compared to plastic. This was a good move by Apple. As for protection regardless, check out www.shieldzone.com for the ultimate screen protectors. You can not beat them!

-Billbeme

Now, Apple's updated J-Phone spec page answers that question by detailing their rundown from fresh batt to dead phone.

•Eight hours of talk was measured on the 1900MHz band with Wi-Fi network scanning off. possible.
•Six hours of Internet browsing was done over Wi-Fi or 1900MHz EDGE, on a closed network with dedicated Web and mail server, simulating "browsing to 20 URLS and checking mail once an hour." (Hahahahah "Once an Hour"!) i agree with their assesment-hahahahaha! not much browsing or email checking there. realistic? no.
•Video playback life of seven hours was measured by playing back a 2:23-hour-long movie, which iLounge thinks is Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, over and over again. good test. what was screen brightness and volume setting?
•Twenty-four hours of audio life was measured by playing 358 tracks over and over again, with content from both CDs and iTunes. that's realistic, if the phone is off and everything else is set to minimum levels.

Throughout the test, Wi-Fi auto searching of networks was off, for screen intensive tasks, the auto-dimming was off. Check the spec page for full details. –Brian Lam
Apple iPhone Spec Page [Apple Via iLounge]

from the apple site:

Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2007 using preproduction iPhones and software.....Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary

Click to expand...

took two months to get numbers they liked!

it is still a kewl looking phone. not for me though.

scooter said:

only real world testing from consumers will determine how long that battery really lasts. manufactures never quite get it right.

Click to expand...

The funny deal with batteries, is that when they're tested for life by manufacturers, they aren't tested while being used. They're basically left on and timed for how long they stay on. This isn't totally realistic, as we all actually access the hard drive (big battery drainer) and use the computer for tasks, which drain the battery a little bit faster. So while they say X is the battery time, it's going to depend on what you're doing...a combination of talking, video playing, browsing and music listening will suck the life out of that battery.

Just like you, I'm interested to see what the usage/life of that battery is going to be. (Another reason why I'm going to wait 2 generations before getting an iPhone.)

Nice. I still want it.