iPhone OS 4 hands-on (updated with video!)
By Nilay Patel 
posted April 8th 2010 6:02PM
posted April 8th 2010 6:02PM
Update: Wonder of wonders, we actually got the bugger working! We're doing video right now, let us know what you want to see -- and check out some on-device shots below.
Update 2: Video time! We also added some impressions, it's all after the break.
Okay, so we've been playing with iPhone OS 4 for a while now and here's what we've learned:
- It's pretty stable, especially compared to other developer editions of the iPhone OS we've messed around with. We haven't had any crashes so far, and things seem mostly to be working. Find My iPhone doesn't work, and iTunes 9.1 doesn't know about folders and will delete any you've set up, but nothing major is broken, at least as far as we can tell.
- The multitasking system works as described, but without any apps that support it it's hard to test -- we'll see if we can cajole a copy of Pandora or TomTom to play with. Steve might say task managers are a sign of failure, but you can certainly delete icons from the switcher -- just long press on them and a minus arrow pops up.
- Bluetooth keyboards are going to be the next great iPhone accessory gold rush. Been jonesing for a million-dollar idea? Here you go: slider keyboard case with built-in extended battery. We prefer our royalties in cash, please.
- We couldn't get threaded messages to work in Mail, but we're sure we're doing something wrong -- we've never really gotten along with iPhone Mail.
- The zoom control on the camera is pretty slick, and there's okayish macro. Tap-to-focus in the video mode is also a nice addition.
- Spell check works just like the iPad, as do cut/copy/paste hardware keyboard shortcuts. Still no way to bring up the soft keyboard from the device when it's paired, though, which is annoying if you walk away -- you have to remember to turn off Bluetooth, which will undoubtedly confuse someone.
- Faces and Events in Photos are just like the iPad -- they're just fancy folders. The actual face-detection happens on your machine, and things are just sorted on the phone.
- Setting up a Gmail account also prompts you to sync calendars and notes -- hallelujah!
- Game Center is a barren wasteland right now, since no apps support it -- we managed to log in and discover that we have no friends and no one has requested to be our friend. Suitably humbled, we logged out.
- We didn't have any major problems running our OS 3.0 apps, and we didn't see any new ads or anything.
- And that it, really -- without third party app support a lot of these features won't come into play just yet. Without them, it's just a nice iteration of the iPhone OS -- what else do you want to know?
@iDamien This is just typical Apple. User Jack is a perfect example now claiming the iphone is doing REAL multitasking and Android is not!!:D
Jack wouldn't know multitasking if it jumped up and bit him. You iphone guys are new to this multitasking stuff but we will educate you.:D
@Lundmark
A fanboy is a fanboy is a fanboy. They just have a hard time recognizing each other on these forums. Hint: you're fan boy if you mindlessly slag all other technology apart from whatever you happen to own while mindlessly defending whatever $200 gizmo you happen to have last spent your birthday money on.
If you mindlessly slag off all technology regardless of who makes it, you're a luddite. Not really a huge difference is there?
@Air Force One
How about you guys mention what you do with multitasking instead of just saying how great it is? Boy, that would be a breath of fresh air.
@Air Force One
Where did I say Android wasn't doing multitasking? I said Apple's method is BETTER. Apple's multitasking is more efficient, is better on battery life and all the resources on the phone. Android's scheduling does nothing for battery life, it just gives front apps more resources. That's not even close to being the same thing.
@Jack like I said you are full of shit since you haven't even tried multitasking on an iPhone!!! LOL!! On the other hand, I've multitasked on the Nexus.
@Jack
Without anyone really using it, it's impossible to say whether it is better. It looks like it will remove any multi-app issues that people might have had before the update though, and that's all that really matters so long as it works well.
@ebgolfin YOu make a good point.
As an example: just today I was in the car using Google Navigation while streaming slacker and also running Trapster..all running at the same time. I also sent a few texts but only when stopped at stoplights. :D
From what I understand the iPhone cannot do this since it pauses apps. Although I did read something about Pandora on iPhone will keep playing music.
@Air Force One
Facts don't lie, junior. It's pretty clear how multitasking works on the iPhone, and it's also pretty clear it doesn't work that way on the Nexus or Droid or WebOS. Is there something you're still confused about? Was it the part about freezing app states while still allowing specified services to run in the background?
@Jack I will give you one thing: maybe the iPhone will be better at multitasking than Android, but quit blowing smoke up our ass saying it's already better on iPhone. You have no idea and neither do I. I know you dislike us "haters" but the truth is you ask for it with comments like you make.
I also admit I go too far sometimes too.
@Jack Yes I'm confused. You talk about multitasking on iPhone yet you've never done it. I discuss multitasking on Nexus because I have experience. You see the difference between you and I?? I talk from experience and you talk out your ass.
@Air Force One I've multitasked too on my nexus one....but its pathetic at best....watching available ram dwindle down until i actually start to see some stuttering here and there in perfomace....at which point i have to hit the kill all button or peck through a list of tasks running....its just plain pathetic.....yes the home button long press is good for moving back and forth through apps.....but getting rid of the ones that i don't want running anymore is terrible.....i would gladly take apple's implementation over the current state of android multitasking, as long as apple lets things like music, data, file transfers, IM's and all of those things keep flowing when leaving an app.
@Air Force One
If I'm telling you exactly how multitasking works in iPhone OS 4 - because it's been laid out in great detail by Apple - how is that talking out my ass? This is PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION!
