Apple iPhone iOS4 upgrade live

In a slightly unusual move Apple have released the iPhone OS update before the new devices hit the stores. Normally it is the other way round.

iTunes is offering Apple's iOS 4 for upgrade.

iOS 4 contains over 100 improvements, but the headliners are MultiTasking, Application Folders, Improved Mail App, and iBooks. Apps taking advantage of these new features started appearing in the Apple AppStore over the last few days, and now they will be eligible for downloading and installing onto your updated iPhone.

This means that you will be able to run your Turn by Turn navigation app alongside your favorite Speed Camera Warning app (assuming that supports multitasking too).

Press release from TomTom follows:

TomTom for iPhone app to support Apple iOS 4 multitasking functionality

~ Seamless navigation features will leverage iOS 4 multitasking demonstrated yesterday at Apple WWDC ~

London – June 4, 2010 – TomTom will introduce multitasking to the TomTom app for iPhone. Its next version, which will be compatible with iOS 4, will be submitted to Apple for review after the June 21 release of iOS 4. Among the new features available in TomTom app for iPhone, will be support formultitasking functionality*, allowing users to get turn-by-turn guidance at the same time as operating other applications.

The current version of the TomTom app for iPhone (version 1.3) is available for purchase via the App Store, and both current and new owners of the app will be able to update to the new version immediately upon its availability for no additional charge. As an additional incentive for new users to start using the application, TomTom is currently offering the UK& Ireland and Western Europe versions of the app at a discounted price of £54.99 and £42.99 respectively.

Following the success of the recent promotion, TomTom is also making its award-winning HD Traffic service available to users at a new price that will make avoiding the jams that much easier. Beginning today, a 12-month subscription for TomTom HD Traffic is now offered on the TomTom app at £22.99. With TomTom HD Traffic, TomTom app users receive real-time traffic speed updates and incident reports continuously. As soon as any delay is found on the route, users are notified and can be automatically re-routed to an alternate, faster route. TomTom HD Traffic is an optional service available via in-app purchase.

“As TomTom continues to innovate and to take advantage of new capabilities of the iOS 4, users of the TomTom app will benefit from the combination of TomTom’s most advanced and acclaimed features and the iPhone’s unique functionality,” said Tom Murray, senior vice president of market development for TomTom Inc. “We are pleased to integrate multitasking capabilities to the newest version of our TomTom app, and to be able to ensure that users can now enjoy other iPhone features while they continue to receive the best routing directions from their TomTom application.”

*Available on iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3^rd Generation devices, running iOS 4.

Destinator 9 for iPhone

Back in January we saw a demonstration of Destinator 9 on the iPhone at CES. It has taken a few months but now it is available in the Apple AppStore for Western Europe. With a price tag of £30 ($50) it represents great value compared to Navigon at £70 and TomTom at £53, but is more comparable with ALK’s CoPilot at £36.

Destinator 9 is a fully featured Turn by Turn navigation system with voice guidance and featuring Navteq mapping. It also has iPod controls, easy to use POIs including creation of your own ‘StickyPOIs’ but seems to lack importing of custom POIs, and does not have support for Speed Cameras.

The full Destinator Press Release follows:

Destinator 9 for iPhone – Experience the Difference

At its core, Destinator 9 is a solid and reliable turn-by-turn navigation application featuring on-board NAVTEQ digital map data for Western Europe and a routing engine that exceeds performance benchmarks. In addition to a host of new features designed to get people to their destinations easily, quickly and safely, Destinator 9 takes the navigation experience to a new level by integrating additional valuable features in the GPS application. Integrated iPod controls, advanced voice guidance, GoogleTM Local Search, NavStrip™, and extensive POI listings are a few examples. Destinator makes it easier to find what you need and get there with less effort and stress. Also, Destinator taps into the new wave of social mapping with a feature that enables the user to send their location or favorite POI to a friend.

The Destinator application is designed specifically with the iPhone user in mind to make the user experience seamless and intuitive with the overall phone experience. Destinator seamlessly blends with the iPhone functions allowing the user to simply route from existing contacts or messages. The integrated iPod™ controls allow for access and control of music while in navigation mode. And, the intuitive NavStrip feature enables the user to navigate to their destination more easily with less “clicks”.

