iOS Devices

It used to be difficult to find clues of video chatting in the iPhone OS.  Apple even tried to hide the video-chtting files at one point.  No more.  In iPhone OS 4.0, the iChat Agent is right out there in front for everyone to see running on the iPhone OS 4.  

In fact, this is so blatant that we’re wondering if Apple’s using it as a stealth marketing move, just so that the tech-savvy don’t get tempted by competing phones with video chat capabilities being released in the coming months.

Apple has started to reject apps with the word “Pad” in their title that do not explicitly use wording such as, “runs on,” “for,” “for use with,” and/or “compatible with.”  Jesse Waites, maker of ContactPad (iTunes link) sent us a shot of an email he received from Apple yesterday regarding an update to his app.

It should be noted that Apple has a similar policy with regards to the use of “iPod” in app titles.  It appears developers will have to refrain from using such naming strategies for the iPad as well.

Check out the email from Apple below:

Playlist creation in the iPod App (this is also on the iPad’s OS 3.2)

More Below…

Make calendar events out of Mail message info

Gift App Store Apps

Connect External Braille Devices

Larger Text in Messages, Mail, and Alert Popups (push notifications)

Folders work in the dock and look Awesome! (Think stacks in Snow Leopard)

Organize App Arrangement within folders

Live Safari Web search Suggestions

Threaded E-Mails

Apple’s Webkit team today announced Webkit2.  The major new feature in this new product is that each tab will house a separate process, much like Google’s Chrome except now the ‘separate process’ architecture is now built into the framework.   If a process hangs, it doesn’t take out the whole browser.  

I just tried the latest build of Webkit and that functionality isn’t yet there.  Curious time for a webkit announcement.

Via Ars

Engadget discovers that users now have the ability to search Google and Wikipedia from spotlight on their 4.0 iDevice. Take that Web OS!

Here’s the rain drops wallpaper for your usage pleasure as seen in today’s Stevenote. I know I was dying for it, so I’m sure you were too:

We shot over five minutes of iPhone 4’s new features for you all to enjoy. We’ll have a part two very soon.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KnzhwXcIOo&w=700&h=505]

One hour long.  Grab the popcorn, enjoy!

more below…

Multiple notes accounts:

Maps already has GPS status bar icon.  Wouldn’t it be cool if that icon was a compass too?

SMS now has a counter for characters:

more coming here soon…

We’re not quite sure what to make of this one, but it appears that the iPhone will handle multiple lines.  We’re not sure if this is two AT&T lines or if perhaps Apple will fully integrate a VoIP solution into their offering.  Or maybe it is nothing?  Curious.

Another one we might have missed from today’s presentation.  When you send a huge image attachment from Mail, Apple now gives you the option of resizing it to something smaller.

Photo Albums now have Faces and Places.  Must’ve missed that at the iPhone 4 announcement

Apple just posted its iPhone 4 OS preview page.  

By the way, the original iPhone and iPad are not included for these updates.  Interesting because they have the same RAM/Processor as the iPhone 3G.

Apple presented a lot of interesting stuff today.  Probably the biggest were:

Multi-tasking  including background operation of GPS, Audio (YAY Pandora), Voice (Yay Skype) and fast app switching

Folders – a better way to organize apps

It isn’t even a week old yet!  via TMCNet

We’re searching the interwebs for a live stream of today’s event and we’ll embed the best we find here (feel free to post live streams in the comments). If you are into the liveblog thing, I’ll be doing instant analysis at Computerworld.  Check the 15 iPhone 4 expectations here.

Or destroy the universe with the classic “blast from the past” 9to5mac livepanel for big screens.  (Old logo thrown in at no extra cost!)

Sorry no video feeds this time

Before you get all emotional, remember that this is just part of a patent application:

This looks like a paired down Pro workstation with some of the same characteristics, but with notable exceptions:

• Rounded edges like a Mini
• Much smaller in size and shape
• A new Mini DisplayPort adapter that would combine with USB 3.0 and have a new connector
• This new adapter would also work with iPads and media players
  

Digitimes quotes its own research arm in discovering that Apple is building a 5-7 inch mini iPad for delivery as early as the the first quarter of 2011.  The analyst states that the price of the new product would come in around $400.  The move would be more direct competition to Dell’s Mini 5-sized application and would also be more of competitor size and price-wise to the Kindle.

The post also mentions that the HP Slate is due this summer and will be manufactured by Inventec.  They don’t give it much of a chance to take on the iPad because Intel’s processors running Microsoft Windows 7 will run much hotter and drain the battery much quicker than Apple’s choice of ARM/iPX OS.