ALoGeNo’s BLOG en Sceners.org

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Apple’s releasing some hot new features in iPhone 3.0 this summer, but will it be better than Google’s Android? Let’s take a look.

You already know what you get in iPhone 2.0, you’ve heard about what you get in iPhone 3.0. Let’s see how those features stack up against Android’s current release and its upcoming update (called “Cupcake”) feature by feature.

The Breakdown

There’s a whole lot of green in the iPhone 3.0 column of that chart above, and some red and yellow in the Android side. That’s mostly because we’re comparing Android to the feature set Apple unveiled yesterday; it doesn’t mean that new smartphone buyers stuck between iPhone and Android should automatically wait for iPhone 3.0. It all depends on what you need.

The phone features that actually matter to you: While much has been made of cut/copy and paste coming to iPhone 3.0, many smartphone users say they haven’t run into many situations where they needed it. The feature that’s getting less press but may add more usefulness to iPhone 3.0 is search: with Spotlight, and within Mail, Contacts, and Calendar.

Personally, besides its Gmail client, the feature I love most about Android that the iPhone doesn’t come close to is Android’s pull-down “window shade” notification area, that lists multiple alerts. So if you’ve gotten an SMS, new email, a Twitter reply, a missed call, you can drag and drop the window shade down to see them all. (See screenshot.) The iPhone still pops up a box you have to dismiss to do anything else (include hang up a call!), which is simply an inferior way to handle alerts.

Background processes versus push notifications: While it’s wonderful in theory that Android runs background processes, Apple’s point about how it kills your battery life is absolutely true in my experience. It remains to be seen how well iPhone 3.0′s push notifications will work when they actually do come out (hence the yellow coloring in the table), but right now, the battery life point is not just a bunch of marketing hooha (which is why it got the yellow coloring in the table, too). Besides, Apple has promised and not delivered push notifications before, so we’ll believe this one when we see it.

iPhone 3.0′s application potential: The other big “remains to be seen” part of iPhone 3.0 is where developers will take the new functionality available to them in iPhone 3.0. Voice over IP, maps integration, peer-to-peer Bluetooth, media access, accessory-specific apps—these are really exciting options for application developers that will surely bloom into a million great apps and functionality that haven’t been born yet.

When you’re in control of the hardware: When two different pieces of software are competing, it’s pretty easy to for one to respond to another feature by feature, and we expect Android will offer similar features as iPhone 3.0 eventually. But when you’re in control of the hardware like Apple is, you can do things like enable accessory support—which means, for example, that diabetics can plug their glucose meter into the iPhone and download readings. Since Google’s Android is just the operating system that will run on various handsets with different hardware configurations, that sort of software-to-hardware control will not be as easy.

But given what we know now… As a former iPhone user who switched to Android, I can say: iPhone 3.0 hasn’t made me regret my decision. Yet. Right now, Android’s killer Gmail client, proper MMS support (available now), background processes (even though they kill the battery), window shade, and general Google product integration makes me a happy camper. In fact, on the chart above, the top five items are the features most important to me, and Android—right now, not this summer—hits on almost all of them.

That said, given the potential of iPhone 3.0, gamers, audiophiles, and others may disagree. What about you?

Source: Lifehacker

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As promised, Apple just debuted its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. Much of the news seemed developer-centric, but there are certainly plenty of consumer implications down the road, along with long-awaited functions like copy and paste, A2DP, MMS and universal Spotlight search. Improvements include:

App and developer functionality (more here)

• Peer-to-peer connectivity over Bluetooth for gaming and other info-swapping.
• Paid apps will have the potential to be subscription fee-based, and can include optional paid content that can be bought from right inside the app.
• Developers can now build apps that call out to Google Maps, and can also finally bring Apple-blessed turn-by-turn to the phone.
• Devs can also connect with hardware accessories over in their apps now, such as a blood pressure monitor — or perhaps a keyboard? Connectivity works through the dock connector or over Bluetooth.
• Long-promised push functionality will at last be included, but apps won’t run in the background.
• Developers can add streaming video and audio to their apps, along with in-game voice use.

General functionality

• Cut, copy and paste. At last! You can shake the phone to undo and redo the action, and it works with both text and photos, allowing Mail to send multiple photos at a time. (more here)
• MMS, along with forward and delete for multiple messages. (more here)
• A2DP stereo Bluetooth.
• Unlocked Bluetooth functionality on 2G iPod touch. (more here)
• Spotlight has been added to a new home screen page to the left of existing pages, allowing for universal search on the phone. (more here)
• Tethering is built into 3.0, and Apple will work with carriers on that — who will have the last say on its implementation, most likely.
• App Store will be available in 77 countries.
• Parental controls for TV shows, movies and App Store apps.
• Auto-login for WiFi hotspots.

