Users of webOS and HTC Sense can skip ahead, you're already familiar with tight social networking integration on your handsets. Now Apple appears ready to join the social, so to speak. New evidence of low-level Facebook event and contacts integration has been revealed in iPhone OS 4 hinting at the possibility of unified Calendar and Contacts apps from Apple when the OS launches this summer on, um,
this device.
Web site Website
Gunning for Safety says that Apple appears to have created a "separate type of contact" just for Facebook. On its own, the claim is suspect if only because the site's focus is related to nail gun safety. But we've grabbed copies of the associated .plist files from a
jailbroken iPhone running OS 4 that seemingly back the claim. There's even mention of a generic "SocialKitInternal.framework" opening the door for integration with services like Twitter -- though we found no evidence for that. All this aligns nicely with a "Linked Contacts" feature discovered by
AppleInsider last week. According to
AI, multiple Linked Contacts can be associated to a single entry in the new iPhone OS 4 Contacts app. See some of the .plist evidence in the gallery below.
posted April 19th 2010 8:02AM
Doing well so far just sort widgets and notifications and I'm sold.
Headbooked
@fais Steve Jobs is the greatest! No other handset maker can integrate social networks or multitasking as well as Apple can!
In Jobs we trust!
@fais
Expect widgets on iPhone 5.0 with "we did it better" speech.
@metaesapuet
What if they did do it better? How can we tell?
@fais
Widgets and Notifications are just apps. Been there done that circa 2007.
Actually if you want to see where iPhone apps were before the iPhone was on the market, look at Mac OS X Dashboard. Since the weather widget takes 1/2 a second to 'launch' its analogous to Apple's (Konfab rip off) Dashboard. You check it, boom, you go back.
Unless you're in the middle of a hurricane, weather pattens don't really change much, that's why you only need to check once a day, etc. Having information that almost never changes or changes very very slowly on-screen at all times is redundant, and a waste of space.
Don't expect any "widget/gadgets" on the Phone cuz, they're already there, in the form of Apps.
@Wesscoast
Ok as far as widgets = apps i'm not even going to waste my energy on that.
As for not needing real time updates on you home screen? Well as a example on Android I have the BBC news widget so every time I look at my phone to check the time etc I get the bonus of knowing what's going on in the world without having to make the conscious decision of opening a fricking app!
And how the hell are notifications apps? That critical stop style popup every time you get a text message is just offensive.
@Wesscoast
So instead of looking at the lock screen and seeing weather, stocks, and my new e-mail subjects, I instead should have to open the phone, unlock, launch weather, close weather, launch stocks, close stocks, launch mail, close mail.
I want that info multiple times a day, and I don't want to have to go through that routine. It's exhausting.
@Wesscoast no, they're not in the form of apps. They're totally different things. You bring up Dashboard; is checking your Facebook status on a little widget in there the same as opening up a standalone full-access app for OSX? You may being DOING the same thing, but operating both is different, as one is supposed to be limited for easy access and the other complex for full usage.
Here's something to help you out, the example here being social networking http://www.contextoptional.com/2008/whats-the-difference-between-widgets-and-applications/
@Missing Matter
You don't have to close anything, just leave your most commonly used apps in the springboard, and check them all out in the span of 30 secs. Actually 30 seconds is an overstatement....
Of course, if there were any badges, you'd know there was a change to your facebook page, etc. So you're not checking all of them, just the ones with badges.
@Wesscoast
You're totally missing the point widgets give you information at a glance that you can see instantly. E.g. You can see a new engadget post, urgent email or if there has been a terrorist attack without you having to open an app and go looking for this information.
@Wesscoast
And you're still going in and out of apps instead of having glanceable information. Its just taking less time to go in and out of those applications.
@fais
Would there be a way to NOT have your Facebook contacts merged with your cell phone contacts?
I wouldn't want 1000 Facebook people I know but rarely talk to listed in my cell phone with the few people I actually do talk to.
Sometimes separation is a good thing.
@fais You know what you would be sold on if you pulled your head out of your arse? Palm's webOS.
Android already does this and it's AWESOME since it updates contacts easily with photos, phone #'s, e-mail addresses, etc. The iPhone crew is gonna love this, fistpump for them!
@Level 5 as does webos. It's great flipping through mediums (gtalk, sms, aim, facebook) mid convo when needed
Clearly you don't know how this site works. Instead of being glad for people who use a competing phone OS to you own, you are supposed to mock them, their phone, the person who designed their phone, and their mother.
