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iPhone OS 4 secrets: New calculator, and more?
iPhone OS 4: Caught on video!
iPhone OS 4: Will your Apple iPhone, iPod touch or iPad run it?
iPhone OS 4: Everything you need to know
iPhone OS 4 iAd: in app advertising arrives
iPhone OS 4 brings iBooks to the iPhone
iPhone OS 4 adds homescreen folders!
iPhone OS 4 multitasking confirmed!
iPhone OS 4 preview: Live updates
Red Dead Redemption multiplayer preview

iPhone OS 4 secrets: New calculator, and more?

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 01:24 PM PDT

Today’s iPhone OS 4 announcement packed in tons of new features, or at least felt like it. Apple says today’s line-up, including multitasking, iBooks on iPhone, Game Centre and more represents just seven of 100 new user features. So what are the other 93? The first one appears to be a new calculator.

Apple’s demos, and the first video of iPhone OS 4 in action, show a new calculator icon on the iPhone. The last time Apple changed the number-crunching app’s appearance, it was to add a scientific mode when the phone is tilted into landscape mode.

Apple's old iPhone calculator

As yet, it’s not clear what the updated iPhone calculator brings, but it suggests Apple’s in-house app developers have been beavering away on enhancements for the standard iPhone apps we know and love.

Steve Jobs lifted the lid on an enhanced Mail app for iPhone, including a unified inbox to bring all your mail accounts into one place, and support for threaded e-mail conversations.

What else would you like to see updated in iPhone OS 4? Give us a shout in the comments box below.

UPDATE: Engadget reports that the iPhone’s photos app now supports Faces and Events, just like the iPad.

Out Summer 2010 | £TBC | Apple

iPhone OS 4: Caught on video!

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 01:13 PM PDT

Want to see the iPhone OS 4 in action? Check out this short video clip, showing multitasking and fast iPhone app switching in action. It’s pretty impressive, and reveals that the iPhone can run at least seven apps, and maybe more, at once.

This video, posted to YouTube by user Ethanin1970 shows the iPhone’s new multitasking tray popping up, shoving the existing interface out of the way, and offering up apps for multitasking duties.

It’s quick, and impressive. What’s more surprising though is that Apple hasn’t locked down multitasking to four apps, as its demos today seemed to suggest. Swiping the iPhone OS 4 multitasking tray to the left or right reveals more apps humming away in the background.

Get a good gawp in the video below.

iPhone OS 4: Will your Apple iPhone, iPod touch or iPad run it?

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 12:46 PM PDT

Will the iPhone, iPod or iPad in your pocket run the all-new iPhone OS 4? Read on, and we’ll break down which devices have been allowed under Cupertino’s Upgrade Umbrella, and which are left out in the cold, wet badlands of iPhone OS 3.0.

Read on for the full, device by device guide… and just where did you get a pocket big enough for the iPad anyway?

iPhone 3GS
Happy days! You get the iPhone OS 4 update in the Summer, with all the works, including the all important multitasking. There’s no word on price, but if it’s anything like iPhone Os 3.0’s rollout, we’d expect it to be free.

iPod touch 3G 32/64GB
Congratulations! You’ll be getting the full fat iPhone OS 4 to go in the Summer too. We’ve got fingers crossed Apple won’t charge for it like it did for iPhone OS 3.0.

iPod touch 3G 8GB
You’ll get iPhone OS 4, but sadly, multitasking is stripped out. That’s because the 8GB version uses a less powerful processor than its more spacious storage brothers, which is part of the reason Apple charges £100 less for it – although as we said in our review, we wish it would make this distinction clearer.

iPhone 3G
You’ll be getting iPhone OS 4 in the Summer, but that 2008 hardware won’t cope with multitasking. Oh well, at least that contract expiration should be coming up soon…

iPod touch 2G
The same deal here: iPhone OS 4.0 in the Summer, with no multitasking. We don’t think it’s such a pain on a media player as it is on a phone, if it’s any consolation, and the Games Centre should keep you occupied with plenty of achievements to collect.

