Author Archive: Gareth

Apple Previews iPhone OS 4

CUPERTINO, California—April 8, 2010—Apple® today previewed its iPhone® OS 4 software and released a beta version of the software to iPhone Developer Program members. The iPhone OS 4 beta release includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK) with over 1,500 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and over 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch® users this summer. New features include Multitasking for third party apps; Folders to better organize and access apps; improved Mail with a unified inbox, fast inbox switching and threaded messages; enhanced Enterprise support with even better data protection, mobile device management, wireless app distribution and more; Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform; and iBooks, the delightful new ebook reader and online bookstore recently debuted on the iPad™.

“iPhone OS 4 is the fourth major release of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re delivering over 100 new features, including multitasking, folders, a unified inbox, deeper Enterprise support, and an iPhone version of our iBooks reader and online iBookstore.”

iPhone OS 4’s new multitasking offers users a new way to quickly move between apps, and provides developers seven new multitasking services to easily add multitasking features to their apps. These services include background audio, so apps like Pandora can play music in the background, and VoIP, so VoIP apps can receive a VoIP call even when the iPhone is asleep or the user is running other apps. iPhone OS 4 provides multitasking to third party apps while preserving battery life and foreground app performance, which has until now proved elusive on mobile devices.

Folders help users better organize and quickly access their apps. Simply drag one app icon onto another, and a new folder is automatically created. The folder is automatically given a name based on the App Store category of that app, such as “Games,” which the user can easily rename. Using folders, users can now organize and access over 2,000 apps on their iPhone. Users can also create and manage iPhone folders on their Mac® or PC using iTunes® 9.2.

iPhone OS 4 delivers the best mail experience on a mobile phone with its new Unified Inbox, allowing users to see messages from all their email accounts displayed together in a single inbox. With just a few taps, users can quickly switch between inboxes to see messages from any single account. In addition, users can now thread their messages by conversation, making it easier to stay on top of email discussions, as well as open email attachments with compatible apps from the App Store. 

iAd, Apple’s new mobile advertising platform, combines the emotion of TV ads with the interactivity of web ads. Today, when users click on mobile ads they are almost always taken out of their app to a web browser, which loads the advertiser’s webpage. Users must then navigate back to their app, and it is often difficult or impossible to return to exactly where they left. iAd solves this problem by displaying full-screen video and interactive ad content without ever leaving the app, and letting users return to their app anytime they choose. iPhone OS 4 lets developers easily embed iAd opportunities within their apps, and the ads are dynamically and wirelessly delivered to the device. Apple will sell and serve the ads, and developers will receive an industry-standard 60 percent of iAd revenue.

The iPhone OS 4 beta release includes a developer preview of Game Center, which contains a set of APIs that allows developers to create apps with the ability to invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking and track achievements and compare high scores on a leader board. Apps created with GameKit APIs will work with Game Center, Apple’s new social gaming network available to iPhone and iPod touch users later this year.

New enterprise features in iPhone OS 4 include improvements in security, scalability and compatibility. The new Mobile Device Management service can be integrated with third party servers to wirelessly configure, query and even wipe or lock managed iPhones, and iPhone OS 4 enables enterprises to securely host and wirelessly distribute their own in-house developed apps to employees. The new Data Protection feature uses a user’s passcode as an encryption key to protect mail messages and attachments stored on the iPhone. iPhone OS 4 now provides the option to set a longer, more complex passcode, making iPhone and its data even more secure. iPhone OS 4 allows IT managers to set up multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts, is compatible with Exchange Server 2010 and includes support for forthcoming SSL VPN applications from Juniper Networks and Cisco.

Today, more than four billion apps have been downloaded from the revolutionary App Store and more than 185,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries. Over 85 million iPhone and iPod touch users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Availability
The iPhone OS 4 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iPhone Developer Program members atdeveloper.apple.com. iPhone OS 4 will be available as a software update to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer.* A version of iPhone OS 4 will be coming to iPad this Fall.

*Some features may not be available on all products. For example, Multitasking requires iPhone 3GS or third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB).

HTC Desire delayed

Our chums at Clove.co.uk have informed us of yet another delay for the HTC Desire. It’s getting a little silly now, HTC just can’t seem to get this out the door properly. With Andy’s light problems he has outlined on the podcast regarding the Virgin version’s data problems it’s been a bit of a rough start for what is one of the most impressive phones on the market.

