What iPhone 3.2 for iPad has, and TiPb wants for iPhone Actual ASAP!

The brand new Apple iPad is running iPhone 3.2 and has several features we’ve wanted on, you know, the actual iPhone device for a while now. Never mind that the iPhone 3.2 SDK is iPad-only, just like the features. And never mind that the iPad might still be waiting for iPhone 4.0 to get it’s full functionality in place. TiPb wants an iPhone (and iPod touch) version of iPhone 3.2 while we’re waiting, and we wants us some of those features!

Our list after the break!

Home Screen Wall Paper

We noticed it the moment Steve Jobs pulled out the iPad. It had wallpaper behind the Home Screen app grid. And he said users could customize it. Sure, the iPhone has a denser grid (the icons are closer together and would blot out more of the background), but it would be nice to have a background we could blot out. Also, we couldn’t help but see that the iPad could go landscape with the homes screen. Flipping back and forth would probably annoy us too much to want that, however, at least for the current 3.x home screen…

iBooks App/Store

Is it strange that iTunes Store and iPod are separate apps, but the iPad iBooks app spins around from reader to buy’er? Maybe, but since we already have iTunes Store, App Store, and iPod on our iPhones, we’d like iBooks as well. As with many of the other items to follow, the UI will obviously need tweaking (as apps taken from the iPhone for the iPad have already been tweaked) but we want it and Apple is going to want the whole platform to have it. Oh, and something akin to Kindle-like “WhisperSync” would be nifty for all our media, so where we finish reading, listening, or viewing on the iPad is where we pick up on the iPhone (or iTunes, or Apple TV, get the idea?)

Calendar Week View

The lack of a week view on the iPhone calendar is something we’ve complained about since the original iPhone 2G launched in 2007. And now the iPad gets it? Fine. Whatever. We’re just happy it’s finally here and we’d like it on our iPhone now-ish as well. And landscape mode to make it more useful. Please.

Enhanced Photo App

The new scrubbers shown off on the iPad are hawt. iPhone iPod app lets us scrub quickly through audio and video, and while the thumbnail line probably wouldn’t fit on the smaller screen, just the ability to quickly fly through photos with a standard scrubber would be great. One. By. One. Flicking. Can. Get. Tedious. After. All. Syncing Faces, Places, and Events from iPhoto is also want-worthy, as are the new slide transitions.

Drop-down/Pop-up Menus

Probably the biggest system-wide eye opener for iPhone 3.2 on the iPad was the use of drop down and/or pop up menus. The way they’re implemented on the iPad wouldn’t work on the smaller iPhone screen, but the idea behind them — to allow quick access without moving up or down a set of screens — would. Let us tap the top corners to get quick access to radio settings, for example. It may sound all Android/Windows Mobile, but Apple could make it work. SBSettings already does…

Mechanical Keyboard Support

iPad gets both dock-connected and Bluetooth keyboard support at launch. We’ll forgive not getting it in three versions if you give it to us in an iPhone 3.2 update post haste. Many people might never use it, or want to, but for some road warriors it would be just what their productivity ordered.

Mobile iWork

3rd party apps shows it’s possible to do office suites on the iPhone and iPod touch. You’re Apple and you figured it out iWork for the iPad. You could figure it out for the iPhone too.

What Else?

That was just TiPb’s quick take, did you see any other iPhone 3.2 features on the iPad that you want for your own, more mobile, device?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

What iPhone 3.2 for iPad has, and TiPb wants for iPhone Actual ASAP!

iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad – VoIP, External Displays, Shared File Directory

MacRumors is reporting that the new iPhone 3.2 SDK, now available via developer.apple.com, but (currently?) only supporting the just-announced iPad, brings a couple interesting new features to the table tablet.

• External displays, which had potential but no official APIs in previous iPhone SDKs, looks like they’ve gone legit. Video out to come? No word on an HDMI cable still…
• Shared file directory, which mounts on both Mac and PC. It isn’t the Mobile Finder we’ve wanted, but it sounds like it might make getting docs on and off a whole lot easier.
• Universal apps, which means developers can make a single build that will support both the smaller iPhone and iPod touch, and the bigger iPad.

In addition, MacRumors says iCall Free VoIP [Free - iTunes link] has told them:

With the latest revisions Apple has made to the iPhone developer agreement and Software Development Kit, iCall for the iPhone and iPod Touch now enabled unrestricted free local and long distance calling over 3G data networks.

We’d wondered what happened with VoIP over 3G. Will iPhone 3.2 be the answer?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad – VoIP, External Displays, Shared File Directory

SDK Changes Open Door to VOIP Over 3G Networks… iPad Phone Calls Possible?

iCall announced today that Apple had made changes to iPhone SDK that makes Voice over IP (VOIP) over cellular networks possible.

