A daily digest of IT news, curated from blogs, forums and news sites around the web each morning. We highlight the key commentary and demystify the real story.
Monday was the iOS 4 release date. Let's see what people had to say about iPhone OS 4.0 -- including some lesser-heard voices, for a change. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers cogitate and castigate.
Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention Bob Parsons: the new GoDaddy girl?..
(AAPL)
Rahsheen Porter chooses her favorite thing:
iOS4 (iPhone OS 4 minus the Phone) launches today. ... Most notably, multi-tasking is finally coming to the iPhone. Multitasking is not really multitasking as we know it. ... Apple is simply letting applications do a few specific things in the background.
...
Audio ... For applications like Skype, you can keep the conversation going while you go do other things.
Location ... you can still get your directions without having to stare at the same app the whole time.
Local notifications ... you can get alerts directly from applications ... without them having to travel the entire Internet. ...
Fast app switching ... pick up where you left off.
Elliott C. Back reviews:
I started organizing all my apps into folders ... I think its going to take me some time to sort out ... where everything went. The little icons-in-an-icon are nice, but they only show you 9 of the 12 things inside. ... When you click on a folder, you get a great launcher screen, though. ... Its a great experience.
You can find recently / currently running apps by simply double tapping home, and they show up in a swipeable menu bar. ... Another great feature is a combined email inbox with threading. ... The sliding in/out of elements is now bouncier.
The UI in general seems slightly slower. ...
The lock screen hasnt improved. ... Note: if you have an older iPhone you may be disappointed.
Jonny Evans knows what you need to know:
iOS 4.0 isn't compatible with the original iPhone or the iPod touch. iPhone 3G and second-gen [iPod] touch devices will get the update, but key features will be missing. ... iPhone 3GS and current generation iPod touch will gain all the new features.
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Ensure you've upgraded to Tunes 9.2 and make sure to update all your apps. ... Skype -- which was a feature multitasking star at Apple's iPhone event earlier this year -- isn't yet ready. ... iBooks will come to the iPhone. ... Battle between Amazon and Apple for the eBook market is fierce, though Amazon has the best prices and a wider catalogue.
But Preston Gralla says, "Apple is only playing catchup":
To Android users like me, the response is: Is that all there is? ... The most important iOS 4 features have been available for some time on Android. ... Android already multitasks, and does a better job than does iOS 4.
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iOS4 now lets you change your wallpaper. ... Nothing to brag about there. ... iOS 4 now has a task switcher ... once again, that's been on Android for quite some time. ... iOS 4 lets you create folders. ... One more instance where Android already does the same thing. ... The iOS 4's Unified Inbox is also already available on Android. ... When it comes to innovation, Apple seems to be playing catch-up.
Paul Thurrott compares with Windows Phone 7:
[iOS] is so good ... it's taken the rest of the mobile device industry years to catch up. (Only Google's Android seems to have surpassed iOS in any meaningful way so far.) ... If iOS falls short in any one area, it's the in-out-in-out usage model that's dictated by ... [the] emphasis on discrete apps. ... This is one area--perhaps the only area--where Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 7 system has the edge.
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You can now pair a Bluetooth keyboard with ... iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 3rd gen. ... So it's now possible for those with really good vision ... to actually use an iPhome/iPod touch as a very mobile computer.
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Windows Phone 7 still retains its single key advantage--a rejection of the app-based interface metaphor ... something Apple will need to address. ... Windows Phone 7 will also offer a simplicity that iOS, after four aggressive years of updates, has long since left behind.
Meanwhile, Rosa Golijan channels someone called Erica:
Erica wrote Steve Jobs ... asking why her iPhone 3G doesn't get [wallpaper]. ... Steve's reply?
The icon animation with backgrounds didn't perform well enough.
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Basically our old iPhone 3G devices are too weak and pathetic ... unless they're jailbroken, of course.
Richi Jenningsis an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.
