Thursday, May 5, 2011

The white iPhone: Does size matter?

Few companies other than Apple can inspire such burning questions in the tech world. And until they're answered, those questions orbit around the blogosphere at tremendous speed. When will Verizon get the iPhone? How much will the next MacBook weigh? Will the iPad ever get Flash?
In the last few weeks, however, one question has put the tech press on the the edge of its collective seat like never before. It wasn't about the capacity of the next iPod, but rather whether the long-elusive white iphone 4 was thicker than its black counterpart. Apple fans demanded to know the truth  in forums and ugly rumors spread that your existing case or bumper wouldn't quite fit. The reported difference was miniscule ("roughly 0.2mm" as TiPb put it) and other outlets said that there was no difference at all. Yet, the chatter was loud enough for Apple SVP of Product Marketing Phil Schiller to tweet, "It's not thicker. Don't believe all the junk that you read."
That could have put the issue to rest, but we just had to see for ourselves whether the rumors were true. When we took it from the box we couldn't see any design differences outside of the white skin and the more visible proximity sensor above the speaker (on the black phone the sensor blends in with the bezel). We also tried a couple of cases and they fit without any problem, but even then we weren't satisfied. So we took two iPhone 4s and traveled a few blocks from CNET's offices to put the question in the hands of experts. TechShop is a membership-based workshop that has just about every tool and machine you can imagine, from laser cutters to a drill press. Our needs were basic--just digital calipers, a micrometer, and one of TechShop's "Dream Coaches" to run the test.
After a few minutes of waiting with bated breath, we found that the white iPhone is indeed thicker, but only by the tiniest amount. According to the micrometer, for example, the comparison was between 9.4mm and 9.308mm. No, it won't make any difference in usability--and your case or bumper will still fit--but our white iPhone was a bit fatter around the waist. Watch the video below for the full details.
Now there are a few things to keep in mind. Tools can vary in accuracy and the differences could be due to imperfections in the skin or even dust or a bit of grease caught between the tool and the phone. What's more, it's very possible for a manufacturing assembly line to turn out two models of the same product with slightly different measurements. You may get different results measuring your white iPhone and you may find no difference at all.
But whatever the reason, we're already told you that the 0.092 gap will make no difference in your everyday use. And that's the most important fact to remember. So if you're freaking out (and really, why would you?) there's no reason to do so. Rather, we suspect that most iPhone users couldn't care less. And in all seriousness, there's no reason that you should.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 (Violet)

The good: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 is simple to use with reliable auto shooting and decent low-light photos in a very small body.
The bad: The W570's shooting performance--especially shot to shot--is slow, and the lens has some edge and corner softness.
The bottom line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 is a tiny and light ultracompact capable of taking nice photos with little to no effort.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570 is the successor to ,2010's Cyber-shot W350 a favorite ultracompact of mine and our readers. Sony didn't change much for the update, increasing resolution from 14 to 16 megapixels and putting in a slightly brighter, wider, and longer lens while keeping the body approximately the same size and weight. Its shooting options are the same as the W350's, so really the resolution and lens are the only reasons to upgrade (i.e., I wouldn't bother trading up). On the other hand, the starting price dropped $20, which makes it sweeter for those who don't have a W350.
This little camera can turn out nice-looking photos and movies, too, thanks to excellent color that's consistent up to ISO 800. Lens softness at the edges and in the corners kept it from rating higher; if you're sensitive to that, I would skip this model. Also, while the 16-megapixel resolution might work for marketing, it doesn't help or hurt photo quality. In fact, it just seems to slow the camera down between shots, so if you hate to wait you might want to keep looking. Otherwise, for the price it is a very good take-everywhere ultracompact camera.

Key specsSony Cyber-shot DSC-W570
Price (MSRP)$179.99
Dimensions (WHD)3.6x2.1x0.8 inches
Weight (with battery and media)4.1 ounces
Megapixels, image sensor size, type16 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD
LCD size, resolution/viewfinder2.7-inch LCD, 230K dots/None
Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length)5x, f2.6-6.3, 25-125mm (35mm equivalent)
File format (still/video)JPEG/MPEG-4 (.MP4)
Highest resolution size (still/video)4,608x3,456 pixels/ 1,280x720 at 30fps
Image stabilization typeOptical and digital
Battery type, CIPA rated lifeLi-ion rechargeable, 220 shots
Battery charged in cameraNo; external charger included
Storage mediaSD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo, Eye-Fi SDHC
Bundled softwarePicture Motion Browser 5.5, PMB Portable 5.0 (Windows), PMB Portable 1.1 (Mac), Music Transfer
Photo quality from the W570 is very good for its class, but like most point-and-shoots it still stumbles at higher ISOs. Photos at ISO 80 and 100 are relatively sharp with very good fine detail and low noise. At ISO 200, subjects soften some, losing a touch of sharpness and fine detail. At ISO 400, images get noticeably softer and there's an increase in noise in darker areas of images. If you're printing at and below 5x7 inches and not doing heavy cropping, the results are very good. Photos at ISO 800 and 1600 look painterly from noise reduction, so subjects will appear soft and smeary; it's even worse at ISO 3200 making it unusable. Colors get muddy as well, especially at ISO 1600 and ISO 3200; you'll probably want to reserve these two highest sensitivities for emergencies when you need to shoot in low-light conditions or get a faster shutter speed regardless of the results.
 
Color is excellent. While blues and reds may not be as accurate as other colors, they are bright and vivid. Plus, they're consistent up to ISO 800; again, above that things get slightly washed out and muddy-looking. Exposure and white balance are good as well, though highlights tend to blow out.
As for the lens, Sony controls barrel distortion at the wide end of the lens and pincushion distortion at the telephoto end. The lens' center sharpness is very good, but gets noticeably softer at the edges and in the corners. (Editors' note: We tested two different W570 cameras for this review. The first one had extreme softness on the right side, which made everything we shot blurry on only that side. The second camera we tested did not exhibit the same issue; its softness was even, leading us to believe the first camera's lens had been damaged. However, it seems lens sharpness at the edges and in the corners is an issue in general with this model.) Fringing around high-contrast subjects was minimal and only really visible when photos were viewed at full size. Even then it's mainly off to the sides and in the corners.
The W570's movie mode is simple, offering resolutions up to 720p HD with a mono mic for audio and use of the optical zoom while recording. Video quality is on par with a basic HD pocket video camera; it's good enough for Web use and nondiscriminating TV viewing. Panning the camera will cause noticeable judder. You may also see trailing behind fast-moving subjects. Both are typical of the video from most compact cameras, though.