Oh…what’s this? International tech fans will have to wait one more month for the chance to get their hands on a brand new iPad device, say Apple officials, after surprisingly “strong US demand” with “more than 500,000 tablets sold in the first week” only. In simple words, Cupertino is running out of iPad machines and the rest of the world will have to wait a while in order to get a glimpse of Apple’s technology, right next to their homes. Full PR after the break.
The iPhone OS 4.0 event we’ve all been anxiously awaiting, just ended with Apple delivering some striking news to the world. But before getting to those shocking news we just heard, here’s some other details that might be worth considering: As of today Apple sold about 450,000 iPads throughout the States (along 50M iPhone devices), while users have downloaded about 600,000 books and over 3.5 million apps, thus far. The iPhone OS 4 which suppose to get official release this summer, is said to provide more than 1500 new APIs for developers, who can now actually download the fourth SDK Beta package from the iPhone Dev Center, and start shaping their magical crafts.
Moving the focus point over the main buffet, it’s all about the multitasking (Finally!). Yes, you’ve heard that right folks, Apple’s OS 4 is said to include multitasking (…and I’ll repeat myself again: ‘multitasking’). Of course it will work if you have an iPhone 3GS in your bag. Earlier devices, according to Jobs, amongst you’ll find “The iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2nd generation will run “many things”, but they will not get multitasking”. In that note, Apple says it’d actually provide seven multitasking services including: background audio streaming like Pandora playing music all day long without the need to be stopped, Voice over IP apps like Skype taking calls even when you browse, background GPS and location apps, push and local notifications, task completion like Flickr image uploaded i background, and last but not least, fast app switching – all to be safely activated without the worry of battery draining.
Next in line is the new form of Folders, which aims to organize, and make sense out of the dispersed field of applications. With iPhone OS 4, users are said to be able to drag and drop apps onto one another to create folders, that from now on can hold up to 2160 apps instead of 180 apps you used to see over 11 pages.
Cupertino is also pushing forward today the Unified Inbox function, which gathers multiple email accounts (like MobileMe, Yahoo, Gmail, etc) into one single box, and thus eliminates the need to jump from one window to another. Apple has also enabled in this session the possibility of getting third-party email attachments straight into your phones – Yay, attachments are on!
iBooks gets to the iPhone OS 4 as well, with Apple taking advantage of recent iPad e-book galore.
Gaming Center. Another big news, especially for the gamer geeks between us. With Apple, building a social iPhone gaming network, which basically allows you to challenge your friends, compare achievements, leaderboards, match making and more. In other words, it’s like the Xbox Live, but for the iPhones.
iAds. Suddenly everything that starts with the letter “i” is an Apple related product, eh? But seriously now, it was Steve Jobs who was quoted saying that free apps “Developers need to find a way to start making their money”… so far so good, but how? Apparently, Apple will sell interactive in-apps mobile ads, that everyone can create, not only ad agencies but also iPhone app developers that will split revenues with Apple (60/40) in exchange for selling and hosting their ads. Apple is said to use HTML 5 format to create those ads – interesting!
More coming up features to include: Home screen wallpaper installation, Bluetooth keyboard support, 5x digital zoom, Spell check like in iPads, Playlist creation, Map overlays, Video playback and capture, and more.
So this is it guys, it’s huge and in some parts very surprising. A short multi-tasking OS 4 hands-on video is just after the break and you can also watch the full iPhone OS 4 keynote event on video on Apple’s website right here.
Update: Full PR announcement after the break.
Tablet wars are getting hot these days, as you may noticed, with Apple gets to be the first to launch its new sleeky iPad device in the US, only two days ago, and HP that now teases us with the rumored 7-inch Windows 7-slate, that reappears in yet another mysterious video clip – this time showing myriad of components you won’t find in Steve Jobs’ dearest portable mate. And if you’re not a tech savvy or an early adopter, mind you these parts we’re talking about include a fancy schmancy USB hub, paired with an SD card expansion slot, some sort of cradle or installation dock to put your lavish device on, and most importantly: integrated webcam that would let you easily conduct multiple Skype talks. Still no official price or availability details to share at this point, but check this out boys and girls – if you plan watching the 30 second video after the break, look closely, because you’ll find a very suspicious USB cable plugged into HP’s slate, which ostentatiously runs Apple iTunes app in the background, and may (just may) indicate a potential for iPhone/ iPod Touch sync support (conspiracy blurbs).
