Preview: Apple iPhone 4 - What it means for GPS navigation

Steve Jobs and a cast of industry characters introduced the new Apple iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010, Apple's annual worldwide developers conference in San Francisco. True to form, the new-generation, touch-screen smartphone adds a notable roster of new features and services, chronicled in detail on the Consumer Reports Electronics blog. For those of us on the autos side,  we were anxious to see what changes might appear that would impact GPS navigation. There are a few.

The iPhone 4 uses a 3.5-inch screen--same as the current iPhone 3G and 3G S. With some Android phones boasting screens over 4 inches, not enlarging the iPhone's screen  was an opportunity missed for Apple that would have aided map reading, as well as viewing email, documents, and Web pages. However, the screen does boast significant resolution improvements.

The iPhone 3G S screen has 480x320-pixel resolution, with 163 pixels per inch (ppi). The new iPhone 4 trumps that with 960x640-pixel resolution and 326 ppi. This increased resolution can smooth the appearance of curved lines, promising clearer text and maps. Apple explained that its new "Retina" display technology has increased contrast, providing darker blacks, which should help further, particularly when mounted on a dashboard where sunlight can provide readability challenges. The screen supposedly has a wider viewing angle that may make it easier for both a driver and passenger to be able to read the map guidance.

The iPhone 3G S has a built-in GPS receiver, compass, and accelerometer. The iPhone 4 adds a gyroscope, enabling six-axis motion sensing. This can make tilt controls more intuitive for gaming, but it could also enhance pedestrian navigation features, whether walking through a city or hiking a trail. It would also enable motion applications to provide more details, such as a mountain bike tracker or a car performance application.

Despite being 24-percent slimmer than previous iPhones, the iPhone 4 boasts improved battery life. We had found in our iPhone navigation tests that battery life was a limiting factor. Even if you had ample time to reach your destination, the drain would limit the phone's operating time before a recharge was needed. Apple claims the new battery will allow up to six hours of Internet use  on a 3G network, compared to five previously. Talk time is seven hours, increased from five hours.

Apple will accept pre-orders on June 15th, with product arriving on June 24th. The iPhone 3G S with 8 GB memory has been reduced to $99. The iPhone 4 with 16 GB is $199, and the iPhone 4 with 32 GB is $299.

These hardware improvements lay the foundation for a better navigation experience, but how effective those changes are will come down to how software developers are able to creatively integrate them in applications.

We are in the process of posting our first iPhone navigation application ratings, and we'll soon have updated application buying advice, just in time for those looking to purchase a new, next-generation iPhone.

Read our iPhone navigation app buying advice and reviews.

Also read:
New AT&T iPhone rate plans, and how they may impact GPS navigators
Most iPhone users likely to pay no more with new AT&T data plans

—Jeff Bartlett