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BlackBerry Messenger 6 details leaked, we fear for addicts everywhere
Details of the new BlackBerry Messenger are leaking out all over the internet today, and what we're seeing is an app that could make your CrackBerry even more impossible to put away. In a move that shows RIM's eagerness to loosen up a bit, BBM 6 could be adding at least one new feature that isn't exactly boardroom-appropriate: gaming. Rumor has it that the app's new iteration, which will run on OS 5.0 and greater, incorporates a function that allows users to use their BBM name as their gamer name, as well as update their status automatically to reflect completed gaming tasks. BBM 6 would also allow for larger chat groups and cross chat. We've no real way of predicting the app's impact, but if the rumors turn out to be true, we wouldn't be surprised to see a second coming of the BlackBerry massage.
What's in the iPhone 4.0?
Willkommen, Besucher von spiegel.de. Möchten Sie ein Übersetzung? Hier drucken. Well, we didn't really expect this to come so soon after the iPad release, but sure enough, Apple is going to show us the iPhone 4.0 operating system this Thursday. That doesn't give us a lot of time for speculation, but I'm sure we'll squeeze it in. As per our reader expectations, various rumors and leaks, and other random news and scuttlebutt, what can we expect to see in a new iPhone OS? Multitasking. Yup. If Apple's going to answer the naysayers, this is when it will happen. Of course, it will be done Apple's way (as we've heard, the new OS will probably still rely on notifications for most apps, and incorporate more of an "app-switching" idea rather than full multitasking), but the iPhone 4.0 will likely be able to run more than one third-party app at a time. A new home screen. This one's probably a little more of a guess, since Apple didn't mix up the home screen, even for its historic iPad. Though, since the iPhone is a smartphone, and since this is one of the most vocal complaints we've heard from actual users of the iPhone, a new screen of information would be very welcome. Better app management. With iPad and iPhone apps now out there, we've all got a lot of apps to deal with. From the longtime idea of "stacks" for apps, to the ability to remove official apps, to app gestures and navigation, the iPhone needs a better way to browse through apps, and it's likely that we'll see it this week. Landscape mode/switch. This one's a shot in the dark from me, but when you play with the iPad, one of the first things you notice is that it's able to adapt to any kind of usage situation; even when you turn it on the home screen, the icons adjust to the way that you want to use it, rather than the other way around. What else can we tell you? With just a few days to speculate, that's probably a good start. We've waited a lot longer than three days to hear about a new Apple product before, but three days has never seemed so long.
Hints found of OpenGL 3.0 support in 10.6.3
News is bouncing around today that the current test version of Mac OS X 10.6.3 has OpenGL 3.0 installed in it, and while it's not completely working yet, developers are hopeful that this means Apple is pushing to have full OpenGL 3.0 support in place as soon as possible. What does that mean for us mere users? Better, faster graphics, and the ability to push the hardware we've already paid for to where it's supposed to be. Most of the hardware sold in modern Macs actually has the ability to make use of OpenGL 3.0 (in fact, the current version is actually 3.2, and 3.0 was released back in 2008), but Apple's never included it in the software. It's a strange thing, this hesitance Apple has to really push the graphics ability on these machines to the limit. They've kept things slower than they could be in other ways as well, for reasons we're not entirely sure of. It just doesn't seem like faster 3D is a priority for them -- we'll leave it up to you to decide whether that's good or bad.