[HP]
Continue reading HP Teases With New Slate Video, Has All The Things The iPad Lacks
Thought the iPad is the only thing you’re going to hear from Apple about in next couple of weeks? Think twice, because the restless company from Cupertino California has just announced it will hold an iPhone OS 4 event for developers on April 8th (10AM PT), where it will presumably unveil a “sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software” – huzzah! Looks like someone wants to prove something to the world, if this event takes place so close to Apple’s iPad launch, isn’t it?
Whether you do agree with Steve Jobs saying his new tablet machine – The iPad – is “magical” and “revolutionary” or whether you don’t, one thing’s for sure, you can’t argue with numbers – and the numbers, according to Apple itself, are pretty impressive. Apparently, over 300,000 iPads were sold in the US on launch day alone, on April 3rd that is, including both retail sales (Best Buy and Apple Stores) and pre-ordered deliveries to customers across the States – that’s 30,000 more, compared to iPhone’s 270,000 pieces that Cupertino sold (in first 30 hours). In addition, Apple says that iPad users already downloaded over a million apps from its App Store and over 250,000 e-books were downloaded as well from Apple’s iBook store during first day of launch – that’s an average of…”more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad”, says Jobs himself. Can they hold up with those numbers? Time would tell.
Meanwhile, make sure you check out our long list of Free Cool iPad Games.
Update: Now we learn that Apple has sold one million ipads over the past 28 days of existence, with 1.5 million ebooks already been downloaded, joining the 12 million apps that users have snagged. Full PR after the break.
Continue reading Apple Says Over 300,000 iPads Sold On Launch Day (Update: 1,000,000 In First Month)
Big news for all of you Apple fanboys out there, as we now get to hear across the blogsphere that Apple is finally about to offer unlocked iphones – yes, you’ve heard that right, free, open, no contract attached – you name it. The list of iPhone devices that people will be able to pick up immediately and pay-to-go includes the $499 3G model, $599 16GB 3GS or $699 32GB 3GS, at your choice, courtesy of Mountain View, California and the latest greatest Nexus One (competition, you know). Stay tuned for more to come.
Update1: The guys at Gizmodo have managed to get the official internal doc that confirms the rumors. Check it out after the break.
Update2: Reports are very confusing. Apparently, there wasn’t enough reason to party at this point and the bottom line is that iPhone devices are still locked to AT&T when you buy them in the US. Bummer!
[via 9 to 5 Mac]
Continue reading Apple To Start Selling Unlocked iPhones In the US
Big day for Archos, as the company has launched its new GPS device for the Archos 605 player, coming with maps of 22 European countries and equipped with lots of road and traffic services. In addition, Archos has launched 2 revolutionary plugins for the 605 devices, the first is the WebTV & Radio which enables wide variety of TV channels and radio stations, live via WiFi connection on the internet, thanks to a team up with TV Tuner. This plugin is available to purchase from Archos website for $19.99. The second plugin is the TV Portation which enables Archos TV+ owners to stream TV shows, directly from the living room into the Archos 605 PMP, wherever they are, on the go, which turns the TV+ device into a streaming media server, similar to the Sling box. This plugin will be available to purchase from Archos website next month for $49.99, but if you have a registered TV+ device it will be available for free.
Update 1: It will also feature full support for Flash 9 and WMV9 formats, free of charge, at the next firmware update, coming up next month.
Update 2: Check out the plugins demo videos after the break.
[via Archos]
Continue reading Archos Announces The Release Of Web TV/Radio And TV Portation Plugins
Archos announces the release of a new GPS navigation device for its fifth generation PMPs. Equipped with an integrated SiRF Star III chip, the new in-car GPS cradle turns your entertainment 605 player into a full-fledged navigation system, by simply snapping the Archos into the GPS In-Car Holder, which is connected to the car windshield. By doing so, you get an intuitive interface that allows you to easily pick any address, remarkable location or point of interest and find the best way to get there, with a full voice and video navigation system, presenting the sharp, precise and fast solution. The new system provides any road info you want, including traffic assistance, route planning, tunnel simulation, radar locations and even speed control assistance in some countries. The ARCHOS GPS In-Car Holder is compatible with any Archos 605 player and will cost you only $129.99. You can also buy this GPS device bundled with a 30GB Archos 605 player, for $399.99. Both packages will be available in May 2008.
Update: Check out the video preview after the break.
[via Archos]
Continue reading Archos 605 Gets GPS Navigation Capabilities