Look, guys. It’s not big secret anymore — iPhone OS 4.0 is here and ready to rock. We’ve loaded up one of our iPhone 3GS units with the new beta OS and screenshotted it for you. It’s available currently, again in beta form, to all paid Apple iPhone developers and will be released publicly this summer (with the new iPhone hardware, presumably). So don’t waste time here, check out our awesome iPhone OS 4.0 gallery! We’ll keep updating this as we go along…
Click on over to our iPhone OS 4.0 screenshot gallery!
Email
And just like that, iPhone OS 4.0 has brought the iPhone’s email capabilities into the bright and shiny world of 2006. No longer will users be forced to suffer the indignity of checking each of their inboxes individually, as global inboxes are now a part of Apple’s vision for the iPhone… as is thee ability to sort emails by threads and open attachments in specific apps.
Enterprise
People that use their iPhone for both work and pleasure are likely jumping for joy this afternoon as iPhone OS 4.0 supports multiple Exchange accounts. Not only that, but Apple has moved beyond the year 2007 and now supports Exchange Server 2010. Last but not least, data protection has received a much needed shot in the arm with: mobile device management, wireless ad-hoc app distribution, and SSL VPN support.
iBooks
iBooks on the iPhone work pretty much the same way as on the iPad. You buy your books through the iBookstore and can sync them across whatever portable Apple devices you own. Your bookmarks are wirelessly synchronized across your array of iThings so all of you’ll always be able to find the last page you read in The Wind Up Bird Chronicles. Oh, and you get a free copy of Winnie the Pooh. Sweetness.
Game Center
Can you believe that Apple now has its very own hodgepodge clone of Xbox Live and the Playstation Network? We bet Nintendo can, and they’re scared poopless because the Game Center offers services like: leaderboards, game achievements, and the ability to make and keep tabs on friends. And in the event you don’t have all that many friends but want to play a multiplayer game, Game Center will scan the network for people of a comparable ability and you’ll be able to do battle on a level playing field.
iAd
iPhone users rack up 1 billion impressions a day from searches alone, and Apple is hungry to make some cash off of this for itself… and for its developers as well. Basically what the new system does is analyze what you’re currently doing on your iPhone and suggests apps that will be the most appealing to you. So if you’re looking at entertainment news, you’ll see an ad for Toy Story 3. Boring, right? Wrong. Apple is desperate for you to click on these ads, so they’ve thrown in a pretty insane twist. Most of them lead to interactive games and videos and they’re all built on HTML5 (shots fired!) The ad revenue will be split, 60% to the developer, 40% to Apple.
Today is the day many iPhone fans have been waiting for. The announcement of iPhone OS 4.0, slated to drop this summer, has brought with it the most requested feature from iPhone users around the globe. Multitasking. How will mutltitasking be added to the iPhone? Apple’s Scott Forstall explains: “We looked at tens of thousands of apps in the app store, and we’ve distilled the services those apps need to run in the background. So we implemented those services, and we’re providing those services as APIs to developers so they can add multitasking while preserving battery life.” Apple will provide seven services that run, in the background, as application accessible APIs: background audio, Voice over IP, background location, push notifications, local notifications, task completion, and fast app switching. The folks from Pandora claim it took them one day to make Pandora fully compatible with the new APIs… lets hope it is this easy for everyone! There’s also an awesome UI for switching between applications, too.
We know there’s a big Apple iPhone announcement looming over, but that still shouldn’t stop some of those Verizon faithfuls from getting excited over brand new devices, right? We’ve scored shots of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and LG Fathom making its way into Verizon’s internal systems. Most of you know all about the 9650, but the Fathom VS750, is a global Windows Phone with a QWERTY slider, 3.2″ WVGA display and 3.2 megapixel shooter. Couple this discovery with Verizon’s teaser that went out about six new devices coming, we should probably assume that the wait is almost over folks. Hit the break for a shot of the Fathom resting easy in Big Red’s system.