With the latest revisions Apple has made to the iPhone developer agreement and Software Development Kit,...

iPhone SDK updated: VoIP over 3G now permitted

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, SDK

It's been a long time coming, but the last hurdle is gone -- Apple has lifted the restrictions against 3G VoiP calls from the iPhone Software Development Kit.

The implications of this are pretty huge. Not only does this mean that VoIP apps like Skype [iTunes Link] can now be easily updated to allow VoIP access over 3G on the iPhone, it also means that the 3G-enabled versions of the new iPad should be able to take full advantage of VoIP over 3G as well. The iPad does come with a microphone and a speaker, so while you won't be able to hold the device up to your ear like a phone (although it would be pretty funny to watch you try), calls over Skype or another VoIP program should theoretically be just as clear on the iPad as they are on the iPhone's tiny speaker. This has the potential to really shake up the wireless industry, especially in the U.S. -- with pay-as-you-go 3G on the iPad costing no more than $30 a month, the iPad suddenly seems like a very attractive alternative to the iPhone with its far more expensive (and contractually obligated) carrier plans.

iCall [iTunes Link] has already been updated with VoIP over 3G enabled, and with all restrictions now lifted, it seems like it's only a matter of time before Skype and other VoIP apps follow.

[Via Gizmodo]

iPhone SDK updated: VoIP over 3G now permitted originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone SDK updated: VoIP over 3G now permitted originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple: We’re #1 Mobile Devices Company in World, Bigger than Sony, Samsung, Nokia

As part of their iPad keynote today, Apple took the opportunity to say that, with $15.6 billion in revenue last quarter, as $50 billion dollar company primarily focused on mobile devices (iPod, iPhone, MacBook), they were the #1 mobile device company in the world — bigger by revenue than Sony, Samsung, and Nokia’s mobile devices businesses.

Along with the financial figures Steve Jobs touted 250,000,000 (!) iPods sold, 140,000 iPhone/iPod touch apps, and 3 billion downloads.

Jobs went on to say even he didn’t believe it, and it wasn’t how they think about Apple. But he sure did say it, and that’s a shot across a lot of bows right there.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple: We’re #1 Mobile Devices Company in World, Bigger than Sony, Samsung, Nokia

Apple lifts VoIP over cellular restrictions in new iPhone SDK

Great news for the VoIP world: iCall, the maker of the iCall VoIP iPhone app that can catch a GSM call and flip it over to WiFi, has issued a press release saying that the new iPhone SDK allows for VoIP over 3G cellular connections. Previously such calls had to be made over WiFi, since AT&T's network (or someone well acquainted with AT&T's network) didn't think it was man enough to take the VoIP traffic. Interestingly, iCall says its 3G-friendly VoIP app is available now, and is the first and only such app in the App Store -- which seems like some pretty quick turnaround on everyone's part, but apparently the 3G restriction wasn't anything to do with the software itself, but instead a server-side block. We just tested this out and it totally works, and while we'll be looking for more verification that the ban has indeed been lifted, it sounds like it's time for some cheaply connected international parties in the streets.

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple lifts VoIP over cellular restrictions in new iPhone SDK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Did the iPad Look Unfinished Because Apple is Hiding iPhone 4.0 Features?

TiPb mentioned this a couple times in passing — that the iPad perhaps didn’t show things like multitasking and better notifications because it’s running iPhone 3.2 and those will be iPhone 4.0 features, likely only to debut in March — but now Boy Genius seems to think (hope?) this is a real possibility as well.

It would certainly fit with Apple’s hyper-secretive modus operandi, and if you remember back to 2007, the original iPhone received additional features (a glass screen, YouTube app) before it shipped. Granted, there’s only 2-3 months here and not 6, but would it surprise anyone to see the iPad ship with 3.2, only for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to all see 4.0 beta in March, and general release in June/July?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Did the iPad Look Unfinished Because Apple is Hiding iPhone 4.0 Features?

Apple Posts “Come see our latest creation” Keynote Streaming Video

Apple has posted their usual streaming QuickTime video of today’s “Come see our latest creation” iPad introduction keynote. No doubt a downloadable, higher resolution version will follow, but if you just have to watch it now, now, now, here’s your link:

• Apple Special Event, January 2010

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple Posts “Come see our latest creation” Keynote Streaming Video

Apple Posts January 2010 Media Event QuickTime Stream

Apple has posted the January 2010 media event video stream from today which saw the introduction of the company's much-anticipated iPad tablet device.

- Apple Tablet Media Event Today: "Come See Our Latest Creation"
- Ap...

