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The latest build of the iphone SDK (beta 4) and accompanying iphone OS 2.0 beta release (5A258f) include support for “active” and “inactive” applications. Though some developers initially interpreted this inclusion as the addition of the ability to run third-party applications in the background — a notable omission from the initial SDK. However, it appears that the new capability only allows third-party applications to remain active while the device is locked (asleep) or there is an overlaid window.

Apple’s documentation reportedly states: “When an application is inactive, it is executing but is not dispatching incoming events. This occurs when an overlay window pops up or when the device is locked.”

Regarding the use of background processes, Apple’s documentation still says:

“Only one iphone application can run at a time, and third-party applications never run in the background. This means that when users switch to another application, answer the phone, or check their email, the application they are using quits.”

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

With the deluge of data hitting users in the modern age, managing piles of information has become increasingly important but also more difficult. Evernote is on its way to both the Mac and the iphone, and promises to simplify the effort needed to catalog, tag and organize web clippings, text and handwritten notes, photos, emails, audio clippings, and more, making it easy to search and review all those bits later without having to think too hard about how to do it.
Continues: iphone to make managing information overload easy”>Evernote for Mac, iphone to make managing information overload easy

There are a number of solutions for streaming media (music, movies, etc.) to the iphone and iPod touch, including a native application and several Web-based offerings. They all offer replicas of the standard mobile OS X iTunes interface, most making use of simple sliding-style navigation schemes. A new update to one of the Web-based tools, Remote Buddy, delivers the best implementation of iTunes streaming we’ve seen thus far.

One of the killer new features we haven’t seen in other tools is the ability to playback complete playlists and albums automatically, and the new interface is beautiful.

Setting Remote Buddy up is fairly easy:

• Download the application and launch it, then select File > Preferences from the menubar.
• Click on Hardware then, on the left, choose Virtual Receiver
• Click the checkbox next to AJAX Remote to make it active
• AJAX Remote will appear on the left, with an iphone icon. Select it.
• If a password is desired, click Require password and enter one.
• If you want to be able to view your Desktop on your iphone, make sure that Allow viewing the desktop via the browser is checked
• Under Interfaces and URLs you can use to access AJAX Remote, you’ll find the URLs you can use to access your Mac via your iphone. In our case, two entries appeared and the second (en1) allowed a proper connection. To make sure it works, click one and press the Open in browser button.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Daniel Eran Dilger
Just ahead of its recession defying, record setting Q2 2008 earnings reports, Apple revealed plans to buy PA Semi, a chip designer specializing in processors based on IBM’s Power architecture. This news sparked a flurry of confusion from observers: why is Apple getting into the semiconductor business after partnering with Intel in its Mac systems, aligning with ARM licensees for its mobile WiFi iphone platform, and particularly after decisively migrating away from PowerPC in 2006?

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Apple has pushed out a fourth beta of the iphone SDK to registered developers. Thew latest build includes two primary new features:

• OpenGL ES support: The iphone emulator will now be able to render OpenGL ES in applications, matching the capabilities of the iphone 2.0 software.
• Code signing enforced: iphone applications will now need to contain a valid certificate (obtained from the restricted, $99, iphone Developer program) in order to be loaded on actual devices. If a developer does not have a certificate, apps will still run in the simulator but not physical devices.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Apple has agreed to purchase PA Semi, the designer of a 64-bit, power-conservative, dual-core processor, Forbes reports. PA Semi’s chip is based not on Intel x86 (like Macs) or ARM (like the iphone) processor specifications, but rather on the PowerPC platform around which Apple no longer bases new systems but still actively supports with Mac OS X. Unlikely to divert attention from the Intel processor for full-fledged Macs, Apple may be planning to utilize PA Semi’s current processor line, dubbed PWRficient, or a still-in-development chip from the small fabless designer in the iphone or an unannounced product line.

PA Semi’s PWRficient PA6T-1682 is a monster when compared with the iphone’s current 620 MHz ARM CPU. It’s dual-core, with each core running at 2GHz, and sports two DDR2 memory controllers, 2MB of L2 cache, and a robust I/O subsystem. It’s also significantly more power-hungry than the ARM chip, however. The PA6T-1682 draws 5-25 watts depending on application, and can drop down to 1 watt in power-saving model. The iphone’s ARM processor draws 0.45 milliwatts per MHz. The current iphone’s processor is clocked at somewhere around 400 MHz, meaning it draws about 180 milliwatts, or .18 watt. As such, the PA6T-1682, in its available form, won’t meet a typical iphone’s low power consumption requirements. Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor (used in various Macs), for comparison, draws a maximum of 65 watts.