Destinator 9 is now available for Western Europe with superior map coverage for the following countries: Austria, Benelux, Denmark, Eire (Republic of Ireland), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and more.

Destinator 9 is available at an introductory price of €39.99 for comprehensive coverage of Western Europe including the United Kingdom.

For more information, images and interactive demonstrations please visit www.destinator.com or visit our product page on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/DestinatorGPS.

Feature Highlights for the Destinator 9 iPhone Application:

-On Board NAVTEQ Maps:Providing Western Europe map access and directions regardless of your connection.

-Extensive POI Listings:Coverage of Western Europe includes over millions of on board points-of-interest that are always accessible without a data connection.

-NavStrip™:Convenient access to all of your navigation commands from one intuitive, touch-and-go strip.

-Voice-Guided Directions:Keep focused on the road ahead with easy to understand turn-by-turn voice guidance.

-Lane Assistance: Clear visual guidance to direct you to the right lane for your route.

-In-App iPod Controls: Select songs and control music while in navigation mode. -StickyPOI: Intuitive one-touch placement of points-of-interest that interest you.

-TapNGo: Simply press any point on the map and navigate to the location.

-Trip Planning: Able to plan multi-destination routes with a convenient trip planning function.

-2D or 3D Mode:Map is offered at your preferred perspective – 2D or 3D.

-Brilliant Map Displays:Crisply rendered maps provide clear guidance. -Contact Routing: Navigate to an address stored in your Contact list.

-Send-to-Friend: Send your current location or favorite POI to your friend.

-Speed Limits Warnings:Limits are conveniently posted on screen for your current location.

-Google Local Search:Nearby POIs are a click away and a cinch to navigate to.

Apple decided to control the system as much as possible with single carrier agreements, a very closed development environment, allowing you only to load apps and music via the App Store and iTunes.

The ‘New Kid on the block’ is Android which is exactly the opposite. This has been adopted by T-Mobile, Sprint, and in a few days time Verizon Droid. The “I Don’t” advert for Droid highlights the restrictive features of the iPhone Platform.

With the big carriers having the ability to roll out SmartPhones with less restrictive controls one has to wonder if Apple has missed the mark with the strict controls and in particular the single carrier sales strategy. The Android platform has the potential to blow the iPhone out of the water, but is it really what consumers want? One of the big benefits of the Apple architecture is that it just works and you don’t need a masters degree in computing to use it.

Time will tell, but the Android SmartPhones are starting to become much more prevalent in the Marketplace and Apple needs to keep an eye out to stay ahead of the game…

JourSail Shiping logbook

Ahoy there me hearties!!!

If you are a sailor and want to keep an electronic version of your logbook then RockAByte may have the answer for you with the JourSail application available in the AppStore. This app basically allows you to record pertinent data of your voyage, and then send it via email to friends and family.

The GPS and iPhone clock are used to timestamp and log position with each entry. Each entry can be displayed on an interactive map. I assume that this is over the wireless connection which, of course will not be available at sea…

Available for £3.49 or $5.99 this seems to be somewhat overpriced for the functionality provided.

Available on the iTunes AppStore

JourSail Sailing Logbook

Cologne, Germany, 08 July 2009 – RockAByte, developer and publisher of games and applications for online, mobile, and handheld platforms, presents in co-production with Medienkonzepte GbR in Cologne, Germany, the ultimate sailing logbook for the iPhone and iPod Touch. With the new JourSail application, sailing trips and holidays at sea can be documented quickly and easily.

Whether on the way in a small sailing yacht or enjoying the wonders of nature on a Hurtigruten cruise ship, with JourSail all the records are available anytime in a clearly presented form.
Logbook entries can be made hourly, every four hours, or daily. Then the sailing journal can be sent to friends and family as an e-mail with the appropriate layout directly from the iPhone or iPod Touch.

All of the information, such as the current weather, navigation, service, and the changing of the watch, is entered quickly and easily via the optimised and clearly laid out user interface. JourSail uses the internal sensors of the iPhone or iPod Touch to automatically determine the position or to record the date and time of an entry. With the touch of a finger, every position of the ship can be displayed on the interactive map. The reliable determination of the position is guaranteed with the iPhone 3G.

