multitasking
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HTC confirms One X multitasking tweaks in Sense 4
There's been quite a bit of brouhaha over at xda-developers lately about changes HTC's made to the way multitasking behaves on the One X compared to stock Ice Cream Sandwich. We're not just talking about obvious UI tweaks here -- Sense 4's horizontal, card-like arrangement vs. Android 4.0's default vertical list -- but actual differences in memory and task management. While we're not running into any problems with our One X review unit, some users have noticed that background app are getting terminated too aggressively, so we reached out to HTC for comment. Here's what the company said: HTC is aware of some questions in the enthusiast community about how the HTC One X handles multitasking and memory management for background apps. We value the community's input and are always looking for ways to enhance customers' experience with our devices. That said, multitasking is operating normally according to our custom memory management specifications which balance core ICS features with a consistent HTC Sense experience. There you have it. HTC's definitely implemented some multitasking tweaks on handsets running Sense 4. Perhaps this is why battery life is so impressive on AT&T's One X? While we don't believe this is going to be an issue for most people, there's always the option of installing custom ROMs now that the phone's been rooted.
RIM demos simple app switching in BlackBerry 10, slide to reveal
BlackBerry 10 is no joke on the multitasking front. The QNX-based OS may be a long time coming, but it really is offering something for the modern user that needs to switch between several apps. Instead of going the task list route, as webOS and Android have done, RIM's latest simply lets you swipe to reveal background tasks. Drag your thumb from left to right to peek at other apps that are currently running in the background. You can simply glance at them and go back to the foreground, or you can actually swipe back to go to programs launched earlier. It's slick, intuitive and perhaps the most familiar multitasking solution to those accustomed to the desktop metaphor. For more info check out our recent hands-on.
Quasar gives the iPad untabbed windows for ten dollars and a jailbreak (video)
The iPad was made to do many things, but windowed multitasking wasn't one of them. Leave it to the Cydia Store to provide a new app that delivers individual, rotatable, scalable, untabbed windows. Quasar, from developer Pedro Franceschi, let's you do just that across multiple apps -- without relying on home button double-taps or tricky multi-finger gestures. The video below makes it seem pretty magical, so take a look and let us know what you think.
Sony Japan announces ICS for tablets in late April, WiFi-only Tablet P April 21st
Owners of Sony's Tablet S and Tablet P can look forward to receiving Android 4.0.3 next month, at least in Japan. Beyond the latest and greatest Google-provided underpinnings, the update will also expand their photo capabilities with activation from the lock screen and the ability to take panoramic pictures, plus a new "Recopla" app for viewing DVR'd TV programs from its Blu-ray recorders. They'll also have an enhanced "Small Apps" feature that lets users multitask more efficiently, pulling up a windowed web browser, calculator or remote control app. Finally, if the only thing keeping you from the dual-screen Tablet P was its 3G radio and associated data plans, Sony has also announced a WiFi-only version due April 21st with optional color panels for 50,000 yen ($600 US). There's no word yet on hardware or software availability over here, or further details on Ice Cream Sandwich for the Xperia line, but more details and pics can be found at the source links below.
Apple awarded a patent for in-call app switching, starts drafting next lawsuit
Wondering how Apple planned to follow up its small victory over HTC in front of the ITC? Well, in addition to opening up a new front in its war on Samsung, the Cupertino crew have added yet another arrow to its IP quiver. The company has been awarded a patent for a "portable electronic device with graphical user interface supporting application switching." In other words, a multitasking smartphone. Of course, despite its rather broad wording (which appears to cover almost any phone that lets you switch between calls and apps) an infringing device would have to copy almost every facet of the design to find itself on the wrong side of an ITC judgment. But don't you worry, we're sure Apple lawyers are already hard at work figuring out which Android skin they'll have the most success against in court. And Google is probably already sharing collections of prior art with its manufacturers circle.
Sony serves up US Vita manual two months early, theoretical gamers rejoice
Jealous that Japan has first dibs on Sony's next generation portable? Or maybe you imported a PlayStation Vita, and need a little help navigating the Kanji-laden menus? Either way, Sony has a bone to throw you -- an online Vita user's guide, and in English, to boot. In addition to basic console operations, the online manual details the handheld's major features and apps, including Party, Near, the PS Store, a Photos app, the web browser, remote play and the Vita's video and music apps. The guide also mentions a few limitations, for instance, PSN video downloads will be standard definition only -- if you want to watch something in 720p, you'll need to load it yourself using the Vita's Content Manager. It also confirms the handheld's single account lock-down, noting that even your console's memory card is tied to your PSN account -- it simply won't work on your friend's Vita. Curious about battery life, 3G data usage trackers and remote play restrictions? Hit the source and dive in, you've got two months to study up.
