i Phone 4

After using the latest and greatest iPhone for a month or so, I think that I have figured out the things that I like best about the iPhone 4. To that end, here are my 10 favorite features, in no particular order.

Note: I went from an iPhone 3G to a brand new iPhone 4 a bit over a month ago. Having missed the 3GS model may have influenced my selection of my 10 favorite features, as will the things that I mainly use it for, so your mileage may vary.

Speed- The iPhone 4 is fast enough to influence what I do with it. The 3G was a comparative dog, and kept me from enjoying many things about the iPhone.

Better camera- While it is true that the best camera is the one you have with you, the 5 megapixel iPhone 4 camera is way better to have with you than the old 3G camera.

Better GPS performance- The 3G almost would not work with TomTom without the TomTom car kit. Now it simply does not need the boost, which is good since the car kit quit working when I got the new phone, Velcro or not. All of that made me look at GPS apps again, and TomTom comes in second anyway.

Multitasking- It’s handy for everything from phone calls that let you go back to what you were doing to jumping back and forth between apps without waiting for them to load. It’s about time.

Dual cameras- I have not yet made a FaceTime call, but I still like the user-side camera, if only for taking photos behind myself in stealth mode.

Cleaner design- My phone antenna did not do the “Death Grip” thing, so my appreciation for the cleaner design of the iPhone 4 is unfettered by Antenna-gate. It looks and feels way better, and the double-pixels screen is killer.

Tethering- I have not done it yet, but I will. $20 a month is not too much to pay to use my MacBook Pro almost everywhere.

Longer battery life- Despite some long afternoons using the phone almost constantly for four hours at a time doing internet things, I have yet to see my phone below 50% battery. This one will flat go all day.

Useful Web- The newfound speed, the longer batter life, and the better display conspire together to make this phone truly useful for working on the internet: Google, writing, reading blogs, getting the news, social networking, all the things that I do a lot. That turns the iPhone from a toy into a toy that I can do work with.

Slew of new apps- Along with the new utility came new apps to extend what I do with my phone. I’m sure a lot of you have found the same thing to be true. I’ll do a favorite new apps column any day now