The application will be offered in German, English, French, and Spanish and requires the iPhone 2.0 operating system, but is already compatible with the new iPhone OS 3.0 update.
JourSail is available immediately in the Apple iTunes App Store for sailing fans and those who would like to be at the introductory price of € 4.99 .

Features:
- Save any number of trips, stages, and logbook entries
- Get information at a glance on the total number of sea miles or days at sea
- Create complex entries quickly, easily, and conveniently using icons
- A variety of event types, such as:
o Notes
o Weather (visibility, swell, precipitation, cloud cover, wind speed, air pressure, water temperature, air temperature)
o Navigation (log, speed, course, hours under power)
o Service (fuel, fresh water, grey water, battery charge)
o Watch change
- Send all tour data via e-mail
- Change the units used as desired (e.g. Beaufort or knots)

AT&T Navigator for the iPhone

The AT&T Navigator application is free to download, but to use it you need to pay a monthly subscription of $9.99 directly to AT&T in your monthly billing. This is a double rule break. Firstly Apple states that all applications that require subscriptions or in-app purchases must be chargeable in the first place. Secondly AT&T are openly billing their clients outside the App Store (and assumable not passing Apple any commissions).

Now the question here is are Apple setting a president and does this mean that any developer can use the same principle to provide a subscription service? Or is it that the wireless carrier waves a big stick and demands one-off policy changes. Knowing Apple I would not think it is the latter, but I also doubt it is the former so what is really going on here?

Getting back to the AT&T Navigator it is compatible with iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS running OS3.0. Navigator is powered by Telenav and features voice guidance, 3D map, automatic re-routing and real time traffic updates as well as gas price search.

Even more interesting is the two competing navigation models that are coming to market: Onboard and Offboard. Onboard solutions are currently being charged at a high purchase price, but you have lifetime access with no additional charge, whilst offboard seem to be based on monthly subscriptions.

Onboard navigation is where the maps, and all the processing is carried out on the device whereas offboard navigation is processed on a server and downloaded to the device. Onboard navigation has the advantage of not requiring a wireless connection with everything contained in the iPhone. Offboard navigation has the advantage of the latest maps and route data, but you do need to have a wireless data connection for it to work.

Woah hold on are iPod Touch users second class Apple citizens? This was something that Apple had kept very quiet in the run up to the launch of the new OS, but I suppose alarm bells should have rung when there was no beta software for the iPod Touch.

The upgrade costs $9.99 on the US AppStore or £5.99 on the UK one.

iPod Touch OS3.0 Rip-off??

iPhone OS3.0 software

A couple of things that didn’t leak (or were not paid any attention) were items like Video, Voice Control, Access to Accessories, Voice memos, and the Nike+ interface.

For me the main features of the new OS3.0 software are:

• Copy and Paste
• Security
• Faster OS
• Video capture and editing
• Access to accessories
• More bluetooth protocols
• Personal Area Networking
• In App Purchase
• Push Notifications
• Access to Maps in the application
• Access to the iPod Library
• Streaming Video
• Compass support

Copy and Paste.
This was a well known feature of OS3.0, but for me it was a crucial part of the User Interface that was missing. The number of times I wish that copy, cut and paste were available just cannot be counted.

Security.
With mobile devices security is always a potential issue. I have only ever lost one phone and that was in the early days when all they contained was a small selection of my phone numbers. Now my iPhone carries my life… Although there is not too much in the way of sensitive data on my iphone it is good to know that I can wipe it remotely. Another good security feature of the new software is the ability to locate the iphone using Mobile Me. It is permission based, but would allow anyone with access to your Mobile Me account to see where you (and your phone) is. This is obviously quite useful if you have left it somewhere or lost it. You can send an alert to the iPhone from Mobile Me which will provide an audible alert irrespective of the mute settings of the ringer.

Faster OS.
Well it goes without saying that a faster OS will make even the existing iPhone 3G faster. I am always a little cynical about speed increase claims as they are often measured in the best light for the system. Time will tell how big a bonus this is.

