iphone 4G

As any iPhone user knows, only bundled Apple software like the iPod app will run in the background while your phone is doing other things. Now AppleInsider reports this is all about to change.

Third-party applications will be allowed to run in the background in iPhone OS 4.0, the next step in iPhone firmware development. Although version 3.0 is capable of full multitasking, Apple has limited all but its own apps from staying open while running other software. Right now the Phone, Messages, iPod, Voice Memos, and Mail apps run in the background, along with some others.

A patent application filed by Apple in August 2008 shows some novel ways to interact with the iPhone. Swiping over the camera lens and a series of taps on the back of the iPhone are described as a way to control voicemail playback while the iPhone is against the head.

Holding the iPhone in the hand would make the camera lens react differently, controlling calling options or scrolling through contacts lists or web pages. Taps would be detected through an accelerometer inside the device.

Probably not. Rumors and speculation have been rampant on this issue. The fact is that Apple is launching the iPad with AT&T as its exclusive carrier. Clearly the two companies are in mutual agreement that their partnership is beneficial and ongoing.

Apple would have to manufacture the iPhone 4G to be compatible with two different network technologies if they wanted to bring the device to Verizon.

The current answer is unknown. Snippets of code in the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK (software development kit) have pointed to video conferencing capabilities. That being said, the 3.2 operating system is only expected to release on the Apple iPad.

The next generation iPhone will likely launch with iPhone OS 4.0. Photos from parts suppliers that are allegedly the front screen of the iPhone 4G are 1/4 inch (6 mm) taller than current iPhone models. Some reports have speculated that the extra space could be for a front-facing camera.

All eyes are on Apple to determine when the next iPhone will launch. So far, Apple has refreshed the iPhone every summer.

Past launch dates are as follows:

iPhone - Friday June 29, 2007
iPhone 3G - Friday July 11, 2008
iPhone 3GS - Friday June 19, 2009

We expect the next generation iPhone update to come on a Friday in late June or early July. Rumors have been circulating that iPhone OS 4.0 could be revealed as early as March 14th.

Stay tuned!

Will the next iPhone model be taller than its predecessors by a quarter inch (6 mm)? If these photos are to be believed, iResQ has received fourth-generation parts that show an iPhone with additional space at the top of the device.

iResQ acquired the parts as a sample from what they describe as a "reputable source" and note the fact that Apple could still change the design of the next generation iPhone before official release. Pictured above are parts from a 3GS on the left and a 4G iPhone on the right.

One of the highlights of Apple's iPad announcement was the heart of the device, the custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) now known as the Apple A4. This mysterious chip spawned from Apple's longtime partnership and 2008 acquisition of PA Semi.

The A4 is a power-sipping, high speed 1GHz processor with an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU) that runs Apple's multi-touch iPhone OS like nothing else. According to Steve Jobs, the iPad will play video for 10 hours before its battery is exhausted.

The fourth generation iPhone is on its way later this year, and reports have already surfaced indicating vast improvements in hardware and functionality. Apple is taking its iPhone to the next level to insure that competition from rival smartphones are held at bay.

Wireless provider KT introduced the iPhone to South Korea in November of 2009, and sources within the company have given The Korea Times a glimpse of what Apple is planning for iPhone 4.0. Hardware upgrades include dual-core processors, improved graphics and a power-sipping organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen.

The next generation iPhone will sport a 5-megapixel camera if the latest reports from DigiTimes are to be believed. Last year, the iPhone 3GS improved imaging capabilities with the addition of autofocus and video using a 3.2-megapixel camera.

OmniVision Technologies is expected to increase production of its image sensors in 2010 to fulfill demands for Apple's products, including the iPhone. Orders for 5-megapixel sensors have already been received by OmniVision in advance of the iPhone 4.0 launch next year.

Apple is right on schedule to release the next generation iPhone in summer of 2010. Unreleased iPhone hardware version 3,1 has been logged by PinchMedia this month in San Francisco. This means the company is already field testing hardware for the next model iPhone.

In the past, Apple has field tested other iPhone models 6-8 months before release. The jump in hardware designation from 2,1 to 3,1 indicates the hardware update from the 3GS to the next model will be significant.