Sony backtracks (again), multiple accounts not supported on PS Vita
First, we we're told multiple user accounts were a no-go, then this was withdrawn. Now, it seems that's now been retracted. According to an email send by a Sony representative to Wired, the PSN account on the PlayStation Vita is "tied to the hardware and the memory card" and a simple removable storage switch-out won't suffice. You'll need to hit the big red factory reset button in order to use a different account on Sony's online network, the doorway to both online gaming and their digital store. This will lock down the opportunity to flit between different regional networks -- barring a wipe -- and is something to bare in mind if the temptation of an early Japanese release has you reaching for transpacific import options.
PS Vita shuns multiple accounts and in-game web browsing, disappoints FAQ lovers everywhere (Updated)
Have a tendency to get stuck in games? Keep your laptop handy, the PlayStation Vita isn't going to make getting tips any easier -- an interview from AV Watch has revealed that Sony's next generation handheld is a little stingy when multitasking. The console's friends list, music and Twitter clients are in, but web browsing is out, blocked to ensure the Vita has more resources available for running games. This limitation could be off-putting to gamers who are used to mid-game internet FAQ checks to guide them through difficult bits of gameplay, a trick Nintendo's 3DS handles smoothly. Family members hoping to share a console might run into a roadblock as well, as the Vita appears to be fairly conservative about its relationships -- allowing only one PSN account per console. Sony's Brad Douglas recently mentioned on Twitter that swapping accounts was possible, but that switching required a factory reset. Potential deal breaker? For some, maybe. For others? Just another item to the growing list of things we hope to see in a future update.Update: So, turns out the PS Vita is not -- we repeat, not -- limited to one account per console. It is, however, limited to one account per memory card. Those proprietary storage sticks are tied to a particular PSN account, but multiple people can use the same device simply by swapping the cards.
Intel's Sandy Bridge E gets rounded up and reviewed, the E is for Excessive
You can guess how this one's gonna go: top marks for performance and a shriek of despair when it comes to value for money. Is there anyone out there who really needs an over-sized six-core CPU that requires its own chubby LGA-2011 socket and tailored X79 chipset before it'll even switch on in the morning? Could people seriously be persuaded to drop a grand on merely incremental improvements in technology, such as 15MB of L3 cache and a bigger 600MHz Turbo Boost for stock clock speeds up to 3.9GHz? Well now, let's not get distracted. Even if there were no market -- which there is -- Intel would probably carry on releasing world-beating desktop chips simply to remind us that its rivals can't, and we'd probably carry on reading about them. So here goes, a bunch of reviews covering both the i7-3960X and i7-3930K variants, which together represent the absurd awesomeness of Sandy Bridge E and are on sale at Newegg for $1,050 and $600 respectively: AnandTech: bemoans the absence of an on-die GPU, criticizes the X79 chipset, and dislikes the "performance/functionality tradeoffs" PC Pro: sedately noted that the i7-3960X shows an "improvement" over i7-2600K in real-world benchmarks, and that "AMD must be sweating." HotHardware: regards the 3960X as an "excellent overclocker" despite its vast power consumption, and says it combines with the X79 chipset to make "the most potent" desktop for gaming, content creation or productivity. Tom's Hardware: describes the 3960X as a "symbolic king in a crowd full of value," and the 3930K as the processor moneyed enthusiasts should be lusting over. ExtremeTech: says "the 3960X is a great chip on a solid platform," but cautions that only the most demanding gamers and content creators need this kind of power. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Shuttle launches XPC H7 5820S mini PC for your collection of 16 monitors
Wondering what do with those 16 monitors you've got lying around your house? Well, the folks over at Shuttle have just come out with a mouthful of a solution, known as the XPC H7 5820S. Shuttle's latest mini-PC is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with up to six cores, boasts 16GB of RAM and features a pair of 1TB hard disks. The workstation, compatible with Windows 7, also ships with a Blu-ray burner and packs Matrox's M-Series multi-display graphics cards, allowing users to work across 16 different displays at once, at resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 per screen. All this goodness is nestled within a box that's just 7.5 inches tall, though it won't come for cheap. According to SlashGear, the XPC H7 5820S is now available for a cool €1,446, or about $1,983. Find out more at the source link below, or in the full PR, waiting for you after the break.