Original iPhone and iPod touch
No chance. Apple didn’t even mention the iPhone that started the whole phenomenon at its press conference today. But hey, look on the bright side: it’s upgrade time, baby! Just in time for the new iPhone 4.0 around the corner.

iPad
The iPad gets iPhone OS 4 in the “Fall”, which translates into Autumn in UKaydian speak. Apple’s official iPhone OS 4 page actually leaves it quite ambiguous regarding multitasking, but we have high hopes that 1GHz CPU can handle it.

iPhone OS 4: Everything you need to know

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 11:49 AM PDT

iPhone OS 4 is official, folks. The developer preview is out today, and Apple’s given us a glimpse of what to expect when the final release lands in Summer. Cupertino’s ticked off a large part of our wishlist with it, and even thrown a few curveballs we didn’t expect. Read on for the full rundown.

It multitasks
Better late than never right? Still, at least we know Apple’s planned it carefully so iPhone OS 4 won’t drain your battery. You’ll be able to double tap the home button to see a dock of open programs, and apps with certain functions will be able to have them run in the background. Specifically, third party music streaming (Spotify, we await your update) and Skype VOIP calls when your phone is locked or in another app, as well as background location updates. Curiously, Apple has said you won’t be able to close apps from the app switching bar – we’ll see how that pans out in due course.

It has iBooks
iBooks and the iBookstore, Apple’s big push into selling digital tomes on the iPad, is coming to the iPhone too with iPhone OS 4. Just like how Kindle works across platforms, it offers wireless chapter syncing. And it should also mean you’ll be able to load up your iPhone OS 4 mobile with EPUB files floating around on your PC too, but Apple hasn’t clarified that just yet.

It’s got a Game Center
We hope it’s called “Game Centre” when iPhone OS 4 hits the UK, but the idea is sound regardless of our regional spelling and grammar gripes. It’s a social network for all the games you’re obsessed with on your iPhone and iPod touch, offering leader boards and achievements for anyone who likes a bit of competition. You can invite your mates to play games against you, and if they don’t have the game already it’ll guide them to the right App Store page to buy it. It’s basically Xbox Live, on your mobile, which should give Microsoft a scare since it’s planning just that for Windows Phone 7.

It has folders
A simple one, but one Apple’s held back on until it can do it right. You can only stick apps in them, but all it takes to tidy up your many homescreens is dragging one icon on top of another. A folder will be automatically created, and if all the apps you stick in it are the same category, it’ll even name it for you too.

It’s customisable
Well, the backgrounds are, anyway. Just like the iPad, you’ll be able to set your homescreen’s background, as well as tweaking the iPhone’s standby / lock screen to display a photo of your choosing. Get a brief glimpse of it in the first iPhone OS 4 video.

It plays nice with enterprise
Apple wants a bigger piece of RIM’s BlackBerry corporate pie, so it’s made the iPhone more appealing for big businesses with iPhone OS 4: there’s now tighter data security, wireless app distribution and remote management of fleet handsets. And speaking of business, Apple’s made email a whole lot more useful in iPhone OS 4 too: there are merged mailboxes, threaded conversations and the ability to have more than one Exchange account for push email. Hooray!

It has adverts you might actually like
Say what? Yup: Apple snaffled up Quattro Wireless for a purpose. It’s got a new advertising platform for iPhone OS 4, iAd, which lets developers use HTML5 standards to create bespoke and interactive ads within apps. They can be games or videos and can even call on your location to serve up relevant and local results. We can’t guarantee they won’t be obtrusive until we try them, but they sure look like they might have a chance of being clicked on by us.

Not every phone (or iPod touch) gets every feature
The iPhone 3GS and third generation iPod touch get iPhone OS 4 this Summer, and the iPad gets it in the Autumn. But if you’ve got an iPhone 3G or 2nd-gen iPod touch, Apple has said multitasking won’t be coming your way, even if most of the other new features are. As for the first generation iPhone, Apple hasn’t explicitly ruled it out, but we’d take it as a safe bet it’s not getting it either. Lastly, there’s the iPad. Apple has confirmed OS 4 will be coming to iPad, but has so far been vague about multitasking on the iPad.