@Level 5
I thought the iPhone already does this? My Facebook app pulls down profile pictures. Unless I'm living in a dream world, the Facebook app allows you to add the picture to the contact.
Though AFAIK, that's all it does. My friends don't post tremendous amounts of personal info to Facebook. And those that do I already have their info.
@BigJayDogg3
No, see, all of the other phone manufacturers, well almost, windows mobile through HTC sense, Android and Web OS integrate facebook INTO the operating system. So instead of having to launch a "facebook app", you can go over to contacts and see on your contacts tab if one of your friends has updated their profile, uploaded new pictures and the like. You can then look through pictures or browse updates or events without having to leave the OS and enter a separate program.
@Level 5
You've just become one of my favorite posters.
*fist bump'd*
if they need a separate type of contact just for facebook, they've failed
@mrqs Good job at taking only the literal meaning of that statement.
If you continue reading, you'll see that "multiple Linked Contacts can be associated to a single entry in the new iPhone OS 4 Contacts app". It makes sense to think that this new "type" of contact would be a way to link an existing phone contact with the associated Facebook comment, yet still keep them separate.
@mrqs If you get the quote wrong, they blew it
@mrqs
Ok, notice how he didnt go on a rant about how Apple "ripped off" or copied this feature from other people and how they need to "come up with their own ideas"?
Please learn from his example, Apple guys.
@Khris
good job at developing a sense of humour
http://www.hollow-hill.com/sabina/images/serious-cat.jpg
@mrqs http://halfdone.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/idiots-with-signs.jpg
@LAY And why do you bring this up, exactly?
@LAY
No, YOU need to learn from this example, since your comments are never, ever constructive. Ever.
Yet another innovative new iPhone feature that Android (and WebOS) already has...
@marknichelson what came first.. iphone OS, Android or Web Os?
@marknichelson
Is that because its so hard to link to Facebook (as Apple already does in iLife, and on the iTunes store) or is that because Steve Jobs throws up in his mouth when people ask him if he's on Facebook/Twitter/Myspace?
@Bongo123 webOS.
@marknichelson
as well as winmo. for all the crap everyone says about winmo, it still has proved itself to still be more advanced than the iphone os
In other words, they're cramming something in to compete with Windows Phone 7
@semblance
Like... multitasking?
always one step behind Apple
@Beroz
it's seems that apple wait to do the best always
not beyond just they look what people need and complain about it on other os and do the best
@Beroz Poor iPhone...it came out 3 years ago and completely changed the way we used smartphones forever. It was the first (usable) multitouch phone, first phone with visual voicemail, it helped make the smartphone marketplace viable; yet now it get's crap for not doing everything on earth first.
You know like it or not Android probably never would have had a chance or been as big if it wasn't for the iPhone. Hell Android is as awesome as it is because Google is trying their best to do anything and everything the iPhone doesn't.
So before you hate on the iPhone for not innovating first, try to remember that it was rather revolutionary.
@NaeemTHM Oh also, yes yes how dare I have the gall to like an Apple product.
@NaeemTHM Thank you. These days the Android fanboys are much much worse than the iphone fanboys ever were.
@NaeemTHM I agree. I also believe Apple continues to improve to stay competitive with Android. Where would each be without the other?
@NaeemTHM
when iphone first came it was 2G so they wanted to do 3G right ?!
or when there no multitasking or low res camera or no flash ?!
oh wait they want to do it right .. i don't deny that iphone is a great phone but come on man be more realistic
I am looking forward to the new phone. My wife and I will both get the upcoming iphone and it looks as if the new iPhone is getting all kinds of things
Hi Mr. Popular.
It really is one of my favorite features of HTC's sense.
But it wouldn't surprise me if Apple tacks on some clever or pointless extra feature and say the usual "we didn't want to use this until we could do it better" BS.
But rejoice iphone users, it's really useful.
@vman81 It's not just HTC Sense. It's kinda annoyed me that Engadget seems to have this love affair with HTC Sense. I mean, Facebook integration on stock is the same as on HTC Sense. Literally. I also hate the way they make out that Android is incomplete without Sense. It's just stupid. Sense isn't really that amazing, it means you don't get updates as often, and it takes up RAM.
@chaddledee HTC sense is on WinMo also. So even if stock 2.1 does it stock WinMo doesn't.
hello jesus phone, and welcome to 2010. May I take your coat?
@MFrasier
Yes, because Facebook integration is what makes a phone "up to date" or "modern" or "desirable".
Just... wow.
Man, just when I get through explaining to a friend why the iPhone OS is so out of date and out of touch, they go an pull this.
Someone at Apple is actually paying attention.