iOS Devices

Nike today updated their iOS  Nike+app with a GPS enabled version. The update allows you to track your runs with GPS rather than manually using Nike+ sensors.  It also give motivational encouragement while you run and when you finish from Nike’s top celebrity athletes.

The Nike+ GPS App is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch (2nd, 3rd and 4th generations) running iOS 4.0 or later.  Video below:

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Our tips@9to5mac.com account has been blowing up this morning with people letting us know that their iPod touches are shipping.  It appears we aren’t the only one getting word.  Anyone else?

Remember, Amazon is selling those iPods, often without tax, and hooking us up with little kickbacks as well.

Nanos are getting prepped.

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An interesting note on the Google ads leak this weekend.  Apple is spending nearly a million dollars per month on its rival’s (phoneOS+) advertising platform to promote its products.  Not nearly as much as others but still a significant amount.

AT&T Mobility, for instance, spent over $8 million.

One thing Apple can tell its prospective ad clients (including AT&T): Their ad spending probably won’t be leaked to the press.

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Computerworld: There’s so much hysterical coverage of the great Apple versus Android war it sure is easy to get confused by all the claims and counter-claims: is the iOS really six times more popular for Web browsing than Android, or is it really only twice as popular? And is Apple now selling 6 million iOS devices each month?

Read More

I just threw my iPhone 4 away because this thing looks so excellent.  Think Zune+Kin and then add AT&T as the launch network provider.  I only wish they could have squared the edges a little more and made a less beautiful homescreen.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ROL2_czpW0&w=640&h=385]

In all seriousness, Microsoft is going to spend boatloads of money on Windows Phone 7 so expect ads like this from now until Christmas.  The one area where this OS will be able to compete is in gaming with its XBox Live connection.  We’ll see if that’s enough to bring people over.

High street electronics retailer, PC World has launched its own cloud-based music service for Apple device owners, iPad Media Streaming, beating Apple’s own rumored music locker service aside in one fell swoop.

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Apple’s iPad has broken into yet another enterprise sector, this time the insurance industry with internationally-known insurer, Lloyds, working with brokers to test use of the Apple device in its underwriting room.

The trial began this month and will see iPads used instead of the more traditional underwriting slips. Brokers, Marsh, Cooper Gay and RK Harrison Group are testing the Apple devices.
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With iOS 4’s launch only days away, we thought it would be interesting to provide a complete walkthrough of the new operating system. iOS 4.1 will be a free upgrade to all iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPod touch 2G, and iPod touch 3G users. It will also come standard on Apple’s newly announced 4th generation iPod touch.

Bug Fixes:

As promised, Apple will be providing fixes for the three major well-known issues in iOS 4.0/4.01/4.02. The first, which for me is worse than the antenna issue, deals with the iPhone 4’s proximity sensor issues. Many users find they are accidentally inputing commands into the iPhones screen while on a phone call. 4.1 promises to rectify this issue.

The update also promises a fix for bluetooth connection issues as well as a bug that makes the iPhone 3G very sluggish while running iOS 4.0. Initial tests conclude that the update lives up to its word, especially in the Google Maps and Messages applications.

Enhanced Bluetooth audio playback:

As we reported back in mid-July, iOS 4.1 brings full AVRCP bluetooth playback. This enhanced bluetooth protocol allows for more audio controls via bluetooth such as skipping forward, back, and volume. Before iOS 4.1 only volume controls were supported by bluetooth car stereo systems and such.

Click ‘Read More’ to read the software walkthrough.

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Interesting breakdown over at Asymco.  It appears that while it still over one third of all iOS devices sold, the iPod touch is trending down overall as the iPad is pulling in a bigger percentage and the iPhone continues to break into more markets with more carriers.

It always bothered me that Apple put iPod touch numbers in with other iPods when it clearly belongs in the same category as the iPhone.  Hopefully Apple stops grouping the iPod touch in with devices that can clip on your shirt and only share a common name.  It appears they are heading in that direction with the ‘230,000 iOS devices activated/day ‘ and ‘120 million overall’ tallies.

I disagree with the closing paragraph however:
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Interesting little button on lower right hand corner of the 4th generation iPod touch Passcode screen.

Is this another Photoshop error by Apple’s web artisans?  Or maybe VoIP falls under the Emergency calling guidelines.

Here’s another Photoshop error (see the phone icon?)