Still confused? Check out which iGadget will get the OS 4 update with our easy to follow guide.

iPhone OS 4 iAd: in app advertising arrives

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 11:07 AM PDT

iPhone OS 4 doesn’t just bring multitasking, but a whole new advertising platform to Apple’s smartphone, iAd. iAds are a world away from the text links and banner spam we’re used to, stuffed full of videos, location info and even games!

Apple’s just unveiled an advertising system for the iPhone like no other – one that we’re actually looking forward to. In iPhone OS 4 and using HTML5, iAd will dish up streaming video, interactive games and ads straight within the app that make use of location (The mockup Apple showed for Toy Story 3 showed off nearby screen times and let you play a Buzz Lightyear game.)

Not bad eh? We’ve always avoided ads on phones before, but iAd just might change our mind. The Summer, and iPhone OS 4, can’t come soon enough.

Out Summer | £TBC | Apple

iPhone OS 4 brings iBooks to the iPhone

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 10:54 AM PDT

iPhone OS 4 is bringing iBooks, Apple’s ebook download service for the iPad, to the iPhone. Yes, it comes with a free virtual edition of Winnie the Pooh too.

Just like with the iPad, iBooks for iPhone OS 4 on the iPhone (and presumably iPod touch) will allow for iBookstore downloads and has syncing bookmarks for those with both devices. The bookshelf UI is present too – in fact the only difference is the screen size as far as we can tell.

Of course, whether iBooks will be available on the iPad or iPhone over here anytime soon remains to be seen. Hammer out those licensing deals please Apple, before iPhone OS 4 is released!

Out Summer | £TBC | Apple

iPhone OS 4 adds homescreen folders!

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 10:46 AM PDT

iPhone OS 4 doesn’t just add multitasking. Oh no. Apple’s got a plan to help bring its homescreen up to speed and whittle down the pages of icons you’ve racked up by now: folders. But not just any folders: they’re automated ones, which will name themselves after the types of apps you bung in them.

While you still can’t use folders in iPhone OS 4 to stash pictures and video in your own file structures, it will let you tidy up your iPhone’s homescreen very intuitively. You just drag and drop one app on another to create a folder, which when tapped on expands to reveal all the programs within.

Even better, iPhone OS 4 knows what category each app is, and will name the folder after what you put in there: shove Doodle Jump and Canabalt in one and it’ll call it “Games”, no sweat. Not bad, Apple. Stay tuned for even more iPhone OS 4 details.

Out Summer | £TBC | Apple

iPhone OS 4 multitasking confirmed!

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 10:21 AM PDT

UPDATE 2: Yup, it’s official, the 8GB iPod touch third generation won’t support multi-tasking, only the 32 and 64GB models. Sorry folks.

UPDATE: Apple has revealed what devices will get iPhone OS 4. The iPhone 3GS and 3rd-gen iPod touch will run it, while the iPad will get it in Autumn. Unfortunately, while Apple has promised new features for the iPhone 3G and iPod touch 2G, multitasking won’t be among them.

iPhone OS 4 will bring multitasking to third party apps, Apple has finally revealed. It’s three years too late, but it might just have been worth the wait: read on for the details on how iPhone OS 4 app switching works.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed today in California that iPhone OS 4 will allow for multitasking, and admitted that Apple wasn’t the “first to this party.” But he is amining for it to be the best: it works simply by double tapping the home button in an app to bring up a dock tray of open programs that looks similar to the tray of four present at the bottom of every iPhone home screen page.

There are seven multitasking services Apple’s giving the greenlight, so it’s not just any old app that can be pushed and left to operate rather than stay open in the background though. One is background audio streaming, so apps like Spotify and Pandora should run while you surf the web or check your email – Apple’s currently demoing it with the latter right now. Pandora founder Tim Westergen says that it took a day for the company to tweak the app for background music playing so it shouldn’t be too hard for others to do likewise. You’ll also be able to control Pandora from the lock screen, as if it were used with the traditional iPod controls.