Apple apps

• A new app called Voice Memos which lets you record notes and reminders.
• A revised Stocks app, with news stories and a landscape view.
• Landscape view available for Mail, Text and Notes.
• CalDAV support has been added to Calendar, along with subscriptions support in the .ics format.
• Apple’s major apps have all been expanded with search functionality.
• Note syncing to Mac and PC.
• YouTube account support.
• Form auto-fill.
• Phishing protection.
• Shake the shuffle iPod playback.

A developer beta of OS 3.0 is available today, and the 3.0 update will be coming to consumers this summer as a free update to all iPhone 3G customers. It’ll also work for 1st gen iPhone owners, though they won’t receive A2DP or MMS due to hardware limitations. iPod touch owners will be able to update for $9.95.

Source: Engadget

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Poneos los sombreros hechos con papel de plata y perchas porque según lo que ha encontrado XianLi, uno de los miembros de Hackint0sh, el iPhone espía a los usuarios. La evidencia en el código demuestra que las aplicaciones Stocks (valores de bolsa) y Weather (el tiempo) mandan tu número IMEI —el número único que identifica tu iPhone y está ligado a tu información personal— a Apple, junto con la naturaleza de la información que estás mirando

Aunque no hay evidencia de que Apple esté utilizando esta información para algún fin, bueno o malo, el código muestra que cada vez que intentas acceder a información detallada de cualquier stock, tu número IMEI se mandará en el URL. Éste puede ser combinado con la localización de tu IP y la información que Apple o sus socios tienen almacenada sobre ti para, por ejemplo, obtener importantes datos para acciones de marketing.

Pero, ¿importa realmente que Apple (o cualquier otro fabricante de teléfonos u ordenadores) sepa exactamente si estás mirando las últimas noticias sobre las acciones de Google o el tiempo en las Maldivas?

Si se confirma, algunos gritarán desaforados y otros encogerán los hombros. Después de todo, Google almacena información sobre el uso de sus páginas y a la mayoría de la gente le da igual. Sin embargo, la información que recoge Google no está necesariamente unida a ninguna información personal. Cuando accedes un sitio web anónimamente y el sitio graba una cookie en tu navegador, ésta no está unida a tu información personal. Además, puedes borrarla cuando quieras y evitarlas utilizando las opciones de privacidad de tu ordenador.

El IMEI, sin embargo, es un identificador único que ha sido previamente registrado al dar de alta tu teléfono, lo que hace que todo esto sea un poco preocupante. Y lo que es más importante, no hay manera de evitar no mandar esta información. Apple, por su parte, se cubre sus espaldas con la licencia del iPhone, que declara que aunque tienen derecho para recoger estos datos, no serán utilizados de forma abusiva.

En España todavía no ha llegado el iPhone, pero lo más seguro es que Telefónica y Apple estarán al tanto de que este tipo de actividad es ilegal en este páis y probablemente en toda Euro6pa. Habrá que ver que pasa.

Gizmondo via [Hackintosh]

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Bonito interior, ¿no? ¿Y qué dices de esa pantalla de siete pulgadas en la consola central? Está bien, ¿eh? Pues estás viendo la tercera generación del prototipo up! de Volkswagen, llamado space up! blue. El modelo conceptual, recién presentado en el Salón del Automóvil de Los Ángeles, es un híbrido que funciona con baterías (recargables desde un enchufe), una pila de hidrógeno y paneles solares, aunque lo que más nos interesa es el ordenador de a bordo, un dispositivo que regula todas las funciones de entretenimiento, navegación y temperatura mediante una pantalla ‘táctil’ que utiliza unos sensores para detectar el movimiento sin necesidad que aplastes tus dedazos contra su superficie (aunque también puedes hacerlo si te gustan los controles a la vieja usanza). Y aquí, es donde empezamos con las divagaciones, porque… ¿no ves nada que te llame la atención? Para empezar, la interfaz recuerda bastante a cover flow front row, y uno de los discos almacenados en memoria es In Between Dreams, de Jack Johnson, un viejo favorito de Apple. Añade a eso el hecho de que VW estaba desarrollando ‘algo‘ con los chicos de Cupertino y ya puedes empezar a unir los puntos…

Teóricamente Volkswagen lanzará todos sus próximos modelos con pantallas táctiles, evitando los complejos sistemas con botones y ruletas de la actualidad. ¿Será el navegador del space up! blue un avance de los mismos? Esperamos que sí.

Fotos y vídeos a continuación (nota: el clip de YouTube pertenece al space up! presentado hace unas semanas en Tokio, pero la pantalla es idéntica).

Sigue leyendo ¿VW y Apple colaborando en una interfaz para GPS/centros multimedia?

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