Jesus christ, do you not know how to use Google? If you are so skeptical of what I'm telling you, then LOOK IT UP. Your own ignorance is not an excuse to tell me I'm pulling anything out of my ass. Apple handled multitasking when switching apps by freezing the app state while allowing specified processes to continue running in the background. This saves on resources like RAM, battery power and CPU.
Android DOES NOT DO THIS. That is a FACT. Let me know if any of this is getting through.
@Jack You got proof that it's not how Android does it?
Even then, so what, Apple does multi-tasking better. What's the increase in the battery life Jack? Is it 5% or 50%? Better is irrelevant when the scale of improvement is small.
Yet again, and as others have stated, stop being such a fanboy and talking out of your ass.
Personally I'm trading in my iPhone soon for an Android device because 4.0 looks so lackluster. It's sad when Apple, the company that invented sexy electronics, can't seem to create a sexy looking mobile OS.
Nice! Congrats
@Mars478
I want screenshots of the innovative, ground breaking, new revolutionary *magical*✔ ads, the most exciting part of the new software!
So no new iPhone 4GSX hardware?
@Almo
4GSX? That name would just ruin a iPhone.... GSX is Apple's Global Service Exchange.....
@tklr08
yea DEFINITELY not what i was expecting, i wanted to see a more open Os that would allow you to get notifications of how many emails, txts, missed calls etc that you have. I wanted to see a facelift in the appearance because the same grid of icons looks pretty boring,
@mikeaguilar95m
A notification panel like smart OS's Windows Mobile, Android, and every dumbphone I have ever owned has. Click to see all missed alerts, but nope, they have to perfect that and release it in iPhone OS 8.0.
@mikeaguilar95m
So demanding. Did you miss the HUGE innovation about being able to add wallpaper to your background. Or that crazy concept of grouping apps in folders. What else could one ask for?
@bjsguess To bad no one's ever thought of this great stuff before! It's Golden!! No... MAGICAL!!!
@n0ne
Magical? ✔
I think the check speaks for itself.
@mikeaguilar95m
I bet you wanted to see everything which has not been announced and doesn't care about everything which has been announced. Even multi-tasking obviously.
You are so predictable :)
OS 4 is pretty awesome, but I'm kinda pissed that I can't get multitasking on my iPhone 3G... I can't say that I'm shocked, though.
@Mars478 Fail post about Fail.
@Jaylittles531
i think your talking about the GSE....
@Mars478 Haha love the terabyte hardrive showing up in about.
@erik1080 Have you ever seen what happens when your phone is checking email in the background? Nothing else works. Would you really want to have multitasking on your 3G at that expense? I am just about ready to throw my 3G against the wall sometimes. I had to turn off push on all my emails, which affects my calendars too. So frustrating.
@Mars478 That games center icon oddly reminds me of the Windows icon.
So... how do you close an app then?
@mikeaguilar95m they come in the form of little red badges on the apps.
Get 3GS mate, it's apples sales strategy of making money, which is quite fair
Oh give it a rest already.
@Mars478
lol...
thats the biggest damn iphone ever!
it has 1TB.
yes i know...its a sim../
@bjsguess Yes ... put don't even think of saying that Apple copy on another company ... or that iPhone OS is the last mobile OS to get these features ...
3 years to add custom wallpaper ... wow, Apple ... I though by now this was a choice to offer only black wallpaper ... looks like it was such a big feature, it took you 3 years to do it :$
@bjsguess Those folders are the biggest thing in my opinion! I love that more than that hype about multitasking and all the other stuff!
@erik1080
You can, it's called ProSwitcher...don't be one of those wusses that refuses to jailbreak because Apple told them not to.
@Almo That is a sooo sony-like name
I am more interested about haters comment. LOL
"let us know what you want to see"
yeah let's see you receive an IM while you're in another app.
Hmmm.. so with the 5x zoom feature, does it really work that well? I'm guessing new hardware in the future will allow for better results.
@Brad Green I do everything apple tells me to do. I'm naming my first child iPhone if it's a boy or ipad if it's a girl. My wife will give Steve Jobs everyday. Can't wait.
@erik1080 I feel the same, would be nice if multitasking of all things worked will each phone, but I can see how hard it would be to do with the slower processor. I wish someone had asked about any news on the next phone. I'm fairly sure someone did, but Engadget should let us know if there was any kind of mention. Let us know Engadget! Thanks
I would like to know if there are any profile options on the phone for time of day, during meetings, etc.
Also, does the mail client recognize high priority e-mail yet? Is it actionable (i.e. a different alert type)?
@Mister Warmth well yes engadget could show you that functionality but it would be pretty old news, about a year old in fact.. all the IM apps for the iPhone have supported push notifications since 3.0. I'm constantly getting IM's when I am in other apps. Sorry to put an end to your apple trolling so soon..
@Mars478 Yay now I can do all the things I've been enjoying on my jailbroken iPod Touch -- except cracked apps, complete customization, Rock, custom themes, shortcuts, and did I mention FREE APPS????
@Mars478
Reminds me of Symbian. Except that had proper full multitasking.
@Mars478 I just hope that the multitasking will be released on the older iPhones as an update (even it looks impossible coming from the announcement). I guess we just need to see it this summer. iPhone OS 4 reactions* http://j.mp/os-4-0-by-iphone
@Mars478 It kinda looks like Safari was actually paused and stopped loading engadget when he fired up the other apps. Based on the loading bar it didn't progress at all in the background (it was about halfway there before he popped up the task bar and chose another app which took a couple of seconds so it would have been a little more than halfway done at that point...and when he switched back it picked up from there)
@Jaylittles531 i feel like we will see the next called the iPhone HD or something like that...