NEC's Tele Scouter head-mounted display makes it really hard to not look evil
Case in point: the guy on the right. Sure, he's probably a mild-mannered, law-abiding citizen, but with NEC's Tele Scouter strapped to his spectacles, he looks just a wee bit sinister, doesn't he? The system he's wearing consists of a paperback-sized computer powered by an ARM 500MHz CPU and an AirScouter display mounted atop a pair of glasses. The display, manufactured by Brother, projects images upon the naked eye, but NEC insists that it won't completely block a user's field of vision. To the viewer, in fact, these projections appear as if they were displayed on a 16-inch, 800 x 600 screen standing one meter away. According to NEC, the idea is to allow employees to view manuals or other important documents while working with their hands, though that kind of multi-task wizardry certainly won't come for cheap. The Tele Scouter will begin shipping on December 26th, with the device priced at ¥400,000 (about $5,200) and the software sitting at ¥1.9 million (around $25,000).
iOS 5 features: New Multi-Touch gestures for iPad 2
In developer betas of iOS 4.3, Apple introduced new four- and five-finger multitasking gestures for the iPad. Those gestures didn't make it to the public release of iOS 4.3 for some reason, which was unfortunate because a lot of beta testers found them extremely useful. Fortunately, these new gestures have made the cut for iOS 5 -- at least for the iPad 2. Owners of the original iPad are still out of luck, it seems. The gestures aren't active by default, but going into the General section of the Settings app will give you a simple On/Off choice. Apple even gives a handy mini-primer of what the gestures do: Use four or five fingers to: Pinch to the Home Screen Swipe up to reveal multitasking bar Swipe left or right between apps For those of you who have been using the new Multi-Touch gestures in OS X Lion on the Mac, these gestures will feel very familiar. The "pinch to Home Screen" gesture on the iPad is the same as the "activate Launchpad" gesture in Lion. Swiping up on the iPad brings up its multitasking bar the same way swiping up activates Mission Control on the Mac, and swiping left to right is exactly the same on the iPad as switching between Desktops and full-screen apps in OS X Lion. All of these gestures are very comfortable and easy to activate, and they make switching between apps on the iPad a much quicker and less cumbersome process. It also means you'll be much less dependent on the iPad's single front-facing physical button, which can feel a bit overworked sometimes. However, it's worth noting that the new multitasking gestures do break compatibility for apps which themselves utilize four/five-finger gestures; GarageBand immediately comes to mind, and there are likely a few others. Fortunately, activating and deactivating the new gestures is a simple matter of toggling the appropriate switch in the Settings app. Our sister site Engadget did a video overview of these new gestures several months back. Although this video describes features new to iOS 4.3, the gestures are exactly the same in iOS 5.
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango review
Microsoft installs 'biggest Windows Phone ever' in NYC's Herald Square (video) Mango bumps NoDo, rolls the update train to Dell's Venue Pro Mango rollout going smoothly, now available to half of all Windows PhonesLet's face it: Windows Phone, as we know it, has an enormous amount of potential, but it's a first-generation operating system. For the first eleven months of its existence, it's lacked many of the common features we've come to enjoy (and take for granted) on Android and iOS, but then again, even those platforms have taken their turn getting the major wrinkles ironed out. So it comes as no surprise that Microsoft's mobile darling -- the innovative rebirth of a weak and faltering Windows Mobile platform that was quickly falling into obscurity -- would need to go through a similar process.It's finally time for Steve Ballmer & Co. to unleash its major annual update (not counting NoDo here), codenamed Mango, to a litany of devices both old and new. Also known as Windows Phone 7.5, the latest build delivers an onslaught of features -- no less than 500, according to Microsoft -- many of them we've been missing dearly. Three months ago we were given the opportunity to preview the new revamp and ogle over its smattering of new capabilities (see the full list of features here), and it's only proper for us to offer a follow-up with the update's final build. So how does the completely polished version hold up against the mobile juggernauts, not to mention its own first-gen offering? Follow us below to get the full scoop.
New iOS multitasking concept video
Apple fan Marcos Antonio de Lima Filho has mocked up a concept video demonstrating alternate multitasking-behavior for iOS devices. Instead of the single row of recently-accessed apps, Marcos' video shows two rows of app icons, top and bottom, with a pane of "workspaces" between them. Users can swipe between app icons as they do now or between windows of running applications. Additionally, apps that aren't running can be assigned to empty "workspaces" with a drag-and-drop. The overview of each running app's open window is nice. What do you think? New Multitask Interface for iOS from Marcsheep on Vimeo.
Meet Patty, Microsoft's Surface 2.0 stress test robot
Locked behind a gated fence and unseen by the public until now, lives Patty, Microsoft's Surface 2.0 stress test robot. Designed to see just how much Gates' touchscreen can take, this lady bot uses 80 compressed air-driven probes, six motors and a robotic moving head to apply maximum stress to the display. It works as such: by giving Patty a command, engineers can move probes across the screen at 25 inches per second -- mimicking the movement of fingers, hands and whatever else it might encounter IRL. With so much multitasking, it's no wonder she comes with a giant red emergency stop button -- just in case. See Patty do her thing by hitting the source link below.
