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iOS 4 Impressions

Posted by power_boz | Posted on 23-06-2010

iOS 4 is out, the iPhone 4 is shipping, sudden price drop in iPhone 3Gs prices in Kuwait, and its really hot in Kuwait. Instead of going out, we decided to take a look at the new iOS 4. Here are a list of new features:

Multitasking: Finally its there. Now you can stream music and do something else at the same time. Double clicking will reveal what apps are running and you can switch between them and also shut them down completely.

Folders: Now you can group your apps in folders for easy access. All you have to do is tap and hold and app until it starts to jiggle then you drag it and drop it onto another app. The OS automatically create a folder and names it according to what apps are inside. You can then change the name by tapping the folder.

Background Picture: Now you have a lock screen picture and a background picture.

Mail: This app went through some major changes. Unified mailbox, overhauled UI, conversations, and it’s a lot snappier.

Camera: iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 4 users can now tap the screen to focus and you will also get a zoom slider for 5x digital zoom

Bluetooth: Now you can pair you bluetooth keyboard and work from it.

Notes: Your notes now wirelessly sync to a specific default IMAP email which you can select from the application itself.

Messages/SMS: Now has a number of character counter which will appear when you hit 50 characters. Option to turn on/off in Settings.

Settings: In General Settings there is a new option to turn off/on all cellular data.

Safari: Change the search engine with auto completion.

Spotlight: You can now customize the search and also search the web and wikipedia.

Contacts: New contact screen and edit contact screen get a revamped UI.

Resize Photos: When you send photos you get an option to resize them to either small medium or large or keep the actual size.

iPod: Now you can create a playlist on the phone without itunes.

YouTube: Now you can watch videos in portrait mode.

Overall:
So far so good. Everything is solid. Making and receiving call is still the same and things are where they are supposed to be. There are no sudden changes to the UI except for some visual/cosmetics like the dock instead of the old grid. iOS keeps things simple and concise. Overall, this update addressed two important things which are organization and stability improvements.