Tea & Wine Tasting with Gary, Kevin, and Jesse from jesse jacobs on Vimeo.

Check out the video review that Kevin Rose & I shot a few months ago:

Watch a few seconds of the iPhone 4 Video:

Now, watch the same video as recorded by an HTC EVO 4G:

There is just NO comparison here. The quality of video and audio being captured by EVO 4G is awful, and could be bested by even the oldest Flip camera out there. The bitrate/compression is very low, and it seems like the frame rate is capped at below 25 fps, possibly even 15 fps. That is NOT HD video. The “resolution” may be 1280×720, but that is absolutely not high-definition quality video.

Of course, by comparison iPhone 4’s “HD” capability looks fine, but i’m noticing quite a bit of CMOS “jelly” motion when there’s some side-to-side movement going on in the frame. Not perfect, but it seems to minimize it more than most Flip devices. Another observation is that the iPhone 4 camera seems to handle very well in low-light, which is encouraging.

I’m excited, as I’m sure many others are, about tomorrow’s WWDC keynote. I’ll be watching simply to find out how much money I’m going to be paying to Apple in a few weeks when the next iPhone goes on sale. That’s right. In my mind, I’ve already justified the purchase of the new phone. Yes, I’m perfectly happy with my 3GS. And no, I’m not a totally sold out Apple fanboy. Though, I admit, it would be hard to convince anyone that I’m not.

I’m not just falling back on all of the usual arbitrary reasons people use to justify buying a new Apple product. I’m buying the next iPhone simply because the iPhone, in my opinion is still the best phone and the best platform out there. Using the iPhone over the past 3-4 years has been the best experience I’ve ever had with a phone. I’ve been impressed with Android’s offerings lately, but there is just no device that competes with the iPhone in terms of end-user experience.

As Apple’s iPhone has rocketed to the top of the smartphone world in the last 3-4 years, the company’s image has taken quite a beating. Apple has been accused of being quite evil for the ways in which it closes down and polices the iPhone platform. I honestly don’t think Apple purposefully behaves in a way that hinders developers, nor does it willingly close down the iPhone platform just as a profit motive. I think what Steve Jobs said onstage at the D8 conference last week was the honest truth: that Apple just wants to make the best products it can. And for that mission to be accomplished there’s a certain amount of quality control that has to be in place. Hence, the App Store approval process. Hence the closed platform.

There are numerous ways in which we could split hairs over the current smart phone market, but my honest opinion is still that Android’s open platform is both its best feature, and its greatest flaw. It’s marketable as a great competitor because it’s an open platform, yet, the user experience can be inconsistent and typically falls flat. And rest-assured, whatever Apple announces tomorrow in the way of the next iPhone is likely going to be another leap in quality controlled, fine-tuned user experience that will put the Android platform another year to two behind achieving anything similar.

Update: Not long after I posted this video, Brian Brushwood of Scam School asked me if he could challenge his followers to find out my apartment’s address purely by watching the video above. I said sure, and in less than 12 hours someone had the right answer, pointing out that the 35 Muni bus turning on Valencia street was the biggest clue, and he backtracked my trip all the way back to my apartment from there. Well done! *Puts on tin foil hat.*

A quick review video I shot/edited for Kevin Rose

An artsy photo of my desk @ home.

San Francisco from Above. Taken with my iPhone on a recent flight out of SFO to Las Vegas.

I discovered the music of Jónsi about a month ago, and since I was so inspired by his newest album “Go”, I decided that I definitely wanted to see him perform live. I had my chance last Thursday in Berkeley.

I was mainly there for the music. I had no idea what to expect in terms of the production. I had no idea what I was in for.

What I saw that night was easily one of the most amazing visual experiences of my life. I left inspired by all the unique ways they weaved in lighting, music, and multimedia into their show.

To get an idea of how amazing this concert was, check out the video above, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the concepts and artistic design that went into the visual aspects of the concert and highlights the company that made it all possible: 59 Productions. I will post more of these as I can find them. It’s an incredibly interesting look into some really cutting-edge production design.