It’s Official Apple iPhone OS 4.0 Will Include Multitasking

Apple  iPhone  OS 4.0: Multitasking

OS 4.0 will do this by giving apps a limited collection of features they can perform when they aren’t the foreground app. Streaming audio services like Pandora, or VoIP ones like Skype to function in the background. Software will also be able to finish tasks this way, like uploading pictures or video to Facebook. Aside from these, most of the functions will stop. Unlike the current one, the next version of Apple’s OS will allow far more apps to perform functions in the background. Apple CEO Steve Jobs promises that this feature has been implemented in such a way that it won’t have a negative effect on the performance of the app running in the foreground, nor on the device’s battery life.Obviously, apps will have to be written to support Apple’s background APIs. The ones that don’t make use of these will completely close when the user switches away from them.Users will be able to switch between apps that are running by double-clicking the Home button to bring up a screen showing icons for currently running applications. Tapping on one of them will bring it to the fore.”Apple gave the world its first official look at iPhone OS 4.0 today, the next generation of its mobile operating system. This will include the feature most users of this company’s smartphones have been looking forward to for years: multitasking. It will also offer a range of other new features, like a unified email inbox, folders to organize application icons, a social network for gamers, and more.” Read more here:

Google Enhances Google Maps for BlackBerry with v4.0

“Just released today, Google’s new Google Maps for BlackBerry has gotten version 4.0 updates with several new features. You can now start the Google search by voice input. Your search input can be like “Punch Pizza in Minneapolis”, “pizza restaurants” and it is currently available for multiple English accents and Mandarin Chinese. The new version is now available on m.google.com/maps
Google Buzz for mobile is now integrated in Google Maps 4.0 too.You can activate the Buzz’s layer from the Maps main menu to explore pictures or updates from others.
Other new features added with 4.0 includes:

  • Use Labs to try experimental features like the Scale Bar or Terrain layer (great for hiking enthusiasts!).
  • See nearby businesses at an address or location by selecting a point from the map.
  • Report a problem with the map data or a business listing.” via slashphone.com

Android Market gets 9,000 new apps in March

“There is this consistent trend we’ve been seeing with Android of late and there seems to be no end in sight in the amount of applications being developed for the platform. The most recent statistics from AndroidLib.com saw yet another new pinnacle reached by the Android Market as March witnessed 9,331 new applications being added – which clearly displays an increasing trend for the amount of new apps made available each month. In December of last year alone, the Android Market saw 3,807 new apps while another 4,458 were seen in the following month of January. February saw 5,532 new arrivals and of course the figure posted for March shows the substantial amount of growth being seen with Android in terms of apps. Yet another pinnacle may be reached by the time April is over – the Android Market has the potential to see the amount reach 5 digits which easily will give some its competitors a run for their money. When comparing to the market leader, Apple’s App Store, the developer ecosystem around the Android platform has seen an expansive growth in a relatively short amount of time. With 27,243 applications available in the Android Market, there is still a gap between the number that the App Store offers – but if these trends continue on their current path, there will eventually be a time when Android will clearly take the crown.” via phonearena.com