iPhone News Updated

The new iPhone OS 4 SDK has revealed that the next iPhone will likely get an iChat application as well as LED flash.

The new iPhone OS 4 SDK has revealed that the next iPhone will likely get an iChat application as well as LED flash.

TUAW reports that the iPhone OS 4 hides a process called iChatAgent, which fuels the rumors of seeing a front-facing camera on the next iPhone. It’s not yet known how iChat would work, but a recent leak by O2 UK suggests that it’ll offer video calling for the same price as ordinary phone calls.

Additionally, AppleInsider reports that there’s a new framework in iPhone OS 4 that includes functions related to a flash module. Yesterday Apple also announced that third-party developers will get access to camera data, meaning that the company aims to increase the focus on the camera part of the iPhone moving forward.

Earlier rumors have also suggested that the next iPhone will incorporate a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, which kind of is in line with this effort. The iPhone 3GS has proved to produce decent images under the right lighting conditions, but we guess it would regardless be natural to expect improved image quality in the next iPhone.

Compared to the competition, Apple still has a way to go before we can say that the iPhone is a great camera or video recorder though. In fact, while a company like Microsoft will require WP7 phones to incorporate a dedicated camera button, Apple will likely not include such an aspect.

As part of the iPhone OS 4 announcement, Apple revealed that it would now be possible to “tap to focus” in video recording mode though. As demonstrated in our video below, Sony Ericsson’s new Symbian-based Vivaz phones take it even further by offering a dedicated video recorder button though, so it’ll be interesting to see how Apple will further improve camera usability in the future.

[Thanks: http://www.infosyncworld.com]

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