Week 2 and iPhone 4.0 overview

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. Just a reminder that in 2 weeks registration for the summer will begin so start looking at your Degree Audit to see what classes you may want to take. So far week 1 is in the books and so far it is pretty easy going. Unfortunately due to Physical Therapy i was unable to attend my thursday class but i will definitely make it this week. I will let all of you know how International Economics is. Today's blog is keeping up with the technical aspect that i am trying to introduce into my blogs. Last week on Thursday, Apple, Inc. had a press conference to announce the next iPhone OS which is OS 4.0. They also took the liberty of announcing sales statistics for the iPad which was released the prior weekend. I was one of many eagerly awaiting the conference to find out what they would be deploying with this release. I am sharing this with you because a couple of months ago Berkeley had a poll about iPhones and many people had either the iPhone or the iPod Touch. So here is the overview and my perspective on the release:

The iPhone OS 4.0 is based around seven key developments that Apple has been working on. Apple called them "Tentpoles" during the conference and those tentpoles are:

1. Multitasking
2. Folders
3. Enhanced Mail
4. iBooks
5. Enterprise Support
6. Game Center
7. iAd

Here is the break down of each tentpole.

1. Multitasking: According to Apple it is built on 7 API's (Application Programing Interface). The first is background audio. Apple worked on trying to get streaming audio to run in the background so the user can use a different app. This was important to Apple as one of the most popular apps on the iPhone and Touch is Pandora which provides streaming music. With the update you will be able to stream music in the background without killing the battery. This API also applies to other apps that stream audio such as MLB at Bat. The second API is VoIP (Voice over IP). Applications such as skype can now run in the background while you are in another app. You can recieve calls and an interface pops up just as if you were recieving a call over the AT&T network. It even will display incoming calls while the phone is locked, so skype users rejoice. The next API is GPS. Right now the GPS program closes when a call comes in or you cannot play music from your iPhone or Touch and still recieve directions. With the new OS you will be able to do both and not have to relaunch the application. The other aspect is social networking as certain apps like Loopt track you through GPS. As it is now with the current OS the application will always ask if you want to use you current location. In the new build their will be an indicator that the application is still tracking you through GPS. The fourth API is push notifications. This was added to the most recent updates of the OS but now these notifications can be done locally. So lets say you use a third party alarm clock, right now your phone must be on all night in order for the alarm to work, not any more in 4.0. The fifth API revolves around task completion. Some apps like Flickr take awhile to upload, now it can continue to uploading in the background while you use other apps on your phone. The sixth API is based on notification services which can now be controlled through the settings menu. The final API is fast app switching. When you switch to another app the app you were just using gets stored in the background. When you switch back you don't need to relaunch the program or restore the session becuase everything is as exactly the way you left it. In order to switch between applications just double click the home button. If running four or more apps after you double click the home just swipe left or right.

2. Folders: Folders have now been added to the OS. To create a folder drag one app onto another and a folder is automatically created and named. The naming comes from the categories associated with the app. On the folder itself will have small tiles that will show you what apps are stored within the folder. When you tap the folder it expands down to display apps. You will also have the ability to change the wallpaper on the home and locked screens.

3. Enhanced Mail: Unified inbox, multiple email accounts and more than one Exchange account. All incoming mail is stored in one inbox. You can move quickly between inboxs by tapping the accounts list on top. There are threaded discussions and you can open attachments on apps you have downloaded.

4. iBooks: Smaller version of the iPad bookshelf and iBookstore. You will have the ability to sync page and bookmarks between devices (ie iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad).

5. Enterprise: The new OS will give you the ability to encrypt email including attachments using your pin code. Wireless distribution of applications to all company issued iPhones through company servers. There is support for multiple exchange accounts, Exchange 2010, and SSL VPN support for both Juniper and Cisco.

6. Game Center: The App Store boasts the largest number of game applications. Apple is going further by adding a social gamming network, where you can invite friends, auto-matchmaking, leaderboards and achievements.

7. iAd: iAd is moble advertising built directly into the OS. The advertising is built into the application itself. An example would be opening Yelp to find a place to eat and seeing an advertisement for a restaurant near by. The advertisements keep you within the app and allows you to close the ad at anytime using the X. The Ads are done in HTML5 and provide animation and video as well as games or other modes of interactivity. Advertisers will be able to provide wallpapers to be saved directly to the device, theater listing and embedded maps (for movies) and even games that you can buy directly from the advertisement without having to go to the App Store.

This new OS will roll out to iPhones and iPod Touches this summer with a fall release scheduled for the iPad. There are limitations a the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2nd generation will not support multitasking.

Overall i think this is a step in the right direction for Apple. It was a little late in comming to the show with features such as Folders and Multitasking but the delay seems to be well worth it. I personally have an iPhone 3G so i wont get the chance to test multitasking when it first comes out but my contract is up shortly there after so i am not to worried. Anyway that is the end of this post, i will see you all later.


P.S. All information was gathered through Macworld.com.