IPHONE OS 3.0 IS OUT

the iphone os 3 is now out, you can download it on itunes. for a list of the most important features read this.

iPhone 3G S and Iphone OS 3

Wow it's been a great day today, and it's only half-way through. Yesterday ( or late last night in my time zone) was the World Wide Developers Conference ( WWDC) at which Apple unveiled among other things, the latest and most powerful version of the iPhone.

The iPhone 3G S ( S stands for speed), is packed with new features, that make the iphone an even greater smart-phone. While there are quite a lot I will only note the ones that are truly great:

• 2x ( twice) the speed of the iphone 3g. Meaning you'll be able to load, view, edit and save programs/files/attachements/web pages much faster.
• a brand new 3MPX built in camera, with auto-focus/tap-to-focus and the ability to film @ 30 fps.
• new voice-controlled interface, for phone and ipod apps.
• longer lasting battery, up to 9 hours on wifi.
• improved accessibility features
• data encryption options
• built-in nike+ support
• faster internet access, the phone now supports 7.2 Mbps HSDPA
  

A few other features hidden around, you can watch the keynote at Apple.com. Other things worth noting:

It comes out with the new OS3. For a list of features and enhancements read this.

It's release date is June 19th, and the OS 3 release date is June 17th.

The OS 3 is a FREE upgrade for all iphone users.

The 3G S cost 199$ for a 16 GB model and 299$ for a brand new 32 GB model. ( prices according to At&t for new subscribers).

The OLD iphone 3G is now available with OS3 preinstalled for only 99$.

All fine and dandy, if you're a new user than this is the phone for you. But what if you're not? Is upgrading worth it? Here's a great article on the issue from TechCrunch.

iPhone OS 3.0

       Hello. A few days ago, Apple had a developer conference in which they revealed the new software for the iPhone and iPod touch. the 3.0 OS that will be released some time this summer, and alongside it the new 3.0 SDK ( which is already available as a beta). I have to say it's packed with features, some useful some not so much, some that should have been there from the start, but overall it's going to be a nice release, fixing many problems and making life just a little easier. Here are some of the most waited for and most important features you can expect :

• First of all for developers, the SDK features about 1000 new APIs for you to use while coding. These include, the ability to insert a google map into your app, the ability to add in-app payments ( such as for subscriptions and buying new levels for a game) and many many more.
• Now for the average consumer. Well they added the so much awaited and anticipated copy/cut/paste feature that works across all basic applications. You can now select part of a text, or the whole text and paste it wherever you like whether it is in a note, sms or e-mail.
• They also added MMS support. Yes you can now send multimedia messages, sounds, pictures and even contacts over the cellular data network.
• They finally added search across many applications, not the least being the iPod app.
• Alongside search, or as an extention, they added Spotlight. Yes the same spotlight as on the Mac OSX. Every time you drag towards the right of the home-screen you'll go to a whole new screen where you can search in the entire phone for a name, a number or an address. It finds everything from contacts and songs, to calendar appointments.
• Another new and awaited feature they added p2p ( peer to peer) connectivity  over bluetooth. You can now play multiplayer games over it, and if i remember right you're also able to send contacts via bluetooth from one phone to another.
• They tweaked around different apps, added the "landscape" mode for the keyboard ( meaning the big keyboard) in apps such as SMS and E-mail so you can now write easier and faster.
• They also added some extra support for different calendar appointments stuff ( i never use those)
• They added Push support for many many apps and now developers can encode push into their apps for you to use.
• Safari has a few improvements such as phishing filters.

 There are many many new features alongside these but these are probably the most important and most sought after ( alongside Flash support which is still nowhere near in sight). If you want to watch the whole keynote you can find it here.

In case you were wondering, this update is absolutely free for everyone that has an iPhone ( including 1.0 firmware), and costs about 12$ for the iPod Touch. And it will be shipped some time during Q2 or even more likely Q3 of this year.

That's it. Cheers

iPhone Apps

Sorry I haven't written in such a long time but I haven't actually done anything lately. Got an older Gigabyte motherboard, with an AM 2 socket and an AMD proccesor , but for some reason it doesn't work and i have yet to figure it out. Basically it only worked once.

Anyway in the last few days two apps for the iPhone came up that are really nice.

The first one is Google Earth. It was launched a week ago, and is available for free on both iPhone and iTouch from the Apple App Store. It's exactly the same as the computer version, but it also uses the built in accelerometer for a few special things that you should check out.

The second one is Cooliris ( PicLens). You know I'm a great fan. The cooliris project was first an add-on for Firefox and IE, but now it comes as a stand-alone app. It's design fits perfectly with the whole Apple-ish feel. For more info on Cooliris you can either check out their homepage or this post Again this is a free app, you can get it at the App Store.

I'll do a post on Windows 7 as soon as I get the time

Mac OS vs Windows

And here's the follow up with my feedback on Mac OS X. As I've said before I have never really owned a Mac, of any kind. But I have had quite a few opportunities to play around with them. Last time I played with a MacBook g4 I think. The things is that, since the device wasn't mine I didn't really have a chance to check out the details, the installs , the way the thing actually works. I only saw what every demo shows : the outside, the user interface, the nice small little features that make Tiger so appealing. The thing is that I'm not really looking for design in an OS. Yes I do agree that Mac OS has a really nice design, and yes I do agree that the people from Microsoft did steal certain design elements and integrated them into Vista ( which I am running right now). But thank God , that's all they stole.
I have to confess that until now, I was always criticizing Windows and Microsoft for their many faults and weaknesses, and let's not forget their unimaginably huge sums of money. I viewed Apple as that close true friend i never had. Their smooth design, their new technologies, the fact that I own an iPod, plus the absence of A BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH ( which i have been getting quite too often in Vista due to some compatibility issues with my RAM cards) made me decide that Mac OS was the best OS out there at this time. This was before I installed it and got a chance to really do some stuff with it.
I just learned how to appreciate Windows.

Mac OS X ( Tiger) : Great design, great gadgets, great stuff. Unfortunately it sucks as an OS. I mean it's the type of OS you'd want your elevator to have , not your 10.000$ multiprocessor workstation, or even your decent programming machine. After you get your jaw off the floor and get over the design and the overall "nicety" of the OS, and when you actually try to install and do something with it you realise it's a piece of junk. It's that type of program meant for people who have had absolutely no connection with the digital world and are just getting into computers and stuff. It's simple, and usually quick.
Few errors, and almost no viruses, but when something like that happens, there's no way to say your mac. Now I agree, with people who criticize Windows ( as i said i was one of them until recently) for being full of bugs and errors and viruses and things like that. But here's THE GOOD PART: In Windows if you really know what you're doing you can solve almost any problem. In mac os you can barely set up you're applications. Sure you can change the color scheme for absolutely anything ..but you can't see the root files for a program. That's the type of OS this is. ( Yes i know you can see the root files but i was just giving a comparison. Plus even if you see them that doesn't mean you'll actually be able to do anything).
Now I'm back to my Vista Ultimate, which is getting better and better thanks to the updates from MS ( I can't wait for the SP1 to come out) and I'm really happy with it.

So I'll just sum up : Mac OS X : Smooth design, cute user interface, worthless when you want to use it for serious stuff.
Windows: Full of bugs and errors, but most of them can be easily solved. Great compatibility with almost any software, and ideal for complicated use.

Be back in a few days with a new article.