Video Capture and Editing.
The Video Camera was a much rumoured feature of the new iPhone, but not only have we got a new camera there is also the software to control and edit the video footage. This seems to take it’s design and user interface from the new video features from the OS’s big brother Snow Leopard. This allows the user to trim a video clip then share it via a number of different channels.

Access to Accessories.
Well TomTom showed us what can be done with this. They have developed a cradle for the iPhone to mount on the car windscreen that has an external GPS, speaker and microphone. They have used the accessory interface to develop a full navigation system. Obviously this feature opens a whole new world of possibilities to hardware and software developers.

More Bluetooth Protocols.
In OS2.x we only had the Bluetooth headset protocol, now we also have A2DP for streaming audio and also PAN for creating networks.

Personal Area Networking
Apple have introduced peer to peer networking in OS3.0 this was mainly designed for multi user gaming, but could potentially be used for all sorts of novel applications such as sharing of contacts and data or even localised targeted advertising.

In App Purchase.
One of the issues with the way the app store was set up is that it allows for a single purchase with free lifetime updates. This does not suit a lot of business models so Apple have now integrated a payment process within the application. This was proposed for buying additional levels for a game, but could equally be used for purchasing maps or data or any other services for the application.

Push Notifications.
With push notifications your iPhone can receive network events and respond to them. This could be new email, new SMS, or much more likely for non Apple apps notifications for new service messages such as IM clients. These can be stacked up in an application queue and the user can be alerted to the arrival by an audible alert or a ‘badge’ on the application icon.

Access to Maps in the application.
The Maps application is a great feature of the iPhone, but until now you had to close your application and open the Map App to use it, or use Google Maps over the Internet in a browser window in your app. OS3.0 provides a mechanism to embed a map in your application complete with custom information.

Access to the iPod Library.
This feature allows applications to control the music player in the iPhone. The example shown was in a game setting the car stereo to play some of your own favorite songs during the gameplay.

Streaming Video.
Up to now we have had video in the form of YouTube or video in the iPod Library. With OS3.0 we now have access to streaming video over http (web protocols) all well and good, but we do not have the capability to view Flash Movies on the iPhone yet.

Compass Support.
Adding the magnetometer into the iPhone means that now there is an electronic compass that can be accessed via the location services. This means that applications that use live maps are much more reliable and that it is now feasible to produce a heads up view of your map. This is mainly because the direction information available with GPS becomes unreliable at low speeds such as when you are walking. Often you will see your location spinning round, but this has been overcome with the compass support.

Apple Remote

If you have an Apple TV or even some remote speakers connected to your iTunes application on your Mac, then you will know that it is quite tricky trying to control it to get the content you really want.

Apple have developed an iPhone application to overcome some of those limitations: Remote.

Apple TV remote

Apple Remote connects to either your Apple TV or iTunes using WiFi.  This then allows your iPhone to act as a remote controller for your device.

You can connect to a number of devices or iTunes Libraries, but only one is active at any one time.  To make the initial connection you need to authorise the iPhone on the Apple TV of iTunes library so you cant just find Apple TVs around you and start to control them…

Once connected you have pretty much full functionality for an iTunes library, being able to browse by playlist, artist or album.  You can also tap on the search to find the particular item you want.

Apple Remote more options

Tapping on the more icon presents the menu shown to the left.  This provides control of some of the lesser used features of the iTunes library.  From here you can gain access to your video collection, podcasts and TV shows.

In fact this just about mirrors the functionality that you can find in iTunes, and this is great for controlling the iTunes on your computer, but less so for the Apple TV.

In fact for the Apple TV the whole application is really back to front.  The controls for movies are hidden behind a couple of taps.  That is not to say that Remote is not useful, more that is it not as useful as it could be.

The Apple TV has many more functions than the iTunes Library on your computer, and none of these are catered for.  Remote cannot be used as a substitute for the little remote control provided with your Apple TV.  Even the very basic minimum of adding a dial control and text entry would make this a far better application.

Available from the Apple Appstore as a free application

Apple remote video selection

Apple remote video control

Apple remote settings

Apple remote albums