Introducing the iOS 4

Scribbled by Lethal Illness @ 1:58 PM on April 12th, 2010.

Well it’s that time again, that time when your phone is beat up and on it’s last straw and you’re ready for a mobile change. While I enjoyed my T-Mobile G1 (and all three replacements I got of it too) and owning the first phone with being a beta tester for Google Android it is most definitely a time for change. I own an iPod Touch 3G and am completely in love with it. All that is missing is phone functionality and a camera, fortunately the iPhone has them. I was set on the iPhone 3Gs. Coincidentally, last Thursday they had a whole big iOS 4 Preview Keynote Presentation. Which lead me to the conclusion to wait for the iPhone 4 to see how it works out and probably get one this summer. If you watch the Keynote Presentation you might too be happy with things coming to the iPhone in the near future. Alternatively, instead of taking an hour of your life watching Steve Jobs [in his never ending attire of black turtlenecks and beat-up jeans], we can break it down in what I like to call Dope or Nope.

iOS 4 on a Blueprint

iOS 4 Features – Dope or Nope

Multitasking

Multitasking on the iPhone has been one of the most asked for features since the iPhone made its debut in 2007. What’s all the hype about multitasking? Well those of us coming from Android phones can appreciate the ability of switching to applications while previously opened applications stay running in the background. What does this mean for the iPhone? The ability to listen to Pandora while playing Tetris, check your email while making a call via VoIP, and even write an article via WordPress while waiting for HidinginSanity to load in Safari. In iOS 4, if you simply double click the home button the dock becomes filled with your opened applications. Thus allowing you to switch to, close, or browse through already open applications.

- Rated Dope. The multitasking ability to switch between applications without closing another while preserving battery life makes me happy and warm inside. The ability to use Voice over IP in the background creates another awesome ability to easily add second lines to your iPhone. This is a very good look for the iPhone and a big selling point for many Android switchers.

Folders

This is a pretty simple concept that is by no means new to computers, but to phones this is a whole new world. The ability to make folders on your iPhone allows you to easily organize applications, games, and even wallpapers.

- Rated Dope. Folders are a straight forward concept. Computers are all based upon folders and whether it’s Mac or PC there are specific folders for everything. However, folders on a mobile phone opens up a whole new world. While iOS 4′s folders are pretty limited now, in the future this could be expanded to include files downloaded off the internet or Dropbox. Possibly in the future we could write notes, edit photos, or make beats and save them as separate files and place them in folders all on a single iPhone.

New Mail App

I thought mail on my iPod Touch 3G was awesome as it allows me to check my Hotmail and Gmail accounts. I didn’t think it could get better until they announced iOS 4 will have the ability to manage all your email account in one, unified inbox and the ability to use 3rd party applications to open up attachments. Another really great addition to the mail application is now you may have more then one Exchange ActiveSync and even works with Exchange Server 2010.

- Rated Dope. This might not be a major new feature but it definitely is a great update to an already great application.

iBooks

This new feature is borrowed from the newly released iPad. For those of us who like to read books and are jealous of iPad owners will really appreciate this new feature. With iBooks you will be able to read your favorite books (after purchased) on the go with the ability to turn the pages as if it were a real book.

- Rated Undecided. I’m kind of iffy on this one. I don’t own an iPad and don’t plan on it for a long time so I don’t have experience with iBooks. As far as I’ve seen I think it’s a cool thing my problem is although there are some free books in the iBookstore I see this as another income for Apple to tax you on books you may already physically own.

Game Center

The idea of the Game Center blows me away. I had no idea that the daylight-deprived Apple employees locked down in Cupertino were listening to us real gamers. Game Center introduces a social networking side to iPhone gaming allowing us to invite friends to games or let Game Center do the work with its matchmaking capability. In addition, Game Center will also keep a database of high scores and leaderboards.

Game Center

- Rated Dope. While iPhone games are cute and fun great ways to waste time they are by no means hardcore games on a full blown game console. Game Center creates opportunities for the more advanced hardcore game makers to grow. The ability to use matchmaking and leaderboards extends gaming functionality into what can bring many famous games into the iPhone format … can you say Halo and Modern Warfare 2 1v1′s. Game Center can grow into a portable, free version of Xbox Live in future generations if it all works out right.

iAds

While a 60/40% revenue split is a great way for developers to make free iPhone applications and make money this could be disastrous to those of us who pay for our applications. iAds policies doesn’t say anything about limiting them in paid applications, which means we could permanently have 1/8 of our screen covered by an ad we could have paid up to $10.99 for.

- Rated Nope. While I’m all for giving credit, paying for what I really use, and supporting creative people having an ad covering my 1/8 of my screen is no where near appealing or appropriate.

No Chance for Flash

Well Apple switches up the game for Adobe and the possibility of Flash when Apple updated their developer terms stating;

Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iOS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).

- Rated Nope. I am definitely not feeling the fact I still can few flash on my iPhone browser and now applications can’t even be made with flash. Guess that’s a slap in the face to Adobe, so much for their flash-to-iPhone export in CS5.

Compatibility

iOS 4 will be available to current 2G, 3G, 3Gs iPhone and iPod Touch users. Unforunately, multitasking is only available to 3Gs iPhone and 3G iPod Touch owners thus eliminating the original iPhone owners.

- Rated Nope. Although this doesn’t affect me I still don’t think it’s a good look to be eliminating original iPhone support nor allowing earlier adopters to use multitasking.

iOS 4

While there are more dope [not-so-major] features like changing wallpapers, 5x camera zoom, better Bluetooth support, etc. iOS 4 possesses a lot more good over bad. Overall the iOS 4 sounds dope and I’m definitely waiting for the iPhone 4 [rumored for June 22] before I decide on a phone. While I am already set on the iPhone 4 the only potential problem could be iAds. I hope they work on the concept of iAds and adjust terms so that it doesn’t become a nightmare. Luckily, iOS 4 beta is out and a lot of developers are making cool videos you can check out on YouTube.

Update: iPhone OS 4 was renamed to iOS 4, the change was also made in this post. To read more about the iOS 4 on the iPhone 4 check out my iPhone 4 review.