Background audio will also be allowed for Voice over Internet Protocol apps like Skype, so you’ll be able to receive international calls over the web when your iPhone is locked with iPhone OS 4, and calls will come through as pop ups. Not only that, but with Skype you can even set your ringtone to be just the same as your iPhone’s main tone, making the boundaries between network and internet calls much more blurred – for the better.

Background location comes in two flavours meanwhile: turn by turn satnav apps like TomTom for iPhone can run in the background and shout out street turns while a passenger browses the web. But to save battery drain with the GPS, more slow paced location apps (Apple uses Loopt as an example but we can see Foursquare digging this) can use cell tower pin pointing instead. You’ll be able to turn on and off location tracking within every single app, so you don’t have to worry about cheeky invasions of privacy.

Local notifications are also making their debut with iPhone OS 4. Previously, apps had to use Apple’s servers to shove push notifications to all those millions of iPhones, but now those instant updates can be delivered straight to a handset.

Lastly, task completion will allow for an app to close automatically once it’s done (uploading a pic, say) , and the fast app switching achieved by double tapping the home button.

Apple is releasing a developer preview for iPhone OS 4 today, so if you’re a paid up dev, it’s time to get stuck in – the rest of us will have to wait until Summer.

Out Summer 2010 | £TBC | Apple

iPhone OS 4 preview: Live updates

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 10:13 AM PDT

Apple is preparing to lift the lid on iPhone OS 4. Want to know what’s coming up for the smartphone that changed gadget history? Read our live updates and we’ll clue you in.

Check out our live updates in the window below. There’s no need to refresh the page, just sit tight, and see the stats, updates and maybe, just maybe, “one more thing”. New iPhone, or just a whole host of iPhone OS 4 news? You’ll see right here.

Red Dead Redemption multiplayer preview

Posted: 08 Apr 2010 10:00 AM PDT

Red Dead Redemption doesn’t ride into stores for another month and a half, but we’ve managed to blag an extensive preview of a big aspect of the game Rockstar’s been keeping under wraps until now: multiplayer. You don’t have to ride solo across the Wild West of Red Dead Redemption, as the game allows for 16 player marathon shootouts online. We took all the new game modes for a ride, so read on for how they work and rate, plus a brand new video.

While Rockstar has included several standard multiplayer modes in that run the danger of simply ticking boxes (deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag), the sheer scope of Red Dead Redemption and one impressively broad new mode mean we won’t be hanging up our spurs as soon as we’ve completed the single player game.

Our demo session started out in the game’s most inspired multiplayer mode, Free Roam. You can think of it as a lobby mode, letting you and all your friends assemble, but it’s the vast multiplayer sandbox mode Just Cause 2 should have had. You can simply ride out and host your own shoot outs wherever you like across all three vast territories on the Red Dead Redemption map. It’s great fun, and the ability to group up in posses (You can have up to two of eight players, or four with four) means you know who to hunt out on your mini map.

But there’s much more to do though if you start playing cooperatively. While most of the AI characters roaming across the land won’t attack you if you’re not wanted, there are challenges dotted all over the map that will trigger seamlessly as you approach. These can involve clearing out a gang hideout, as some missions in the single player game revolve around, or fending off hordes of dangerous animals. One we tried saw us clearing out a town called Tumbleweed: you could go in guns blazing, but we found it much easier to separate and have snipers on the surrounding cliffs to pick the hoodlums off once they’d been drawn out.

To add to the Free Roam mode, Rockstar’s including an experience points leveling system, which will let you unlock new weapons, horses and challenges as you progress. We didn’t get a chance to see this in action, but it promises to add longevity to a mode we can already seeing ourselves coming back to again and again.

Almost all the controls are exactly the same as they are in single player Red Dead Redemption: if you’ve ever played a third person action game (Especially Grand Theft Auto), you’ll know what to expect. You move and aim with the thumbsticks, and fire with the right trigger. They work fine too, other than the slow weapon selection only possible through the left bumper on the Xbox 360 gamepad, but Rockstar says that weapon scrolling with the left and right buttons on the D-pad may be added in the final version – we certainly hope so.