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Looks like Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulah conducts his business via an iPad 3G. Does the magic even exist there yet?

We’ve got another photo of the King with the royal 3G iPad after the break.

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A fairly undocumented feature in the new iPod touch is the ability for the device to vibrate like the iPhone. It seems this vibrate function was designed with the deaf in mind, as its primary use is vibrating when a FaceTime is received. Apple markets FaceTime as the perfect way to have a phone call using sign language, and vibrate helps hard-of-hearing users know when a call is incoming.

No word on whether this vibrate function can be used in games and such like on iPhones but hopefully we’ll find that out soon. Another change in this year’s iPod touch is the absence of the plastic WiFi antenna strip. It will be interesting to see if it has any affect on signal strength.

See internals below:

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That’s an iPad testing next-gen firmware in the field and those settings are for video call debugging. You may recall iPhone 4 field-test devices having a similar menu.

Update: Apple changed the September 8th launch date back to “Coming Soon” on both the UK and France iPhone software update websites. Release date changing? Was Sept. 8th a mistake? Who knows?…

According to both Apple’s United Kingdom and France websites, iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch is set to publicly launch on Wednesday, September 8th. For those counting down, that’s just 5 short and magical days away. In case you haven’t heard, iOS 4.1 ups the ante with Game Center, HDR Photography (awesome btw), $.99 TV Show rentals, iTunes Ping support, WiFi HD video uploading, and all the bug fixes Jobs told us all about via e-mail.

Apple did not officially announce a set launch date for iOS 4.1 but did state it would launch next week complementing the launch of their new iPods. Maybe the new kit will hit retail on the 8th too? Who knows? In case you’re wondering, iOS 4.1 is already out for those with the new 4th gen iPod touch… pity that doesn’t apply to many of us.
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Remember El Steve mentioning that one of the board members would use their new nano as an iWatch? Remember Seth’s genius thoughts? Well the above completes it all.

http://www.viddler.com/simple/48cd94a/

When looking at the video above (@15 seconds – for Flashless), it seems that the iPod touch 4th generation screen doesn’t have the same wide angle viewing as the iPhone 4 next to it.  This could just be our eyes playing tricks on us (or even the camera) but Apple isn’t clear in the iPod touch literature that the screen is indeed IPS.

Here’s a still.  Compare the blacks and the whites at an angle:

Also, Apple could  have the screen settings set differently in these display iPod touches.

Here’s the scary: In Apple’s all-consuming quest to become just a little bit thinner and keep the fat margins, did they not only sacrifice the still camera (.7Megapixel?!) but also skimp on the screen?  Thanks reader Alex!

Screen specs for iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4 below.  Strange that they aren’t just carbon copies of each other.

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No folks, you can’t get iOS 4.1 on your current kit unless you’re a developer and are up for installing the Golden Master seed. What is available though, is iOS 4.1 for the just announced 4th generation iPod touch. So who does this apply to? Folks who have the yet to be shipped 4th generation iPod touch that are in need of restoring to a fresh copy of 4.1. If you do happen to have one of these new toys laying around, drop us a line.

Oh, and if for some reason you feel the need to download iOS 4.1 that only will install on a 4th gen touch, be our guest.
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As Mr. Jobs promised, iOS 4.1 brings many speed improvements to the older iPhone 3G, illustrated by Lifehacker:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q0jVRwHy00&w=640&h=385]

While UI responsiveness improved dramatically, there was also improvement in specific apps with Maps showing the most improvement.

• Messages: iOS 4.1 Wins (By a Little)
• Maps: iOS 4.1 Wins (By a Lot)
• Photos: iOS 4.1 Wins (Just Barely)
• Safari: iOS 4.1 Wins (Just Barely)

Is it enough to upgrade from iPhone OS 3?
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Apple has opened a Trailer Showtimes site today that uses browser location settings both on desktop and mobile devices to deliver showtimes.  You’ll be prompted to let the browser access your GPS information, whether that is your geo-located IP or your device’s dedicated GPS.

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Apple’s iOS has become the third most popular platform on the Internet with marketshare that’s nealry six times larger than Android. Indeed, iOS is bigger than Linux, says Net Applications.

Collectively the devices that run iOS — the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad — accounted for 1.1 per cent of all hardware on the Internet last month. Windows and Mac OS were the first and second place OS’ used on the net, with 91.3 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively.

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