multitasking

mobile
January 19, 2012
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iPhone owners living in the past finally get a peek at the present

By on January 19, 2012 at 12:45 PM.

iPhone owners living in the past finally get a peek at the present

There will always come a point when hardware limitations prevent previous-generation iPhone and iPod touch models from receiving the latest version of iOS. The issue is more prominently discussed in the Android community due to the frequency of updates and the time-consuming process vendors face when making customized software elements available on a new Android build. But owners of older versions of Apple’s mobile devices also know the pain of seeing features added to iOS that they will never get to enjoy until they purchase a more modern device — until now. More →

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mobile
September 27, 2011
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Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) first impressions

By on September 27, 2011 at 1:15 PM.

Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) first impressions

I have spent the past week or so playing with a Samsung Focus preloaded with the final build of Windows Phone 7.5, previously codenamed Mango. I have always appreciated what Windows Phone has to offer: a clean and intuitive user interface that works well, to put it simply. Windows Phone originally shipped lacking a few features, though. The NoDo update, for example, added copy and paste but the operating system still felt like it was lacking. Windows Phone 7.5 adopts Microsoft’s motto to “put people first,” and it does a fairly good job of that. There are hundreds of changes in Mango and in this hands-on look, I highlight a few changes that stood out to me during my time with the OS.

More →

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mobile
May 24, 2011
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Windows Phone 7.1 ‘Mango’ update to land this fall

By on May 24, 2011 at 1:10 PM.

Windows Phone 7.1 ‘Mango’ update to land this fall

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its forthcoming major update to its Windows Phone platform — Windows Phone 7.1 “Mango.” We gave you live coverage of the event as well a hands-on look at the update, and now that the dust has cleared we can finally sit down and collect ourselves. In short, Mango looks awesome. We’ve seen plenty of promise in the Windows Phone platform right from the start, but we also thought Microsoft rushed the OS to market — understandably — and a lot of key features and functionality were missing as a result. Mango goes a very, very long way in bringing the emerging platform up to date, and Microsoft has named HTC, LG, Samsung, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu Limited, ZTE Corporation and of course Nokia as partners moving forward. Windows Phone 7.1 will be the launch platform for upcoming Windows Phones from Nokia, by the way, and Microsoft confirmed that Nokia has already built devices running Windows Phone 7.1 that are currently being tested in its labs. Mango will add more robust multitasking support, messaging threads, deeper social integration, a unified email inbox, voice-to-text and text-to-voice support, and about 500 other enhancements to the Windows Phone platform when it launches this fall. Hit the break for Microsoft’s full press release along with a video of some of the new features Mango will bring to the Windows Phone platform. More →

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mobile
May 24, 2011
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Microsoft Windows Phone Mango hands-on

By on May 24, 2011 at 11:17 AM.

Microsoft Windows Phone Mango hands-on

We’ve just seen a test handset running Windows Phone OS codenamed Mango, and even though the update won’t be available until the Fall, it brings some much needed improvements and enhancements to Microsoft’s mobile platform. OS 7.1 will also be the OS that Nokia devices running Windows Phone will launch with. Looking forward to 4G support, threads, deep social integration, voice dictation, multitasking with app resume, and much more? Check out our hands on photos in our gallery.

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Events
May 24, 2011
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Live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 ‘Mango’ event!

By on May 24, 2011 at 10:01 AM.

Live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 ‘Mango’ event!

We’re here live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7  event in New York City where the company is set to detail the next major OS upgrade to the Windows Phone platform. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hinted we could see over 500 new features, let’s hope we get some big enhancements in addition to the practically confirmed multitasking, Twitter integration, remote email search stuff. Live coverage is after the break! More →

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mobile
April 19, 2011
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White iPhone with new multitasking UI purportedly spotted in Vietnam [video]

By on April 19, 2011 at 9:37 AM.

White iPhone with new multitasking UI purportedly spotted in Vietnam [video]

Vietnamese site tinhte.vn has published a video of what it is claiming might be the iPhone 5 — though it is more likely to be a white iPhone 4 with a storage bump — running a test version of iOS that includes a new multitasking UI and a revamped Spotlight search function. The minute-plus clip shows a new application switcher in action, complete with a handful of crashing apps. The video could be a custom UI skin running on a jailbroken iPhone, but this site has a history of solid scoops so we’re more likely to believe that this is a test build of iOS that is indeed running on a white iPhone 4. The video is after the break — have a look and let us know what you think.

UPDATE: According to another video from tinhte.vn, this iPhone is running test build 8A216 of iOS 4.

More →

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mobile
April 13, 2011
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Microsoft Windows Phone 'Mango' details emerge, available this fall

By on April 13, 2011 at 2:14 PM.

Microsoft Windows Phone 'Mango' details emerge, available this fall

AllThingsD had a chance to sit down with Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore to discuss the new Windows Phone 7 “Mango” update, which the Redmond-based firm is discussing during the MIX 11 conference in Las Vegas today. Belfiore confirmed that Mango will offer a new browsing experience using Internet Explorer 9, and noted that it will have integrated Twitter features. Similarly, Mango will allow users to run multiple programs at the same time – complete with background audio support. That means you could theoretically stream music from Slacker Radio while firing off an email. Microsoft will also allow developers to tap into a phone’s gyroscope and camera, which it hopes will help spur more augmented reality applications. Speaking of apps, Belfiore confirmed that Layar, Skype, Spotify, and Angry Birds, are on their way to the Windows Marketplace. Belfiore confirmed that Mango will launch this fall. More →

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Software
April 13, 2011
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HP's webOS 3.0 beta 1 gets exhaustive review via emulator [video]

By on April 13, 2011 at 8:46 AM.