Office2 lets you edit Word and Excel files on your iPhone

Byte Squared has released Office2, an office app for the iPhone and iPod touch that lets you edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets.

iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific

iPhone owners holding out hope that OS 3.2 would bring some of these fancy new iPad spoils to their devices might be in for a disappointment, because two of the big ones -- split view and popovers -- are both referred to in Apple's updated human interface guidelines as "iPad-only." Realistically, this shouldn't come as a surprise; both of these UI elements were built to shine on larger displays, and it's hard to say how you could make either one of them work on HVGA -- but it's important for devs to note that heavily investing in these are definitely going to make it difficult to make their apps compatible across all iPhone OS-powered devices. Considering that iPhones will almost certainly continue to dominate iPads for sales volume, we know how we'd be developing.

In other news, running the updated iPhone simulator in iPad mode gives you the option to take photos, which doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense considering that it doesn't have a camera. There are plenty of plausible explanations for the muck-up, but our guess is that Apple's left the vestigial capability on-board since the framework's already in place for the iPhone and there could very well be iPads down the road that have a cam (or two). Follow the break for a shot of the iPad's Address Book imploring you to take a photo -- and savor it, since it's probably the closest you'll actually get to snapping a shot on the device any time soon.

[Thanks, iPhone Dev and Eric]

Continue reading iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific

iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am GMT)

Join Rene, Dieter, Mickey, and Chad for all of today’s iPad announcement highlights (and lowlights) and what it all means for the iPhone! If you have any questions, leave a comment below, hit us up on Twitter @theiphoneblog, or better still — join us live in the chat room via http://www.tipb.com/live

REMINDER: You can watch us live on your iPhone with the Ustream Viewer app [Free - iTunes link]. Just wait until the show starts (8pm ET) and search for iPhone. We’ll pop up. Literally.

Chat with you soon!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Live! Tonight at 8pm ET/5pm PT (1am GMT)

iPad Also Debuts Apple A4 Custom-built System-on-a-Chip

While Apple’s current generation iPhone 3GS and iPod touch G3 use ARM Cortex A8 CPUs and PowerVR SGX GPUs chips from Samsung, as part of their iPad announcement today, Apple also announced their own chip — the Apple A4.

Custom chipsets have been on Apple’s agenda since they bought PA Semi (Palo Alto Semiconductor) and Steve Jobs flat out said they’d be used in future Apple mobile devices. That future, it seems, starts now.

Battery life — 10hrs for the iPad — was stated as a prime reason for going with a custom chip. As is typical for Apple, they didn’t give any details (and likely the reason they’re making their own chips is so that they can keep those sorts of things secret from the competition), but since they’re rumored to be a massive ARM licensee, and owns part of PowerVR maker Imagine, we’re going to go out on a limb and guess those are still the CPU and GPU respectively.

How much RAM lurks inside the iPad, Apple also didn’t say, and since we only found out the iPhone 3GS has 256MB was after the tear-downs, we’ll likely have to wait on those for the iPad as well.

Of course, TiPb’s mind immediately turns to the chances of having an Apple A4, or similar chip, in the 4th generation iPhone and iPod touch. Combine that with 512MB or more of RAM, a Cortex A9 multicore CPU, latest PowerVR SGX GPU, and little PA-Semi magic and… who knows how interesting 2010 will become!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPad Also Debuts Apple A4 Custom-built System-on-a-Chip

Apple iPad Tablet — the Complete Specs and TiPb’s Take on Them

For the spec fiends among us, Apple has posted up almost every little number you’d ever want to know about their new iPad tablet (except, of course, what silicon is powering it on the inside — that’ll have to wait for the inevitable tear down.

We’ll take a look, after the break!

• Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
• Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
• Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
• Weight: 1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model; 1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model

Sounds a tad heavy to us, certainly heavier than the Kindle. Will we be happy lugging it around? Reading it while lying in bed?

• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

We’re happy with the 720p+, but what’s with the old school 4:3 aspect ratio? 1280 wide was a non-starter, or like the phatty nano, something that gets changed with the next version? IPS is the phenomenal LED panel technology used on the new iMac, which means great viewing angles.

• Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
• Wi-Fi + 3G model
• UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz)

802.11n is steller, and although BT 2.1 feels old, we’re happy it will support BT keyboards (and want that in the iPhone!). The 3G bands means no T-Mobile US or Wind Canada except on EDGE.

• Digital compass
• Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

Digital compass is a must for Augmented Reality, and it’s great to see both in the Wi-Fi only model. iPod touch should have gotten that in the G3 last September. Sorry, no gyro!

• 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive

This feels a little on the lean side to us. Since an iPod touch G3 can already hit 64GB, we were hoping for a 128GB option.

• 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip

Here we go! Apple’s own, home-grown PA Semi-spun silicon. We’re guessing it has an ARM Cortex A8 (it’s a tad early for 9) inside there, but is it using the PowerVR SGX like the iPhone 3GS, or something beefier? Also, as expected, no details on RAM but we’d hope for 512MB+ (hopefully 1GB!)

• Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor

Same as iPhone and iPod touch

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit
• Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite – A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable
• H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Also similar to iPhone/iPod touch, including the A/V cables. We’d hoped for an HDMI cable as well, as it’s interesting if anachronistic to note the mention of Dock Connector to VGA adapter.

• Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Nothing new here either that we can tell. Selfishly, we’d like PSD added to the QuickView list.

• Support for playback of closed-captioned content
• VoiceOver screen reader
• Full-screen zoom magnification
• White on black
• Mono audio

Kudos to Apple for continuing the accessibility features, let’s hope more content takes advantage of closed captioning and iPhone OS specific abilities!

• Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
• Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

10 hours, given the size of the screen, is very nice.

• Dock connector
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
• Built-in speakers
• Microphone
• SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)

Yeah, but it’s a micro-SIM card, which means you can’t just take out your iPhone SIM and put it in the iPad. (Which may be the carrier’s intention).

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple iPad Tablet — the Complete Specs and TiPb’s Take on Them

Apple iPad Does Not Support Adobe Flash Like The iPhone

iPad SDK 3.2 Details: External Display, File Sharing System, No Multitasking

Apple has unleashed iPhone OS 3.2 SDK to developers today to prepare for the launch of the Apple iPad. The new iPhone OS 3.2 only runs on the iPad device and will not run on the iPhone or iPod Touch. The accompanying documents are said to h...

iPad Hands-on Round Up — Who’s touched where and what they think!

TiPb hasn’t had a chance to get any hands-on time with the no-longer mythical Apple iPad, announced today, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live vicariously through the awesome power of the interwebs. What does TiPb think? If you call the iPad a big iPod touch, you’re right. If you think that’s a bad thing, you’re nuts fully justified, but we see it as a huge positive, if only a first step. Removing the constraints imposed by a small screen? Yeah, the iPhone OS is just getting started. Apple is legitimately excited about this, and that means iPhone OS, and iPhones are going to benefit. Love. Up.

Now here’s a quick rundown of some of the coolest bloggers in the sphere (in alphabetical order), and what they think of the iPad.

• 9to5mac hands-on and video
• Ars Technica hands-on and gallery
• Engadget Hands-on with video
• Gizmodo hands-on and video
• SlashGear hands-on and video

Give them a read and let us know if they change any of your opinions!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPad Hands-on Round Up — Who’s touched where and what they think!

Hands-On Impressions of Apple’s New iPad

Engadget and Gizmodo have both posted early hands-on impressions of Apple's new iPad tablet, having had the chance to play with the device after today's media event in San Francisco.

Both reviews rave about the iPad's speed, ca...

China says no limits on Google’s Android if it follows laws

China said Google's Android operating system will not be blocked if it follows local regulations.

iPad — What We Didn’t Get: Multitasking, Notifications, TV Subscriptions, Camera, Tethering, Textbooks

Apple showed off a ton of iPad goodness today, but despite the accessories, Wifi and 3G options (unlocked GSM), new iWork suite, iBooks app, and the ability to run iPhone apps, there were a few things we didn’t get:

• Camera. Back, front-facing, or otherwise. There was no camera shown off and none visible. While this fits the “big apps iPod touch” metaphor, and allows Apple to do the typical “start limited, add functionality over time” strategy, we still wanted one now.
• Multitasking. Apple only showed one iPhone app or iPad app running at once. We’ve heard it’s running iPhone OS 3.2, and multitasking might be an iPhone (and iPad) OS 4.0 feature, but again, we wanted to see it now.
• Notifications. Did Apple show any form of notifications for email, apps, or otherwise? (Badges aside)? Again, we’re hoping a better version is coming with 4.0.
• Textbooks. We saw the New York Times app, we saw iBooks for novels, but we didn’t see the much-talked-about textbooks… yet. (We’re guessing they’re coming soon though.)
• Verizon. Only GSM/HSPA networking was announced. No CDMA, which would be required for Verizon to support the models shown off so far.
• TV Subscriptions. While print media is jumping all over themselves to get on the iPad, TV continues to show nothing approaching forward thinking. Not surprised, but hope that changes.
• Complex multitouch gestures. So far, the multitouch gestures look like the ones on the iPhone, no swipe 3 fingers and twist in a circle to launch a document. Phew.
• Tethering. No word on whether the WiFi only version of the iPad will tether to your existing iPhone (which would be nice), or if the 3G iPad will allow you to tether another device (we won’t hold our breath).

Anything else? We’re not talking just the crazy rumors that didn’t pan out — unobtainium shells and facial recognition — but core functionality and features that would have made sense but just didn’t get included. If you have something to add, let us know!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPad — What We Didn’t Get: Multitasking, Notifications, TV Subscriptions, Camera, Tethering, Textbooks