We have now been informed by HTC this morning that they are delaying shipments to all SIM-Free E-tailers until next week. This is very frustrating for both you and ourselves, having made so much effort in trying to ensure you receive your Desire as early as possible. The actual shipping date is yet to be confirmed, although HTC expect to start releasing stock on 13 April.

Please be aware this is completely out of our control and will affect all other E-Tailers as well. We will continue to update you with as much information as we can.

We will not be refunding any orders that have already been charged unless requested – this will simply cause further delays next week.

Please accept my personal apologies for this further delay, we only wish we could give you better news. Hopefully you will appreciate we continue to offer the best customer service we can and keep you informed as best we can, even when the news it not what any of us wishes to hear

Android review: Armageddon Squadron

To date there have been many addictive Android games and they have all relied on content over style. Rarely has a game struck me for it graphical accomplishments. Armageddon Squadron is ambitious but does it soar to new heights or crash and burn?

3 hope to increase customer base

Having recently announced they will be rejigging their pay as you go tarrifs to remove more money from their customers 3 believe that they will be able to increase their customer base thanks to their involvement with the Terminate The Rate initiative.

3 will start to aggressively grow its customer base after termination rates were slashed last week, its CEO Kevin Russell has pledged. Russell said the changes outlined by Ofcom, which will see the rates cut to 0.5p over the next five years, meant he could focus on the mobile operator’s market share.
The existing charges have impacted on 3, which is still to report a profit since its launch in 2003, because it has a small customer base. With a base of just over 5 million, 3 pays out more in charges to rivals than it receives for connecting calls to its network. However, the reduction in termination rates will allow 3 to make more from voice calls and aggressively target new customers with competitive rates

SPB TV for WebOS

April 5th, 2010 – SPB Software, a leading mobile applications and games developer announces the release of SPB TV for webOS. This is the very first application from SPB Software for this eye candy Linux-based mobile operating system. SPB TV is a mobile IPTV viewer with TV-like usability,  designed for tuning in to publicly available digital TV channels from all over the world.
SPB TV features exclusive and patent-pending usability innovations and gives the mobile subscribers easy access to over a hundred and twenty of international TV channels, directly from their phones. The application supports must-have TV features, such as a TV browser with quick channel previews, an instantly accessible TV guide for all offered channels, quick channel switching and more.

HP Slate will be upon us soon

The year of the tablet continues. HP are pushing out their snazzy gizmo with an ad campaign that points out a few features Apple could have put in their iPad but didn’t. The only thing that is missing is a kid at the end with his thumb on his nose, wiggling his fingers and blowing raspberries. Like the iPhone I doubt these will make a huge dent in Apple’s sales but at least there will be a device somewhere along the lines that ticks all the boxes be it from Archos, Dell, HP etc.

iPad given the Will It Blend? experience

Ok I actually hate these videos but I am sure some of you will enjoy this one as there has been so much iPad news over the last few weeks that it has become a bit unbearable.

Enjoy Tom doing his stuff:-

iPhone OS 4.0 to be shown off on Thursday

Apple will be holding their iPhone 4.0 event, “Get a sneak peak into the future of iPhone OS” on Thursday, April 8th, yes that is this week, not much notice for all the tech journalists out there.

This is expected to be nothing more than a look at what Apple have in store for the next update to the software that runs the iPhone, like they do every year and no new hardware will be announced, the question is what have Apple been working on, will we eventually see some Multi-Tasking, home screen customisations, they have to deliver something fresh this year as I am seeing a lot of tweets from die hard iPhone users about switching to Android devices, Apple over to you to wow us all over again.

Source TIPB

Microsoft set to announce Project Pink on the 12th of April

The great mystery that is known as Project Pink will be eventually revealed at a press event on the 12th April in San Francisco according to Cnet.

A source confirmed to them that the event will herald the introduction of Microsoft’s long-awaited new phones for the always-connected crowd. The devices, code-named Pure and Turtle, are both slider phones, each with a touch screen and keyboard, the devices will run on Verizon Wireless’ network and go on sale within the month following the event.

The Pure and Turtle phones, which are part of Microsoft’s long-running "Pink" project, also have Windows CE at their core as well, but aren’t likely to run programs written for either current crop of Windows Phones or those written for Windows Phone 7.