The Geek Church

Since the world is still reeling from last weekend’s release of the iPad, Apple is attempting to wow consumers further with their newest development, the iPhone OS 4.0. So far, fifty million iPhones have been sold, along with 450,000 iPads and OS 4.0 is scheduled to be applied to phones this summer. Then the iPad will get this upgrade in the fall. Obviously, people are wondering what the OS 4.0 can do. Well, here’s a rundown of its features and capabilities.

First of all, it offers multi-tasking. You can run applications with a double tap of the home button, pause games at any time and there’s a tray available for switching between applications. This tray pushes up the other home icons and has a metallic background. However, you will be facing limitations in using active applications even though you have the ability to switch between them easily. Furthermore, multi-tasking will not be available for iPhone 3G or the second generation iPod touch and there is no task manager to do the app. organization for you, either.

Second, seven background services are available for use. For background audio, you can play Pandora and manage it with pop-up controls. For background VoIP, Skype calls are still compatible, you can switch applications, a “return to call” button is available and you will be able to receive Skype calls on a locked phone. Push and local notifications are still available but local ones are for in-phone applications, pop-up alarms, etc. Fast app. switching is now possible. This feature allows you to store one app. in its present state as you switch to another one and then back to the previous one. The final background service is task completion, which allows for an upload if you close an app.

Next, folders are available for storing lists of usable applications. Up to 2160 applications can be stored for future use. There are also homescreen wallpapers, enhanced mail and unified mail to combine web mail, Mobile Me and multiple exchange accounts. A thread organization is provided as a more powerful inbox and attachments are now possible for third party email. Of course, iBooks are possible, similar to how they work on the iPad and you can sync bookmarks and between devices. There is also better email encryption and SSL VPN support for non-bold text. Then, gaming features include being able to challenge friends, compare high scores on leaderboards and do matchmaking and achievements. The OS 4.0 also supports Bluetooth keyboards. Lastly, ads will be appear in HTML 5, they are fully interactive and they now have access to APIs, which includes location and accelerometer as well.

However, there is no confirmation that it supports cameras with flash, and how easily you can download applications is another unanswered question.

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I remember reading an article about a Microsoft meeting a few months ago. An employee’s iPhone rang, and when he answered it, Steve Ballmer saw it. Steve then took the opportunity to pretend like he was stepping on this man’s iPhone. I’ve been hearing similar stories that Steve Jobs will have fits about his competitors like Adobe or Google.

Is it just me, or do I think that it is silly to live in a world where all the tech companies of the world can live together and make whatever products they want, and distribute them to whoever they want? Are Ballmer and Jobs jealous that their companies didn’t make what their competitors obviously did? Or do they just want to get to the point where they are weeping, because there are no more worlds left to conquer?

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Since its release quite a while ago, the Nintendo Wii has been offering gamers the chance to play with the use of full body motion to make gameplay more interactive. Some players also find the Wii very helpful for getting an actual workout to exercise and improve their own health. In recent years, we’ve seen fitness games and products released for the Nintendo console such as WiiFit and game developers like EA Sports have also joined the fitness gaming genre. Now EA is preparing to give us their latest fitness development.

Last year, EA Sports released a fitness game called Active, which included jumping, arm motion and cardio-style workouts for those gamers looking to get more exercise. Now EA offers a new follow-up called Active 2.0. At this time, it is still in development but upon its release in the fall, it will be compatible with the Wii, PS3, iPod and iPhone. The program for Active 2.0 promises to deliver “true fitness” through a new wireless control system using leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor and an online hub to track and share information from exercise.

However, available sources do not explain how the iPod and iPhone will be involved in the use of this new fitness gaming program. Furthermore, it is also interesting that Active 2.0 seems to have excluded the X-Box 360 as a game console for compatibility. Personally, I have to wonder how well EA Sports will do in keeping their promises concerning this new development. Unanswered questions about iPod and iPhone use and 360 compatibility could be just cause for reasonable doubt about the credibility of Active 2.0.

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Google has not been wanting to Apple to put Google Voice on the iPhone, and yet it has it anyway.

Of course, you have to run Google Voice on the iPhone browser. You can add shortcuts to the home screen for SMS, Dialer, Inbox, and Contacts.

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Nuance Communications Inc. has recently unveiled a new voice to text or diction that is available for iPhone users.

All that is required of the user is to speak a message in the phone, and then hit send. I haven’t tried it for myself, but generally, applications like this don’t work as simple as companies would like you to think.

Still, if it makes Twitter and Facebook updates easier, I say, let it fly. In the meantime, you should be able to pick up the Dragon Diction for free, for now.

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Anyone remember that movie Wild Hogs when William H. Macy gets that “tat” on his arm with the Apple logo? I suppose that bikers like him are the target audience for the iBike Rider Case.

As you can see here, it is a case for the iPhone that fits on the wrist. This of course raises the question: why is this targeted to the Apple-loving biker crowd?

I mean, look at thing, it is a computer for your wrist! Is it just me, or don’t you think it would be cool if everyone had one of these on their wrist. This is one of those times where technology shocks me, because every once in a while, I discover that we have futuristic technology now.

Well, if you have $42 and whatever an iPhone costs, you can have the future in your hands, or close to it. By the way, there is also an optional helmet mounted headset for about $85.

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I’ve heard that if you want to begin a habit, then you need to make yourself accountable to someone else. So for those that want to pray more, read the bible, or something else spiritual should just have a friend ask about it daily. You will find that your friend might do a better job than you want them to.

I suppose you could apply this to a diet. In fact, you should use the Withings first WiFi-enabled bathroom scale. All you need to do is stand on it, and it records body weight, lean/fat mass, calculated body mass index (BMI), and then puts it online. There is even an app for the iPhone.

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Every once in a while, there will be some sort of big rumor in the tech industry that is just waiting to be squelched. In this case, it is the one that says that Verizon won’t be carrying the Palm Pre.

That’s enough to make that weird Palm Pre lady from those ads go “say what”? The rumor started at The Street, but it has apparently been reported to be “in error”. A report at Gizmodo stated that Palm requires a Verizon launch, and not just Sprint and AT&T.

Well, I suppose that ends that rumor for now. Until then, I’ve heard that the iPhone would be coming to Verizon. I heard somewhere that this could happen in around 2011, after AT&T and Apple end their exclusive contract.

I don’t have an iPhone, but I have used one in the past. I never liked how the touchscreen keyboard has no haptic feedback, and so I don’t “feel” if I’ve hit the right key. This is why I like the Blackberry Storm.

For those of you who are fans of BlackBerry’s keyboard might like the iTwinge. Simply put, it is a handy slide-on keyboard for your iPhone so you can “feel” the keys. The company states that it can improve typing speed by 30 to 40 percent, and reduce errors by 70 to 80 percent. Not bad, but it costs about $30.

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