Apple previewed iPhone OS 4.0 on April 8, 2010. A developer beta was also released at the same time as the preview. It is expected to be available to the public in summer 2010 (northern hemisphere) for iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch (3rd Generation), and fall for iPad. The iPhone 3G and iPod Touch (2nd Generation) will also get a limited update which will include most, but not all, of the new features. For example, multitasking will not be included. This is due to the limited hardware of the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G. Other devices, such as the original iPhone and iPod touch 1G, are not expected to be supported at all. In the preview, along with 1500 new APIs for app developers, seven most significant “tentpole” headline groups of user features were highlighted out of the around 100 changes to to the new OS feature set. Listed in the order announced, these were titled: multitasking; folders; mail; iBooks; enterprise; game center; iAd.

General New Features

• Ability to multitask /background services by double clicking Home button (iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3rd Generation only)
• Support for Apple Bluetooth keyboards
• Game Center Social Network
• iBooks and sync with iPhone and iPod Touch
• Advertising via the iAd network

Camera

• 5x digital zoom
• Tap to focus video

Settings

• App-specific location settings
• Cellular data only setting
• Password w/ alphabet characters + numbers
• Simple Passcode Lock (4 digit number) option
• New Wallpapers

Compass

• remove the button link to Maps

Home Screen

• Ability to categorize Apps into folders with default folder naming based on Category name in App Store
• up to 2,160 instead of 180 visible apps (12 apps per folder)
• Custom backgrounds for Home screen and Lock Screen
• Dock appearance redesigned and look like in Mac OS X
• exclamation mark badge appears at the right top of the folder icon if any app got badge notification
• folder name supports up to 13 characters
• remove ‘Rate on Delete’ for Apps

Photos

• categorized by Faces, Events and Places

Camera Roll

• Rotate Photos
• Resize photos
• categorized by All/Photos/Videos

AppStore

• Gift Apps

Maps

• Unified “locate me” icon
• background location icon shown on Status bar

iPod

• Playlist creation on device
• Nested playlists
• Lyrics and Podcast info on Setting
• Volume control with Bluetooth headsets

Notes

• Notes syncing with MobileMe/Gmail IMAP/Yahoo! Mail
• Accounts management appears if syncing is enabled
• Notes setting below Mail,Contacts, Calendars Settings if syncing is enabled

Calendar

• Birthday calendar
• CalDAV invitations

Calculator

• Updated icon

Contacts

• Unified Info by linking contacts from different accounts
• CardDAV

Spotlight

• Search with Web/Wikipedia

Safari

• Recent Searches below search field
• Top Hit in Search
• Google Suggest appears below search field if Search Engine is set to Google
• Unified “Search” keyboard button when search field being used

Nike+

• Upload workouts to Nike+

Accessibility

• Larger fonts in Mail, SMS & alerts

Message

• include a Search bar
• character count
• Mail
• Unified Inbox
• Edit from Outbox
• Support for multiple Exchange accounts
• File & delete Mail search results
• Organize By Thread in Mail
• Quicklook attachments
• Open attachments by registered filetype with corrsponding Apps from AppStore

Other

• Spell Check
• Persistent Wi-Fi
• Wake on Wireless
• Auto-join and Auto-login and IPv6 on individual Wi-Fi Networks setting
• Enhanced data protection
• Wireless app distribution
• Mobile device management
• SSL VPN support (both Juniper and Cisco)
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 support
• Added Cangjie and Wubihua Keyboards for Simplified and Traditional Chinese
• text replacement between Simplified and Traditional Chinese
• Switch keyboard shortcut (holding the “earth” button on keyboard for a while)
• Added support for Danish voice control
• Improved Bluetooth driver for A2DP devices

Source: Wikipedia

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1. iPhone OS4.0 new firmware features

Overview
In several critical areas, the HTC Incredible is the Nexus One trapped in a different body. Both devices are Android-powered phones made by HTC, and share the same amount of RAM and same 1GHz Snapdragon processor. While the Google Nexus One runs the vanilla version of Android known widely as the Google Experience, the Incredible uses HTC’s custom-designed user interface built over top of Android. The Incredible also has a more powerful camera than the Nexus One.

Differences

1. User interface: The HTC Incredible has HTC’s custom user interface called Sense built on top of Android, while the Nexus One has the standard Android interface known as the Google Experience. HTC’s Sense interface offers a number of advanced customization options for the Incredible, including sleek, custom HTC widgets, and the ability to change the layout and icons on the home screens depending on what the user is doing. Of course, it’s a personal preference, and many users may prefer one interface over the other.
2. Camera: At 5-megapixels, the Nexus One’s camera is certainly powerful, particularly for a mobile device. The HTC Incredible, however, is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera — overtaking the Nexus one by 3 megapixels. Though 5 megapixels should be plenty for most, avid mobile phone photographers may prefer the Incredible. The Incredible has a bright dual-LED flash, while the Nexus One has a (still bright) LED flash.

