Apple releases iPhone, iPad iOS 4.2 Golden Master to developers
Apple has released iOS 4.2 build 8C134 for both iPad and iPhone and iPod touch devices, indicating the company is close to public release of the new operating system, originally slated for delivery this month.
Apple’s chief executive Steve Jobs demonstrated iOS 4.2 at the company’s iPod event early in September, showing off new features such as AirPlay wireless streaming of audio, video and photos to the new Apple TV or other AirPlay-compliant devices, an expansion of the company’s existing, audio-only AirTunes feature.
Jobs also introduced the company’s entirely new AirPrint wireless printing architecture, designed to enable users to create hard copies of web pages, emails and photos managed through a new Print Center app.
New features given and taken away
The new update will also finally bring multitasking features and iOS Folders to the iPad, along with a variety of other features currently only available on the iPhone and iPod touch, such as support for multiple email aliases, a unified inbox, and messages organized by threads in Mail, and the ability to open attachments in third party apps.
New multitasking features will also incorporate the software orientation lock and music playback controls available on the iPhone running iOS 4, which are accessed via swiping to the left from the list of currently running apps. The iPad also presents a brightness control in this section (as depicted below).
The iPad will also lose its hardware toggle assigned to locking the screen orientation; the button will instead work to mute audio, just like the iPhone. This move has generated some controversy because Apple not only refuses to offer customers a choice of how their hardware buttons work, but has also duplicated mute functionality, as the audio down button already works as to rapidly mute audio playback.
New features for gamers and enterprise users
iOS 4.2 will also bring Game Center to the iPad, allowing players to invite friends or find new opponents online to play against, as well as track their own achievements and high scores.
Apple has also outlined enhanced enterprise support features in iOS 4.2, including new device management capabilities, the ability to lock down email account settings, and stronger security enhancements.
New language and accessibility
The update also brings support for more than 30 new languages in keyboards and dictionaries, including Arabic, Greek and Hebrew.
It also strengthens accessibility features including support for navigating VoiceOver using a wireless keyboard and a wide range of refreshable braille output displays in more than 25 languages. On the iPad, larger text options up to 56 point fonts can also be specified for use in Contacts, Mail, Messages and Notes.
Apple developing open SIM for iPhone service, RFID sales
Apple is reportedly working with chip manufacturer Gemalto to deliver an iPhone SIM card capable of working with multiple carriers, allowing users to shop for mobile service directly from the Apple Store. The deal likely also involves authentication for contactless, RFID mobile transactions.
According to a report by Gigaom, the codeveloped SIM would be integrated into future iPhones to enable users to activate service without having to call or visit a mobile carrier after purchasing their phone.
Instead, users will be able to shop for service from competing carriers right as they purchase their phone. Currently, users must set up a contract with and obtain a special, carrier-specific (and carrier-locked) SIM card from a given provider after they purchase their iPhone.
The new Gemalto SIM, the report notes, "is embedded in a chip that has an upgradeable flash component and a ROM area. The ROM area contains data provided by Gemalto with everything related to IT and network security, except for the carrier-related information. The flash component will receive the carrier related data via a local connection which could be the PC or a dedicated device, so it can be activated on the network. Gemalto will provide the back-end infrastructure that allows service and number provisioning on the carrier network."
In addition to saving iPhone customers the step of having to visit a mobile provider to obtain a carrier-specific SIM, a programable SIM could also enable users to roam across regions and obtain service without requiring a unique SIM for each different location.
Open SIM, contactless transactions
While observers have hailed the concept as a way for Apple to open up the market for phone service to increased competition, a larger aspect of the reported Gemalto-Apple partnership is likely to involve NFC (near field communications), a technology that enables users to authenticate themselves with electronic terminals in order to make retail purchases, obtain tickets, and perform other transactions using RFID (radio frequency identification).
Gemalto already operates as a Trusted Server Manager to facilitate secure, contactless purchases using NFC technology. Additionally, Apple has already filed patents and hired a product manager, and has reportedly started testing prototypes of iPhones using NFC features.
Working with an established NFC expert to deliver a SIM-based way to make contactless transactions from iPhones could quickly establish Apple as a major player in handling secure authentication for convenient retail transactions. Tied into iAd, such a position would enable Apple to woo advertisers with the prospect of immediately translating marketing opportunities in to sales.
Telltale Announces Release Date for Back to the Future Game
Telltale Games has announced that it will release Back to the Future: The Game for the PC and Mac soon after the Blu-ray and DVD release of the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy on October 26. Great scott, that’s tomorrow!
Fans can pre-order the game today at Backtothefuturegame.com. The pre-order includes a free copy of Telltale’s Puzzle Agent and a pass into the special pre-release insider forum at Telltale’s site to chat with the developers of the game. The company will also donate $1 of each pre-order to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
“We’re very excited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Back to the Future franchise with a completely new adventure,” said Dan Connors CEO Telltale Games. “It’s been an amazing experience to be part of reuniting Marty McFly and Doc Brown on their continuing quest. Back to the Future fans will have a great time helping to control the integrity of the space-time continuum.”
The release date for the iPad and Playstation 3 versions will be announced later.
Microsoft unveils plans for first nine Windows Phone 7 handsets
Microsoft on Monday announced its initial arsenal of handsets built around the new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, in what many believe is the company’s last-ditch attempt to regain traction in the mobile handset arena that’s fallen into the hands of rivals like Apple and Google.
7-inch iPad may be coming soon
Fresh rumors of a 7-inch iPad model have begun circulating, this time a new report on AppleInsider claims that a 7″ iPad model is in the works and will be released in the first quarter of 2011. Citing component suppliers in Taiwan, the new 7-inch iPad is expected to have a retina display, camera, 128GB of storage capacity, and a micro-USB port.
The report says the upcoming 7-inch model will sit alongside the existing 9.7″ iPad that has become a runaway success for Apple. Other reports about the supposed 7-inch iPad indicate the device will more closely resemble the iPhone 4 in appearance than the existing iPad, perhaps referring to the case design.
Apple’s 27-inch LED Cinema Display now available for purchase
Apple on Friday made its 27-inch LED Cinema Display, packing a 2,560-by-1,440 pixel resolution and 178-degree viewing angle, available for sale in its online store for $999.
First announced in late July, the 27-inch flat panel screen was set to ship in September. Now available for purchase, the Apple LED Cinema Display is set to ship for buyers in one to two weeks.
In addition to LED backlighting for instant-on brightness, the new 27-inch display features a universal MagSafe connector that charges a user’s notebook. It also packs a Mini DisplayPort cable for connectivity, and three USB 2.0 ports.
Apple’s latest LED panel includes an iSight camera, microphone, and 49-watt speaker system. Made of aluminum and glass, it is compatible with Apple’s line of Mac desktop computers that have a Min DisplayPort, including the Mac Pro, Mac mini and iMac.
The new LED Cinema Display now also includes a new ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions and uses only as much energy as necessary to provide an optimum viewing experience.
It also takes advantage of in-plane switching (IPS) technology to allow the accurate display of colors across a wide 178-degree viewing angle. The 16:9 edge-to-edge glass display sits on an aluminum stand with an adjustable hinge.