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)
Make no mistake, Microsoft isn't playing coy in the smartphone market any longer. The folks in Redmond are making a significant jump forward in the mobile arena, announcing that the upcoming version of Windows Phone, codenamed "Mango," will be heading to a device near you in time for the holidays. As its competitors have raised the bar of expectations to a much higher level, Microsoft followed suit by adding at least 500 features to its mobile investment, which the company hopes will plug all of the gaping holes the first two versions left open. We received a Samsung Focus preloaded with the most recent developer build (read: not even close to the market release version) and we had a few good days to put it through its paces. It's still far from completion, as there were several key features that we couldn't test out; some weren't fully implemented, and others involved third-party apps that won't be updated until closer to launch. Yet we don't want to call this build half-baked -- in fact, it was surprisingly smooth for software that still has at least four months to go before it's available for public consumption. At the risk of sounding ridiculously obvious, we're mighty interested in seeing the final result when all is said and done this holiday season. As a disclaimer, we can't guarantee that the stuff we cover here will actually look or act the same when it's ready to peek out and make its official introduction in Q4; as often happens, features and UI enhancements are subject to be changed by the Windows Phone team as Mango gets closer and closer to release. Let's get straight to brass tacks, since there's a lot of details to dive into. It'd be best to grab a large beverage (we'd recommend a Big Gulp, at least), find your most comfortable chair, and meet us after the break.
White iPhone 4 used to demo new multitasking, Spotlight search in 'test version' of iOS? (video)
We've just laid eyes on a video from the prolific leaksters over at Tinhte, who claim they not only have a white iPhone 4 from Apple, but it's one with a "test version" of iOS that nobody else has yet seen. It's difficult to ascertain how legitimate this software is -- it could just be a neatly done jailbreak mod -- but that site has a track record of getting its hands on Apple gear ahead of the pack. With that said, the multitasking menu shown here substitutes the current use of apps' icons to represent them with a visual of each app's open window. You can tap on a window to expand it (replete with animation) to fill the screen or long-press on it to bring up the familiar "x" button for shutting it down. This is all accompanied by a new "Search iPhone" dialog at the very top, which sends you into Spotlight search that looks very much the way it currently does (though it seems to no longer be accessible with a left swipe from the first homescreen as on previous versions of iOS). Jump past the break for the video. Update: A second video has been uncovered, this one showing that we're looking at a prototype unit and taking us on a tour around its body. A visit to the Settings menu shows a 64GB storage capacity, while app folder creation is also handled a little differently from iOS 4. The presence of the Touch Fighter app on this phone, which Apple built to show off the capabilities of earlier versions of the handset, and other internal-looking software seems to point to this indeed being some form of iOS beta build. Of course, it might not be iOS 5 at all, but simply a never-released version of iOS 4. All we know for sure is that the video's after the break. Update 2: All indications are that this is indeed an early, unreleased version of iOS 4. Interesting, but probably not something to get your hopes up about.
Windows Phone adds multitasking, deeper OS integration, and sensor access to dev platform
We knew it was coming, and today at MIX 11, Microsoft showed off its developer platform for the next version of Windows Phone, which developers will be able to get their hands on for free in May. The new application platform adds: Multitasking for background processing, audio and file transfer, and fast app switching, including background audio playback for HTML5 webpages Deeper integration of apps into the OS, allowing programs to leverage Live Tiles, including push notifications via Live Agents running in the background Raw access to the camera and sensors (gyro and compass) via the Motion Sensor library, letting apps to control device hardware Microsoft hopes this will allow developers to make even more creative and engaging apps. To get our juices flowing, it showed off demos of new app concepts from Skype, Spotify, Layar, Qantas, Amazon Shopping, and Kik Messenger. Check out our gallery below and hit the break for the details. %Gallery-121151%
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?
Motorola's SocialTV app will turn your Xoom or Atrix into a communicative couch companion
Whether you look at stats or your own limitless experience, you know very well that humanity spends too much time staring at tubes, screens, and other unnatural visualizers. Motorola isn't really here to fix that ailment, but at least it's converging the uses of some of those device classes with its introduction of a SocialTV Companion Service. Designed to turn your smartphone, tablet or laptop into a, you guessed it, TV companion device, this new software serves up social networking, complimentary content, real-time chat, TV show ratings, and interactive (as opposed to what, non-interactive?) games. Basically, since you spend your TV-watching time idly browsing away on your Xoom anyway, why not fuse the two things together and "generate some incremental revenue" for your service provider in the process? We presume the new SocialTV stuff will be rolled out in app form, Moto doesn't dish up those details or give us a launch date. If only we had an app to tell us when to expect new apps to arrive.