Side by Side

Source: Wirefly

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1. iPhone OS4.0 new Features & Changes List

The new iPhone OS4.0 firmware was officially introduced by Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, and brought some new features with it today. The new features are said to be available through a firmware download this summer for iPhone 3, iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 2nd, and 3rd generations. Of the 100+ new features that are going to be available, here are the most talked about:

• Multitasking: You will now be able to run background processes. For example, you will be able play Pandora while reading, surfing the internet, checking stock quotes, etc.
• Folder feature for apps: You won’t have to scroll through endless screens to find your apps now that you can organize apps into folders. Put games in one folder, social media apps in another, etc.
• Enhanced e-mail functions: If you have multiple email accounts, you can now see all of your email in one inbox dubbed the “unified inbox.” You can now have more than Microsoft Exchange account which is a huge benefit to the corporate users of the iPhone or those who use Google to sync their contacts, calendars, etc.
• Bookstore app availability: The same Bookstore app that comes with the new iPad will now be available to the iPhone.

By far, the most anticipated feature was the new multitasking ability and that’s where a lot of the issues and controversy lies. Multitasking doesn’t work with the non 3GS models probably due to the phone lacking the processing power to handle the tasks. And with the new multitasking ability, we have to read the waters lightly because it’s not 100% true multitasking.

Other iPhone issues:

• No official carriers other than AT&T
• No tethering
• No video chat
• No document folders

A lot of the features aren’t anything ground breaking but they’re new the iPhone but they are likely create a buzz. Remember when the iPhone got copy and paste? There was so much excitement about a feature that had been around in other devices for ages. To top it off, during today’s announcement, Jobs said, “We weren’t the first one to this, but I think we’ll be the best.” He hit the nail on the head with that quote. And even though they aren’t the first to introduce these new features, he is probably right in the later part of his statement of being the best.

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1. iPhone OS4.0 new Features & Changes List

If you are into technology and gadgets at all, you have probably heard of one and only TechCrunch. But, what you may not know is that for approximately the past, they have been publicly discussing their plans to build the “CrunchPad” which is what they hope to be an excellent web tablet. The CrunchPad is capable of surfing the Internet through a kiosk version of Firefox as may possibly handle VOIP functions through Skype. To summarize their original post from last year, the CrunchPad will be an iPhone styled device with a sleek and simple touch screen interface with no eyesores. Since the CrunchPad would just be a machine that would surf the Internet and possibly do VOIP calls and things of that nature, it would likely not be a powerhouse. In essence, think of the hardware and powerhouse capabilities of the CrunchPad as those of the $300 netbooks that have been flooding the markets recently. The Crunchpad (or a $300 netbook) is to a Honda Civic DX as a desktop machine with an Intel i7-975 processor is the Lamborghini Reveton.

As of now, pricing and specs are still hush-hush. Their original goal was to introduce the device around $200 but we will see if that actually happens. I am sure their recent decision to go with an aluminum body raised the costs. But if you ask me, an aluminum chassis is a worthy justification for an increased price because it allowed the device to the thinner and more attractive.

The software partner that was in charge of the CrunchPad recently leaked photos and video over the Internet so without further adieu, here is what you have probably been waiting for:

After the leaked information, we know the following:

• About 18mm thick
• Probably 12” screen
• Screen is flush with the bezel
• It looks awesome!

In closing, I would honestly much rather spend $300-$500 on something like the CrunchPad than a pointless Amazon Kindle. In general, I hate how eink on ebook readers flash between pages. Well that plus the fact that you cannot really do anything much besides read books and some magazines/newspapers (which must be purchased). On the other hand, the CrunchPad can do anything from just surfing the internet, to writing emails, listening to music, watching streaming content, etc.

P.S. <noshame>TechCrunch, how about a CrunchPad to play with and review </noshame>

[TechCrunch]

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It’s a real camera from 1985…I want one so badly!

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If you have a TomTom GPS, Homer Simpson can be your copliot! The voice was recorded by the one and only Dan Castellaneta who also is the voice actor for the TV show. I think it would start to annoy me if I used it all the time but I would definately spend the $12.95 just to use while other people are in the car to hear their reactions.

Be sure to check out TomTom’s site for voice samples.

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Here’s a video sample from the new Olympus E-P1 camera that should be coming out soon.

Not too shabby if I don’t say so myself. Finally a camera that can take pictures, is an SLR, can shoot HD video with stereo sound, looks great, and is small! I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on one!

More information to come later. And as always, if you are seriously considering buying the camera, be sure to read Olympus Pen E-P1 reviews from trusted sources.

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