Way back in November of 2009, Google bought Internet-based calling software company Gizmo5. The implications of the acquisition were pretty clear, and speculation about the possible integration of Gizmo5’s platform into the already thriving Google Voice system soon began. Yesterday, after over four months of radio silence from Google, the gang over at TechCrunch wrote: “We’ve confirmed that they [Google] have now built a Google Voice desktop application to make and receive calls.” While Google already has a desktop calling application — Google Talk allows users to place calls from their desktop — the functionality only extends to other users of the Google Talk network. Presumably, the new Google Voice Desktop application will allow Google Voice users to make and receive calls from their GV number to mobile and landline phones and not just other Google Voice desktop users. No time-frame was given by TechCrunch’s source. What do you think? Is Google going after Skype’s market share, or is this service something new and different?
Read
If you thought all of those iPhone nano rumors were bad, and absolutely dreaded every single article about the iPad before it was unveiled by Apple, you’re really not going enjoy this rumor out of Taiwan. According to Digitimes Research analyst Mingchi Kuo’s “upstream component sources”, Q1 2011 will see Apple introduce a newer, smaller model of the iPad. The new iPad will be marketed towards people who want an ultraportable tablet with e-reader and web browsing capabilities but not necessarily all of the features of the full-blown iPad. The device is expected to feature a display in the neighbourhood of 5″ to 7″ and retail for $400 USD.
Geez, does Apple think we’re all made of money?
Read
Apple’s “Get a Mac” TV spots featuring Justin Long and John Hodgman may soon be a thing of the past if the suspicions of its two stars are correct. During an interview with AV Club, Long was asked about the future of the now iconic commercials that have been on the air since 2006. His response? “You know, I think they might be done. In fact, I heard from John, I think they’re going to move on. I can’t say definitively, which is sad, because not only am I going to miss doing them, but also working with John.” It’s a bit of a shame considering how hilarious they once were, but on the other hand Apple is in serious need of a fresh approach to all of its ads. We mean, if Palm can do it…
Read
We haven’t been able to independently verify this in any way, but nonetheless we thought we’d share it with everyone as it makes a lot of sense. One our of Verizon connects hit us up last night and let us know what they’ve heard are five of the six upcoming handsets VZW was teasing about yesterday: the HTC Incredible, LG VS750, Microsoft’s “Pure” and “Turtle” and the Samsung Reality. As we mentioned, our connect isn’t sure what the sixth is, but we’re guessing it could be either the BlackBerry Bold 9650 or even Verizon’s Google Nexus One. Anyone hear otherwise?
Thanks, VZW!
Oh dear. It’s no secret that out of all the major mobile platforms, RIM’s BlackBerry OS is the easily one of the most difficult to develop for, but even with that in mind, we didn’t see Skyfire completely abandoning their BlackBerry client, even if they haven’t worked on it in months. In a blog post Wednesday afternoon, Skyfire’s CEO, Jeff Glueck, announced that his company has ceased all work on the BlackBerry version of their popular browser in order to focus on Android. Citing a poor developer environment with inconsistent and fragmented APIs, Glueck apologized to those who have been eagerly awaiting the release of the browser while vowing to return to development provided BlackBerry OS 6.0 delivers on RIM’s promise to bring much needed improvements from a developers perspective. Of course the release of OS 6.0 will see RIM release its WebKit-based browser, but then a little healthy competition is good for us consumers, right?
Thanks, Chris!
Read
If the steady stream of new handsets filling up shops weren’t enough proof that Google’s Android OS is booming like never before, then the fact the Android Market underwent tremendous growth in March surely is. AndroidLib.com, which closely monitors the Android Market, noted that 9,330 free and paid applications appeared within the 31 day period. Representing a gain of 68% over February’s 5,532 new applications, March’s growth amounts to a staggering 58.5% increase in the number of available applications as a whole. If the number of applications continues at the pace it is going today, April will see the market receive just over 6,700 new applications.
[Via ReadWriteWeb]
Read