Intel’s forthcoming Atom processor seemingly makes more sense as the centerpiece of a future iphone than PA6T-1682. The Atom’s power consumption ranges from subwatt to 2.5 watts for mobile devices.

Apple is, however, buying not only the extant PWRficient processor design but also ARM expertise. Dan Dobberpuhl, CEO of P.A. Semi, worked on the original Strong-ARM processor processor — a successor to which is currently used in the iphone — at Digital Equipment Corporation.

Dobberpuhl revealed in mid-2006 that his firm was working on a variety of processor cores at “different power points.” As such, P.A. Semi could have chips in the pipeline that would suit the iphone nicely.

Since the iphone runs a mobile version of OS X, which uses the same basic foundation as the PowerPC and Intel compatible Mac OS X, reworking the iphone’s basic software to run on a PowerPC platform such as P.A. Semi’s is theoretically feasible.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Daniel Eran Dilger
Microsoft’s current and future operating system projects, Windows Vista, Windows Seven, and Singularity, share too much in common with Apple’s failures of the mid-90s. Each project bears a striking resemblance to the three catastrophes that nearly killed Apple in the early 90s, and for many of the same core reasons. Here’s why, and what this means for the future of the PC desktop, the Windows platform, and new emerging mobile markets.

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Revelations from the device emulator included with Apple’s current iphone SDK indicate that the company has added support for true GPS hardware to the platform. This functionality could show up in the form of built-in GPS hardware, a dock-connected peripheral, or not at all — but the software is ready.

As discovered by user Steffen Voigt, the locationd component of the current iphone emulator includes references to NMEA. NMEA is a data specification for communication between various location sensing devices, particularly GPS units. Per this GPSinformation.org page:

“Most computer programs that provide real time position information understand and expect data to be in NMEA format. […] All proprietary sentences begin with the letter P and are followed with 3 letters that identifies the manufacturer controlling that sentence. For example a Garmin sentence would start with PGRM and Magellan would begin with PMGN.”

locationd also makes direct references to satellite-gathered information, with strings mentioning satellite status, latitude, speed, magnetic variation, etc.

Other strings mention GPS time, type, position and accuracy.

Location sensitivity on the iphone is currently limited to triangulation based on the proximity of cellular signal towers and mapped WiFi access points. iphone OS 2.0 will add a new live location tracking feature that will automatically track the user’s current location in the Maps application on a persistently updating basis. So, for instance, driving down Broadway in New York with an iphone would result in a constantly moving blue, pulsing ball indicating your current location. A genuine, hardware-based GPS component would trump this functionality.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Several iphone users have reported an issue where WiFi connection repeatedly drop, reverting to EDGE connectivity. Like many iphone troubleshooting issues, there are a number of potential solutions for this problem that sometimes need to be applied in tandem. Run through this list of fixes in order until the issue is resolved:

Modify router settings Try modifying the settings on your wireless router in the following ways: Enable the DHCP server increase the maximum number of users. Change the starting distributed IP address to something with only one digit at the end (e.g. 192.168.1.6). Extend the client lease time.

You can also try modifying the security settings on your router. Switch from WEP to WPA or vice versa and from high to low security or vice versa.

Restart router Simply unplugging your wireless router from power then reconnecting it can allow persistent iphone WiFi connectivity.

Renew DHCP lease Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, then tap the arrow next to your current WiFi network and tap “Renew Lease.”

Reset iphone Simply powering the iphone off then turning it back on may resolve this issue. Hold the sleep/wake and home buttons simultaneously until the white Apple logo appears.

Reset network settings Go to Settings > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that this will erase any currently stored WiFi passwords.

Restore iphone Connect your iphone to your Mac or PC and, in iTunes, click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, etc.

Feedback? info@iphoneatlas.com.

Daniel Eran Dilger
Windows Enthusiasts have been working hard to advance the idea that Apple has become the new Microsoft, supposedly by monopolizing the market for music sales and MP3 players and in creating new bodies of technology in its own image to discover territories outside of Microsoft’s reach. However, they’re missing something far more interesting: Microsoft is reverting to become the beleaguered old Apple of the mid 90s. Here’s how.

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