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Apple licensing 'iOS' name from Cisco, acquiring 'FaceTime' mark outright
Hey, look at that -- Apple's trademark attorneys actually called the senior owner of a trademark before Steve announced a product name and got everyone into a tizzy. See, Cisco routers and switches just happen to run an operating system called IOS, and that means Apple had to get permission to rename iPhone OS 4 iOS 4. Of course, the previous trademark tussle between Apple and Cisco over the iPhone mark probably means that all these guys are just good buddies now, so we're just waiting for Mac OS X 10.7 "Lynxis" to hit. Oh, and in case you're wondering, a company called "FaceTime Communications" actually sold its "FaceTime" mark to Apple and is completely changing its name in the coming months. Might we suggest "Apple TV Remote" as an intriguing possibility?
iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G... fight!
If you put your ear up to the screen, you can hear these two beasts snarling at one another. Hit up the gallery for more shots, along with some iPhone 3G for good measure. Let's see how they stack up on the big stats, shall we? iPhone 4 EVO 4G Screen 960 x 640, 3.5-inch 800 x 480, 4.3-inch Thickness 0.37-inch 0.47-inch Primary camera 5 megapixel 8 megapixel Secondary camera VGA 1.3 megapixel Video chat FaceTime Qik Not enough for you? We'll have a big comparison of all the "majors" for you shortly. Now, there's a lot left to learn about Apple's FaceTime video chat service. For instance, they called it "open," but they also only mentioned a zero-configuration iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calling setup. Meanwhile Qik can make calls between EVO 4Gs, but also stream video live to the web (while the iPhone needs to record and then upload to get "social" using its official apps). No mention was made of the FaceTime call resolution, but given the fact that the front camera is merely VGA, it's probably streaming at the same 640 x 480 that Qik is constrained to in the free service. However, a premium version of Qik for $5 a month lets you go beyond that resolution, using the EVO's higher resolution cameras. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that the EVO can stream video calls over 3G or 4G, while the iPhone 4 is constrained to WiFi for the time being. Naturally, we expect other video calling apps (Skype, please?) to crop up on both platforms and give these initial offerings a run for their money. %Gallery-94632%
Apple releases iPhone 4 stats page, video
Apple has updated its website with all of the iPhone 4 information you'll need, including official stats for the device, lots of information about features and hardware, and the video showing off iMovie, FaceTime, and all of the other new software announced today. Our two word review? "It's purdy." The iPhone, the video, all of it. Apple employees are effusive, as usual, and "Retina Display" and "optical lamination" is the new "magical and revolutionary" -- leave it to Apple to make a display that's so good, our eyes can't even see all of the pixels in it. But seriously, iPhone 4 already looks like a hit, and we haven't even actually seen the device yet. It'll be on preorder on June 15th, and out on June 24th.
FaceTime video calling added to iPhone 4... and it's WiFi-only
That front-facing camera on the new iPhone 4 and a flood of leaks were a dead giveaway -- the new FaceTime app brings video calling to the iPhone. Unfortunately, it's WiFi-only at the moment, as Steve says Apple needs to work with carriers to support it on 3G. The FaceTime app is pretty cool -- you can flip the image between the front and rear cameras and between portrait and landscape orientation, and the video call system is built on open standards like SIP, H.264, and AAC so it'll work with other video calling apps as well.%Gallery-94599% Check out more from WWDC 2010 in our liveblog!