Red Dead Redemption: first look!

There is one change though, and that’s Dead Eye. In single player, Dead Eye lets you slow down time and lace up enemies with targets in a sepia view, before quick drawing and slaying them all. Since you’re up against other players here, gametime doesn’t slow down as you lay down markers. That means it can be all too easy for you to get shot down as you try and pull off a humiliating kill on someone else, but that’s all part of the challenge. So long as you’ve not got a shotgun equipped, it makes locking on and slaying others hiding out on distant rooftops much easier – provided they don’t see you first.

There are of course the more straight forward multiplayer modes too, with their own little twists. Shootouts are single and team deathmatches with the usual target of kills or time limit. In a smart move that pays homage to Western movie classics, you can only see others on your map when they shoot or run, so any creeping assassins will be invisible. Adding to the confusion in one town that acts as a mini level for the mode, Chuparosa, are the number of goats rushing in between the market stalls and lines of washing: it’s all too easy to fire off a shot at one, only to give away your presence. It’s this tense atmosphere of stealth deathmatch we love, and we had one of those rare moments where we genuinely felt like we were playing a movie as our team walked down a town main street, looking around on all the rooftops for signs of the enemy.

There are also two capture the flag style game modes in Red Dead Redemption, Goldrush and Hold Your Own. The former sees you all racing to get randomly dotted bags of the shiny stuff back to a treasure chest (You can be greedy and take two over your shoulders, but it’ll slow you right down), while the latter is a more straight forward team mode, where you must grab the bag from the enemy base and bring it back to yours, which we preferred. In the middle of the map are several Gatling guns, which can spray bullets at a rate we didn’t know was possible in the nineteenth century to help you fend off marauding opponents. Conveniently, they also happen to be next to a large pile of TNT, which one shot from a sniper can blow sky high.

Whatever Red Dead Redemption game mode becomes your favourite, you’ll quickly become obsessed with the Mexican stand off that begins each round. It’s pure comedy carnage, and since it’s over in under a second, never becomes a bore: you stand just yards away from your opponents with hand on holster, and when the game gives the whistle, you simply draw and fire. There’s a fifty percent chance you’ll catch a bullet to the face immediately, but if you manage to down your man, you’ll have to be quick to move and shoot again. In most modes, once it’s over, your characters will simply spawn randomly on the map, but in Hold Your Own, it’s in your interest to be left standing as you’ll be left nearer the guns to fend off attackers.

Red Dead Redemption video: new characters revealed!

Though we’ve had the chance to see Red Dead Redemption in action before, we were once again bowled over by the game world Rockstar’s constructed. The landscape draw distance is phenomenal (The build we tested was for the Xbox 360 but there’s no reason to doubt the PS3’s graphical capabilities), with vast expanses stretching out before you and shimmering in the heat, while the surprise touches continued to pop up every few minutes – we were sporting a great big grin when a tiny armadillo scuttled about from a bush, and screamed with shock when our character later burned to death over the course of a full, agonising minute. And because the game is set in one vast desert, you don’t feel cheated by not being able to go into most buildings as you do in Grand Theft Auto: if you can see a place, you can ride to it.

There are a few modes from Grand Theft Auto 4 multiplayer we’d love to have made the cut (We’d much rather race horses across a desert than cars through packed streets), but from what we’ve seen, Red Dead Redemption’s multiplayer is still shaping up to be a winner. As much as we loved all the short bursts of deathmatch carnage, it’s the Free Roam mode we came away from our preview session wanting to get back in on immediately. Had Rockstar somehow managed to work a co-op mode into the single player story it’d be even better, but as it stands, it alone will be enough to stop you from flogging your copy on eBay once John Marston has ridden off into the sunset and the credits have rolled.

Red Dead Redemption is out on Xbox 360 and PS3 on 21 May.

Out 21 May | £39.99 | Rockstar Games