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Why the iPad’s user agent string presents a problem
Apple marketed the iPad at launch as an internet device designed for the full web. So why then are they explicitly classifying it as a mobile device?Read the story »
RIM, please buy Palm.
Dear RIM: You've had a great run, but it's time for a change. It seems even you are starting to realize your failings with your recently announced webkit browser, and a large portion of your once loyal user base is now dying to jump ship. Palm on the other hand has a whole slew of patents and a slick little starting point for your 'new you' called WebOS (especially noteworthy when compared to your latest OS offerings), and lucky for you, just went and threw a for sale sign in the front lawn. Think of what the two of you could do together, and how many current enterprise customers (and potentially direct consumers) would take you both seriously all over again. Apple and Google have locked down first and second place, together you two have a good chance to fight off Microsoft later this year for third. Otherwise, I don't know what will happen to either of you.
Think about it RIM, for the greater good.
Thank you for your time.
Multitask apps can be killed in OS 4.0
Scott Forstall, SVP of iPhone Software for Apple, appeared to dodge the question of how to kill an app running in the new multitasking interface for iPhone OS 4.0. When asked during the Q & A session post announcement, he stated that it wasn't necessary to kill the apps in the first place. Note he never actually said you can't kill an app, and the iPhone Simulator for OS 4.0 confirms directly that yes, rest assured, you can kill a running app quickly and easily, and it's just as you would expect - tap and hold, and a red dash icon appears over the app. Touch again and the process is killed. Simple, expected, works. See the image to the right for a screen shot.
Really, killing apps is the only reason to have the multitask bar anyway - since multiple instances of running apps isnt possible in iPhone OS, you could simply return to the running app by re-tapping the app icon on the home screen. The multitask bar exists solely for a shortcut to running apps and to kill them from running.
No more stressing in the blogs about apps being killed only by the OS! You do have control if you want it. Likely what Scott was implying is that you just don't have to monitor it if you don't choose to.
iPhone OS 4.0 beta does not include iPad device firmware
Officially official - Apple already stated the iPad wouldn't get an end user 4.0 release until the fall, and in line with that developers do not have access to an on-device 4.0 beta in the just released SDK either.
The web on tablets: How the iPad has immediately changed web development
Whether you are for or against it, the iPad has hit, and within days it has changed perspectives on how the web will be developed now and in the near future. Major outlets like The New York Times have modified their development strategies to fit this new user case. Will this be a continuing trend? Will 'iPad friendly' development become a new standard? Or will it all subside and iPad users will still be left with broken pages across the web on their devices? In my opinion, it'll wind up somewhere in the middle.
Why the iPad’s user agent string presents a problem
Note: This post has been getting a fair amount of traffic. I originally posted this directly after launch, and subsequently it contained outdated information from what is now known from the final release of OS 3.2. I originally had left the original post info for the sake of blogging/ journalistic integrity, however after three revisions because of newer info, I decided to strip the clutter of invalid content. Having said my disclaimer, below is the revised new post, and here is the release version of the iPad UA string as of 4/6/10, pulled directly from my 32GB wifi model:
Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B367 Safari/531.21.10
more after the break.
iPhone SDK 3.2 beta and iPad simulator released
Following Apple's iPad announcement today, the latest version of the iPhone SDK is now available in the Apple developer center. As predicted, Apple has not announced OS 4.0, nor has it acknowledged any new functionality for the iPhone. However, a glance at the launch date for the iPad, March, does tie in rather nicely with the annual March announcement of iPhone OS updates. Expect to see unnanounced iPad features that would be shared with the iPhone (read: multitasking, new ways to manage apps) to be announced at that time along with the new features and API's of OS 4.0, and possibly a name change away from 'iPhone OS' to something more generalized, as there are now more product lines that do not have phone functionality (two) than those that do (one). In the meantime, registered developers can access 3.2 in the dev center.
Website management the mobile way
Over the past two years, mobile apps have redefined the way we are productive on mobile devices. And as more and more apps flood the market, more niche needs are being filled by developers desperately seeking to find that killer app that hasn't been developed yet. The net result is a real win for the end user - more apps designed to provide mobile methods or streamline existing methods of interaction with various services. In this post, I'll be detailing how nine applications on my iPhone have changed the way in which i manage my web presence, all for under $20 cost in app purchases.
Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t convertible netbook now available
Lenovo announced the new Ideapad S10-3t convertible netbook (engadget) at CES last week, and it is now available for purchase at lenovo.com. Featuring a first of its kind capacitive touchscreen on a convertible netbook, it is priced between $549 and $649, and runs on Intel's new Pinetrail Atom processors with Windows 7 starter or Home Premium.
This offering from Lenovo is likely to be the first of a new trend of convertible capacitive touch Windows 7 netbooks, bridging the gap between the new slate form factor (engadget) and the recent but well established netbook form factor. Windows Touch, the new multi-touch UI built into Windows 7, has been hampered thus far due to minimal hardware support and a non existent touch application sofware library. Hardware appears to be on track for a big year in 2010, but, as with all new and useful hardware technologies, it's useless without solid software to justify it. Hopefully the beta app store announced by Intel for Atom based devices pans out and provides a consolidated place for these new Touch devices to thrive.
If the rumours about the forthcoming Apple tablet device hold true and it runs the iPhone OS rather than full blown OS X, these PC devices will fill a nice niche of their own, blending a mix of full OS flexibility with mobile app convenience. A compromise for most, but something that many business users will lean toward when 'apps' don't always cut it.
Flash CS5 public beta cancelled by Adobe
Well, that was quick. Adobe has pulled the plug on the previously planned for Flash CS5 public beta, initially announced at MAX in October. So much for getting iFosfr rolling before final release. Official statement from Adobe after the break.
Microsoft launches Bing iPhone app. Yes, you read that right.
Microsoft launched a fantastic iPhone app today. That sentence really says an awful lot, and what's more first blush impressions of this app are very impressive. Echoing the functionality of the web portal itself, the app offers a fantastic image search system, maps and navigation, news, and local business and movie search. The app even offers speech to text for entering searches. It definitely looks as if Microsoft has put their $99/year Apple developer license to good use. The app is available now in the app store. Additional screen grabs after the break.
Jeff dePascale is a web and mobile applications professional based in Fairfield County, CT.
