Kind of lame that even simple stuff like background walpaper isn't included, but it's certainly done on purpose. Want to change your walpaper? Buy a new phone! Har..
@DoctarPeppar It's actually probably due to the fact that the iPhone slightly animates the wallpaper expanding when you launch an app, which may be something the 3G hardware can't easily do on the fly.
@nothlit In that case an easy fix would be to not animate the wallpaper, but still give people the option to use a static image - like almost every other phone.
Come on, we're talking about wallpapers. Not multi-tasking, not multi-tasking, WALLPAPERS. We're talking about WALLPAPERS. Not Facetime or retina display or HD video, we're talking about WALLPAPERS.
@ascot LOL there are theming apps for jb that work perfectly well on the 3g and original 2g iphone without affecting battery life and without impacting the GPU...you guys make it sound like the 3g and the 2g iphone are crippled hardware wise, and that's so not the case.
@DoctarPeppar Before the 3GS, the iPhone 3G was the best they had hardware wise /sarcasm
But really, my Incite can handle all of this just fine.. (wallpapers and multitasking i mean). Why not the 3G? Even the dumbest of dumbphone support (did i really just use that word?) wall papers... blah.
Hope they add more features in the next update... half my neighborhood is about to be screaming "JAILBREAK MY IPHONE AGAIN" at me.
@ascot On LCD display a wallpaper makes so little difference in battery life that it is hard to measure. Most of the battery current goes to the backlight, and only tiny part to driving display, especially when the phone isn't doing anything.
Now if it were AMOLED display it would be a different story, but with LCD a backround picture doesnt make a difference.
Basically, the effects Apple uses to keep the home screen readable while allowing loud/bright backgrounds is very taxing, demonstrated by the performance of jailbroken iphones.
@newone It really is because the 3G hardware has a hard time rendering the fly in/out animations upon unlocking and launching of apps. As well as the subtle zooming.
Without wallpapers, the 3G springboard flies, so much smoother than 3.1.x. I have wallpapers enabled and it chops up pretty bad.
I think the 4.0 "upgrade" is Apple's way of forcing Aids, oops, I mean iAds, on its users without giving them too much of the new functionality. Why hasn't Engadget commented this cheesy new "feature"?
Horrible analogy. They aren't just now releasing a phone with limited functionality, and another with all the features. It's a freaking 2 year old phone that has trouble with complicated animations.
@Runkle The guy claimed that it will effect the battery life. Even if the transitions are hard to perform for hardware they aren't done so often that it might affect the battery life. The major eaters of batteries are display and radio, not prosessor. I'd guess the processor takes max 15% of the the batteries when in use.
@Runkle You just explained why my 3G feels so smoth after I removed my jailbreak and upgraded to iOS 4. I just couldn't put my finger on it since so much changed.
@nothlit Go find an iPhone 3G, jailbreak it with a 3.x firmware, open up Cydia and install "Simple Background".
It's okay, I'll wait.
OH LOOK, it's handling the zoom animation perfectly when you launch an app, AND using a parallax effect to scroll the wallpaper back and forth between home screens. Guess that shoots that theory all to hell, huh? :)
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Kind of lame that even simple stuff like background walpaper isn't included, but it's certainly done on purpose. Want to change your walpaper? Buy a new phone! Har..
@DoctarPeppar It's actually probably due to the fact that the iPhone slightly animates the wallpaper expanding when you launch an app, which may be something the 3G hardware can't easily do on the fly.
@nothlit In that case an easy fix would be to not animate the wallpaper, but still give people the option to use a static image - like almost every other phone.
@nothlit Not to mention displaying a coloured wallpaper would surprisingly impact the life of the already woeful battery.
Come on, we're talking about wallpapers. Not multi-tasking, not multi-tasking, WALLPAPERS. We're talking about WALLPAPERS. Not Facetime or retina display or HD video, we're talking about WALLPAPERS.
@ascot
LOL there are theming apps for jb that work perfectly well on the 3g and original 2g iphone without affecting battery life and without impacting the GPU...you guys make it sound like the 3g and the 2g iphone are crippled hardware wise, and that's so not the case.
@DoctarPeppar Before the 3GS, the iPhone 3G was the best they had hardware wise /sarcasm
But really, my Incite can handle all of this just fine.. (wallpapers and multitasking i mean). Why not the 3G? Even the dumbest of dumbphone support (did i really just use that word?) wall papers... blah.
Hope they add more features in the next update... half my neighborhood is about to be screaming "JAILBREAK MY IPHONE AGAIN" at me.
@ascot
On LCD display a wallpaper makes so little difference in battery life that it is hard to measure. Most of the battery current goes to the backlight, and only tiny part to driving display, especially when the phone isn't doing anything.
Now if it were AMOLED display it would be a different story, but with LCD a backround picture doesnt make a difference.
@Son Goku There's actually a good reason for that, explained by another commenter here: http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2010/06/ars-reviews-ios-4-whats-new-and-notable.ars?comments=1&start=40#comment-20535549
Basically, the effects Apple uses to keep the home screen readable while allowing loud/bright backgrounds is very taxing, demonstrated by the performance of jailbroken iphones.
@newone It really is because the 3G hardware has a hard time rendering the fly in/out animations upon unlocking and launching of apps. As well as the subtle zooming.
Without wallpapers, the 3G springboard flies, so much smoother than 3.1.x. I have wallpapers enabled and it chops up pretty bad.
@DoctarPeppar
I think the 4.0 "upgrade" is Apple's way of forcing Aids, oops, I mean iAds, on its users without giving them too much of the new functionality. Why hasn't Engadget commented this cheesy new "feature"?
@Son Goku
hahaha. way to channel that inner Iverson :)
@DoctarPeppar
They pulled a Microsoft.
Windows 7 Starter: Want to change your background? Buy an upgrade!
iPhone 3G: Want to change your background? Buy an upgrade!
Horrible analogy. They aren't just now releasing a phone with limited functionality, and another with all the features. It's a freaking 2 year old phone that has trouble with complicated animations.
@nothlit
It's actually probably that you made that excuse up. Please...
@Runkle
The guy claimed that it will effect the battery life. Even if the transitions are hard to perform for hardware they aren't done so often that it might affect the battery life. The major eaters of batteries are display and radio, not prosessor. I'd guess the processor takes max 15% of the the batteries when in use.
@Runkle You just explained why my 3G feels so smoth after I removed my jailbreak and upgraded to iOS 4. I just couldn't put my finger on it since so much changed.
@Son Goku
LOL!
I read that in Iverson's voice
@gsd3782 And both can be fixed!
Windows 7 Starter: Oceanis Wallpaper Changer (Google it)
iPhone 3G (and iPod 2nd Gen): RedSn0w>Enable Wallpaper & Multitasking
Done!
@nothlit Go find an iPhone 3G, jailbreak it with a 3.x firmware, open up Cydia and install "Simple Background".
It's okay, I'll wait.
OH LOOK, it's handling the zoom animation perfectly when you launch an app, AND using a parallax effect to scroll the wallpaper back and forth between home screens. Guess that shoots that theory all to hell, huh? :)