HP's webOS 3.0 beta 1 gets exhaustive review via emulator [video]

The brood over at PreCentral have managed to acquire a leaked copy of HP’s webOS 3.0 beta 1 software development kit (SDK). Why is this a good thing? Because contained within said SDK rests a TouchPad, webOS 3.0 emulator, of course. While emulators only provide 50% of the TouchPad story — the other half being hardware — it is useful to get a high-level overview of what user interface will look like. If you want to whet your appetite for this summers TouchPad release, hit the jump. There’s an eighteen minute video overview awaiting your scrutiny. Be sure to click through the read link as well for a host of screen grabs. More →

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mobile
February 15, 2011
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Windows Phone 7 multitasking shown off on video

By on February 15, 2011 at 1:20 PM.

Windows Phone 7 multitasking shown off on video

No one was surprised when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and pals discussed the future of Windows Phone 7 multitasking during Monday’s keynote at Mobile World Congress — the company has covered its forthcoming multitasking solution for third-party apps on several occasions in the past. As we all know, it will work much like Apple’s solution. Apps will remain in a frozen state when sent to the background and will be able, in some instances, to utilize background APIs for functions such as music streaming. For the first time, however, Microsoft gave an extensive demonstration of a preliminary implementation of its solution during MWC. The demo shows off state-saving and simple task-switching, background music streaming, and it also shows Windows Phone 7′s upcoming task manager UI, which bears a striking resemblance to the “cards” UI seen on HP’s webOS. Hit the break for a video of Microsoft’s demo. More →

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mobile
January 20, 2011
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iPhone multitasking gestures demoed on video

By on January 20, 2011 at 1:09 PM.

iPhone multitasking gestures demoed on video

BGR exclusively reported on Wednesday that Apple is currently testing a variety of gestures on its iPhone. While the more interesting gestures are still locked away safely on the Apple campus, the task-switching gesture managed to come out to play in Apple’s recent iOS 4.3 beta software. Antoni Nygaard decided to laugh in the face of Apple’s developer agreement on Wednesday and show off these new gestures on camera. As we’ve pointed out in the past, these gestures are currently in place for testing purposes only. Trust us — if and when gesture support is officially added to the iPhone, it won’t involve uncomfortable four-finger swipes. So while we all wait impatiently to see what official gesture support might look like, hit the break for the video demo of Apple’s test gestures in action on an iPhone 3GS. More →

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mobile
December 20, 2010
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Samsung Bada 2.0 to get multitasking, push notifications, a new UI and more

By on December 20, 2010 at 2:23 PM.

Samsung Bada 2.0 to get multitasking, push notifications, a new UI and more

Samsung took some time at a developer day event in South Korea to note that it will have sold 5 million Bada-powered Wave phones when 2010 comes to an end. It also projects sales of more than 10 million Wave devices in the first half of 2011 alone. Most of the attention at the event, however, was focused on the host of features Samsung said it will introduce in version 2 of its in-house mobile operating system. Among the more notable additions making their way to Bada 2.0 are third-party multitasking support, push notification support, an updated UI that will include a “smart home-screen,” enhanced security, an integrated ad network, carrier billing support, HTML5, NFC and speech recognition. Needless to say, Bada 2.0 is set to be a huge update that could put Bada on par with most modern smartphone operating systems when it launches in the first half of 2011. Hit the break for a slide containing all of the noted enhancements we can look forward to in Bada 2.0. More →

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General
October 11, 2010
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Yahoo Messenger 2.0 for iPhone hits App store, brings video calling over 3G

By on October 11, 2010 at 5:20 PM.

Yahoo Messenger 2.0 for iPhone hits App store, brings video calling over 3G

While a new update to the Yahoo Messenger app on the iPhone would be eventful in and of itself, the latest version brings a very special gift — video calling over 3G, and not just phone to phone, but phone to computer or vice versa. Unfortunately in our quick tests, video calling seems to be buggy, not reliable, and above all, pretty low in the quality department when we do manage to get it working. In addition to video calls, the newly updated Yahoo Messenger brings free voice calls to other Yahoo Messenger friends, supports background multitasking, and more. Let us know if you’re feeling the new update, though we’ll be waiting for real FaceTime calling over 3G. More →

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General
September 2, 2010
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Apple posts iPad 4.2 update page, reminds you what's coming

By on September 2, 2010 at 9:11 PM.

Apple posts iPad 4.2 update page, reminds you what's coming

Today, Apple posted its iPad 4.2 software update page to remind you of the improvements that the next iteration of iOS will have for your tablet device. For those who don’t know, iOS 4.2 will bring: multitasking, home screen folders, wireless document printing, AirPlay (streaming audio/video), Apple’s Game Center, a unified inbox, text search in the Safari web browser, as well as a handful of other modifications. The update is scheduled to roll out sometime in November. If you would like more details hit the read link to view the official Apple page. More →

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