So I picked up my brand spanking new iPhone 4 on the June 24th release date from Best Buy. I pre-ordered the bad boy on June 15th, they took down my information and charged me $50, which was redeemable on the day I pick the phone up. It was a no hassle ordeal and the only thing that took any time was they hadn't updated to the latest version of iTunes.

The very first thing I noticed was speed and in the same way I wasn't prepared for the iPads speed and responsiveness. Animations spun out like silk in the wind, completely flawless every time. Just as immediately as picking up on the speed, the retina display demanded recognition. Retina display sounds corny to me, but it's dead on accurate. user interface elements are indistinguishable from vector precision, this is nothing like any other device I've seen. Quality so high it's a downgrade to look at my 24" iMac.

The lock screen and home screen are the same save the dock getting an over due face lift. I have been using the iOS 4 beta for a month now and even though the only upgrade it really enabled for the 3G (my last model) was threaded email and folders, performance just wasn't there. The GM (final release of iOS 4) helped, but using the iPhone 4 was a huge breathe of fresh air.

I hadn't at any point in the past thought of a reason to have folders, but then again I hadn't imagined them implemented in the way Apple did. The touch interface for managing folders is genius, obviously intuitive to the point that the first time I started making folders, moving apps in and out and around, it wasn't until several minutes afterward did I realize I didn't even think about how to do it. Very cool. With this management system I can easily fit all of my apps on the first card.

Of all the improvements and innovations implemented in iOS 4, state save and background services are the most incredible and experience changing. Some of the problems with multi-tasking on a mobile device are battery life, memory management and task management. These are all issues that an OS like Android has failed dramatically to make intuitive for typical users. Fast app switching in iOS gives developers API's to save state (which saves processing power and battery life) and restore the state upon return. Service API's are available to allow for applications to continue running light weight tasks, even when the application it belongs to is frozen. This is huge for battery life and performance and in typical Apple fashion, it is implemented seamlessly, the user never has to even think about it. In my first few days I have gotten 24 hours plus twice on single charges. And this has been with some pretty heavy use, 3D games and all.

I haven't had the chance to use FaceTime yet, but my wife gets her phone next month, so I'll report back with my findings. Between all the new features, noticeably better cellular reception and staggering speed and elegance in the whole package, it's not even debatable that this phone is king of the smartphone world.