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Google backtracks on Wear OS' battery-saving features
Smartwatches are struggling, and Google knows it needs to fix the things people dislike about Wear OS. At the top of the list is battery life, so during I/O, Google announced plans to boost that for Android P. While Qualcomm's new smartwatch-dedicated chip will help in that regard, on the software side, Google decided to cut back on what apps could do in the background. However, after previewing the changes in beta with developers, Google has decided to roll back the changes and restore things to how they were.
Microsoft brings true, background multitasking to Windows Phone 8
Well, Microsoft has officially left Apple as the only player in the Mobile field to not support real multitasking. With the next version of Windows Phone, background multitasking will be opened up to all devs, thanks to libraries provided directly by Redmond. During today's presentation two different background tasks were demoed, VoIP and location. The VoIP integration allows users to have calls come in, preferably via Skype if Microsoft has its way, without having the app running in the foreground and have them appear the same as a standard phone call. While watching for incoming calls is nice, a more commonly used feature is location monitoring. Now apps will be able to monitor location in the background while you perform other tasks. One by one, Microsoft is checking off boxes on our list of complaints about Windows Phone.
Homebrew dev previews multitasking on Windows Phone 7, Microsoft issues stern warning (video)
Oh, hackers... how we heart thee: following our story on Jaxbot's fascinating instant app resuming mod on Windows Phone 7, the plucky dev has taken tricks a step further -- this time demoing a workaround that struts true multitasking on your handset. Now before you start rushing to the source link, please note we say "demoing" intentionally as no release date has been set, and Jax is only previewing this work-in-progress to solicit user input (and achieve bragging rights, of course). Meanwhile, Microsoft has taken notice of developers' growing tenacity and is pleading for patience on its official blog, warning users to stay clear of these unsanctioned techniques citing unknown consequences. We're inclined to believe they aren't fully bluffing, considering their update track history, and all. Keeping in mind there's nothing to download just yet, check out WP7 tossing around apps in the background after the break, and let Jaxbot know what you think, will ya?
Windows Phone 7 hack brings instant app resumption, mobile multitasking to the masses
Looking for a little snappier response when jumping to and fro between apps on your WP7 device? Well, do we have just the hack for you -- a dev from Windows Phone Hacker, Jaxbot, did some poking around in the Window's Phone registry and found a way to instantly resume apps, no muss, no fuss. By setting the "DehydrateOnPause" registry key value to zero, he got rid of that pesky app dehydration / rehydration process altogether. Keep in mind there may be some "undesirable" side effects from force-feeding your device multitasking (ADD?) ahead of schedule and you'll need a developer-unlocked device to access the registry, so only advanced users need apply -- you taking notes, Mr. Ballmer? Hit up the source link for the full monty, and check out the hack in action after the break.
Windows Phone 7 Series multitasking: the real deal
We've definitely learned a ton about Windows Phone 7 Series here at MIX, but getting the full picture on multitasking has been difficult, since the OS isn't ready, no one has final hardware, and the emulator seems to behave differently than actual devices and Microsoft's descriptions. So let's set the record straight on multitasking: it's not going to happen, at least not in the traditional way. Not only have we directly confirmed this with Microsoft executives several times, but the developer sessions here are totally clear on the matter -- you don't tell 1000+ devs that they should expect their apps to be killed whenever the user switches away from them if you don't mean it. Now, that's not to say that the OS can't do multitasking: first-party apps like the Zune player and IE can run in the background, and third-party apps are actually left running in a suspended state (Microsoft calls it "dehydrated") as long as the system doesn't need any additional resources. If the user cycles back to an app, it's resumed ("rehydrated") and life continues merrily along, but if the user opens other apps and the system needs additional resources, the app is killed without any indication or remorse. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's basically a single-tasking riff on Android and Windows Mobile 6, both of which also purport to intelligently manage multiple running applications like this, and both of which usually find themselves greatly improved with manual task managers. We'll have to see if Windows Phone 7 Series can do a better job once it ships -- we have a feeling it will -- and later down the line we'll see if Microsoft decides to extend multitasking to third-party apps. But for now, just know that you're not going to be running Pandora in the background while you do other tasks on a 7 Series device -- it is a question we have specifically asked, and the answer, unfortunately, is no. P.S. Still don't believe us? Hear it for yourself directly from Microsoft's Todd Brix:
Multifl0w project teaches Apple a thing or two about iPhone multitasking
Though it's relented on MMS and copy / paste, Apple has stubbornly, steadfastly continued to hold the line on the multitasking issue throughout the iPhone's two and a half-year career. Though it has a point about traditional multitasking burning through power, competing smartphone platforms -- scratch that, every competing platform -- has proven that it's still plenty possible to get a full days' life out of a battery while running a full host of apps in the background. Of course, the jailbroken iPhone community knows this full well, which is why there are a number of utilities available for backgrounding apps, but maybe none quite as slick as the just-released multifl0w. Taking a cue from the Pre, multifl0w adds backgrounded apps to a horizontally-scrollable gallery of cards; the only thing it's missing is a swipe gesture for quitting, but it's a minor point. Apple, we know you're seeing how good this is -- is there a defensible reason for why we still have to h4x0r our handsets to get this? [Thanks, Jai]
Apple may (or may not) be mulling background apps for the iPhone
Whether it be case materials and design, native iPhone app development, or video support on the iPod, Apple's not a company to apologize for drastically (and suddenly) changing course. Strategically that's to the company's benefit, since it keeps the competition guessing; for consumers, though, it's a nightmare trying to figure out whether the device you buy today will be dismissed as passé in a heavily-liveblogged Jobs or Schiller press conference the next week. iPhone OS versions 2.0 and 3.0 have gone a long way toward addressing some of the iPhone's well-publicized shortcomings -- clipboard support, MMS, better orientation change support, notifications, the list goes on -- but one biggie that Apple has so far refused to take out of the penalty box is background app support. A number of sources this week are reporting that Apple is now investigating ways to make background processes work, though it's apparently early in development and the company is still investigating options; one would be to limit background apps to a total of two, another would require that background-capable apps meet certain criteria (presumably to limit processor utilization) before getting App Store approval. The company has invested a lot of time -- way too much time, actually -- crafting its push notification infrastructure designed specifically to get around the need for background processes in many common cases, which makes it seem terribly unlikely that they'd reverse so quickly. While it's true that every other modern smartphone platform supports them, Apple has all but perfected the art and science of ignoring its competitors' game plans. Any way you slice it, it's a near certainty that the next-gen iPhone will bump processor and memory specs, which makes background processing a more palatable concept -- thing is, battery technology has barely evolved in over a decade, and that's ultimately the roadblock to letting an iPhone (or any other cordless device) run wild. What's more, requiring the user to choose their own two background apps seems totally counter to the "it just works" mantra that rules the iPhone's dumbed-down interface. Hell has a tendency to freeze over in Cupertino, though, so we can't rule it out. [Via Daring Fireball]
Switched On: Taking the iPhone to tasks
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Apple may be right that the benefits of multitasking do not outweigh its costs at this point, and the company will address at least some of the needs that have traditionally been met with background apps via its reworked push service and in-app e-mail due to launch this summer. However, the rationale presented at the iPhone OS 3.0 event this week against background apps is an incomplete argument at best. First, let's turn back to when Apple first announced that the iPhone would not support background applications at WWDC last June. Apple's Scott Forstall showed a screen shot of Windows Mobile's busy Task Manager noting, "This is nuts." He pointed out how background applications consume cycles, sandbagging performance, and consume battery life. But since when does Apple accept that Microsoft's implementation of something is the last word? And at the iPhone OS 3.0 preview, in a quantitative justification of the background process ban that included relaying testing on Android, Apple talked about how running a background IM client can reduce standby time at least 80 percent, whereas a push system reduces standby time only 23 percent. However, the case against background applications is not so straightforward.
