Two weeks ago, I was one of the fortunate ones to be able to pre-order the iPhone 4. I had to go through AT&T rather than purchasing via Apple, although either way, I was able to make the purchase happen. On 6/24, my two new iPhone 4s (one for me, one for the wife) arrived via FedEx.

To provide some background, both the wife and I had older generation iPhones (one 2G and one 3G). I had already upgraded the 3G to iOS4 (even without all of the whiz-bang features) just to start experimenting with the new UI changes.

Well, when the iPhone 4s were setup, I was elated. What a dramatic improvement from our older phones! Performance, performance, performance. And the retina display? Well, it is everything you have already read about – pixel-perfect clarity and extreme readability.

Of course, all of the great features are a plus (HD video recording, FaceTime, Multi-tasking, etc.). I have used them all and must say that Apple did a splendid job ensuring that the iPhone 4 works as designed.

My only complaint to date is the lack of cases available for the new iPhone. We ended up purchasing the Reveal case from Griffin. The Apple Bumper was not an acceptable choice (I needed something to protect the whole device) and the Otterbox Commuter is not yet available (2-3 months yet).

I am also thankful that many of the App developers were ready at launch with new versions of their apps. Of the ones worth mentioning:

• OmniFocus 1.7
• Twitter 3.01
• Twitterrific 3 (just can’t have enough Twittr clients)
• Twittelator 4 (see above)
• Analytics Pro 1.1.5
• WordPress 2.5
• Evernote 3.3.5
• Instapaper 2.2.4
• Articles 1.2
• Dropbox 1.2.2
• Docs2Go 3.3.1
• iMovie 1.0 (new)
• BibleReader 4.12.4

And many more!

If you are ready (and can afford) to make the upgrade from an older iPhone (or another maker’s device), I highly recommend it. I have played with many Google Phones (Evo, Droid, others) and still find that the iPhone is a superior product.

For those who use Daylite and Billings, fear not as iOS4 versions are on their way.

If you have upgraded or purchased a new iPhone 4, what are your thoughts? What apps would you recommend to take advantage of the new hardware/iOS?

Tags: Apple, Personal